Changing face of ASiMI in Butte

New owner to focus on polysilicon manufacturing for solar energy industry

For Dave Keck, change is just around the corner. His job as sales manager for Advanced Silicon Materials Inc. http://www.asimi.com/ — which makes highly pure polysilicon at its plant southwest of Butte — will evolve after ASiMI gets new owners this spring. Current owner Komatsu announced this winter that it’s selling 75 percent ownership interest in ASiMI to Renewable Energy Corp. of Norway.

"The single most affected person is me," Keck said with a grin recently, seated in his office at ASiMI.

While the future owners will not likely change how ASiMI makes polysilicon, they will sell the product to a new kind of customer. Right now, ASiMI sells polysilicon to companies making cell phone and computer parts; under the new owners it will sell polysilicon to companies making solar-energy equipment.

That means new work for Keck, but little impact on ASiMI’s 300 other employees.

"I don’t really expect much change" in the company, Keck said.

It’s welcome news to many people here; ASiMI is one of Butte-Silver Bow’s largest employers and, as a result, plays a leading role in the local economy.

By Erin Nicholes of The Montana Standard

Full Story: http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2005/05/22/featuresbusiness/hjjejehihihgja.txt