President Obama Visits Applied Materials

By John Kania

Applied Materials CEO Mike Splinter with President Barack Obama as they tour the Austin manufacturing clean room and hear from Applied employee Nilam D. Bhakta-Sahib about the complex chip making process.

President Obama rode Air Force One into Austin, Texas, to shine a spotlight on the importance of U.S. manufacturing and middle class jobs and get an up-close look at what Applied Materials has been able to do.

Rick Gesing (left), head of operations for Applied in Austin, led the President on a tour with Mike Splinter (center) and Mary Humiston (right), senior vice president of Global Human Resources, of one of our semiconductor equipment manufacturing lines. They provided the President a close-up look at our cutting-edge equipment including our CMP tool that levels a 300mm wafer with a tolerance of 5 nanometers (billionths of a meter). That’s like having a mower that can cut every blade of grass on the south lawn of the White House to a height that varies by just the width of a human hair. The President marveled at this impressive level of precision in his remarks. Another tool on the tour the President’s two young daughters might appreciate is our CVD tool which can process enough chips in a day to store 26 billion hours of streaming music.

Approximately 1,200 employees, business leaders, elected officials and community partners gathered in a former clean room, where Mike Splinter, Chairman and CEO of Applied Materials, welcomed the crowd and emphasized that the President’s visit to Applied is a true testament to the contributions employees make each and every day – and the difference Applied’s manufacturing capabilities and technology make in the economy and to people’s lives around the world.

Applied’s own Nicole Wayman, program manager for Etch, shared with the audience her team’s significant role in the creation of Applied’s incredibly complex equipment and the importance of investing in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) to inspire future generations of leaders and innovators.

On behalf of all the employees around the world, Nicole had the great honor of introducing the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama to the stage to address the crowd.

The President’s inspiring remarks focused on what we can do to strengthen high-tech manufacturing. He also made a couple of announcements including, $200 Million for three new manufacturing institutes as well as a call to Congress to make a $1 Billion investment to create 15 additional institutes nationwide.

Below is a replay of the President’s remarks at Applied Materials.

Behind the Scenes: President Obama’s Middle Class Jobs & Opportunity Tour – Austin, Texas

Media coverage on the President’s visit.

The White House Blog

President Obama Talks Jobs, Skills and Opportunity in Austin
TV Coverage

– Obama feasts on Texas BBQ, tours Austin tech company

– President wraps up day at Applied Materials
KTBC Fox 7 – President Obama Visits Applied Materials
KTBC Fox 7 – President Obama delivers speech at Applied Materials
Online and Print Coverage

Austin American Statesman – In Central Texas, Obama touts schools, technology and barbecue
Daily Texan – President Obama visits Austin, UT entrepreneurs
San Antonio Express – Obama promises manufacturing revolution in the U.S.
Texas Tribune – Slideshow Obama in Austin
YNN – Obama makes second Austin appearance at tech company
Community Impact Newspaper – Obama talks jobs, technology at Austin tech firm