# Hyundai Freescale Semiconductor Plant, Dunfermline - March 2010



## BenCooper (Mar 23, 2010)

Semiconductors were meant to be the saviour of Scottish industry - we were told not to worry too much about the death of heavy industry because the future was in high-tech. Politicians had great fun talking about Silicon Glen, boasting about all the electronics companies who were setting up factories in Scotland, and not mentioning the huge government subsidies offered to these companies.





Then the dream went wrong. IBM had been in Greenock since the 1950s but moved manufacturing abroad and closed the factory. Other factories closed. Then there's this, known locally as the White Elephant. Hyundai spent £2.4bn building this state-of-the-art semiconductor plant in 1999, but they got cold feet after a downturn in the market and sold it to Motorola a year later for £880m. Four years later, it passed to Freescale, a division of Motorola. By 2008, there were claims that it had been sold again, but it still stands unused - having never made a single microchip.

Lights are on, things are humming, but nobody's home:

















After a quick look at the ground level, it was up to the third floor. The plant seems to be built on three levels - the clean room on the top floor, the middle floor for fans and air conditioning systems, and the heavy power and large air ducts on the ground floor. This is the clean room, with antistatic flooring:





The clean room is surrounded by access space, with huge ducts for air conditioning.









Off to one side is the offices and admin block. This is the glass block in the first picture.





Down one floor, and loads of power systems to run the massive air conditioning. Most of this equipment is still waiting to be installed - at one point I spent five minutes walking past pallet after pallet after pallet of fans. Then the same with power control boards. There really is an immense amount of brand new equipment left here.













The giant red tubes running everywhere aren't water or gas - they're high voltage copper. Next, over a connecting bridge to the power plant.













Four brand new gas boilers - for steam heating, I presume, as there was no sign of generators.





A big long row of giant centrifugal coolers.





Then back to the ground floor of the main block, and signs that lots of the brand new equipment is up for sale - auctioneers stickers cover much of it.


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## shakey (Mar 23, 2010)

wow, thats quite a lot of new stuff!! and never finish!! ! that reminds me of somewhere, although I cant 
remember where though 

Shakey


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## RichardB (Mar 23, 2010)

I've always wondered what happened to this factory, I thought it might have been used for warehousing or something. From the motorway you can still see the sign with traces of both the Hyundai and Motorola logos, a depressing reminder. On Streetview you can just about make out the "M" but you can't quite read "Hyundai" across the top. The motorway junction you can see there was constructed especially for Hyundai.

Hyundai got as far as advertising and I've a feeling they had people in Korea for training when it all went tits-up.


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## Flexible (Mar 23, 2010)

Top-notch stuff as ever, Ben. There was a very similar scenario here in South Wales involving another major Korean electronics company, LG.


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## BenCooper (Mar 23, 2010)

I'm not sure it'd be much use for warehousing - it's not hollow, it's got massive concrete floors and pillars everywhere. Not ideal for moving goods in and out...


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## escortmad79 (Mar 24, 2010)

Often wondered about this one, infact, drove past it this morning


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## bullmastiff (Apr 1, 2010)

i was a roofer on that job, was a absolutely massive site, the views from the roof towards the bridges is awesome, when i lived in inverkiething and dulloch i used to drive past it and piss myself at the amount of money 
they wasted building it and it laid empty as well as the money there spending on security to this day


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## BenCooper (Apr 1, 2010)

Interesting - everyone talks about the security, but I'm not allowed to mention security at all


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## chaoticreason (Apr 1, 2010)

Wow! great shots.
Wow! don't politicians and board members know how to throw a lavish party for us explorers of the unused.Not one one greasy chip?
It looks like an incredible place to go exploring,I am green with envy.


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## BenCooper (Apr 2, 2010)

No greasy chips, no vandalism, no graffiti - just millions of pounds worth of brand new kit sitting about unused. I've tried to find out more about the auction, but haven't had much luck...


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## frankinfife (Apr 9, 2010)

Wow looks like you got there before me, Thats a good one, I can see this from my house, White Elephant it is  Tax dodge grease palms and so on, Great pic's well done........FRANK.


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## hydealfred (Apr 9, 2010)

Fantastic report - so strange to see so much investment potential never truly realised. Surreal in the extreme.


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## freebird (Apr 13, 2010)

Great report and pics. What an interesting and immaculate place!


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## BenCooper (Apr 13, 2010)

Cheers 

Latest news was that a solar cell company had accepted a £10M bribe to take over the plant.


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## tedster (Apr 13, 2010)

Quite an amazing site, I shall have to be in before it is taken over again, would be quite interesting to have a nosey at all that equipment. Some cool shots.


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