Liddie, Donald F., 1930-2008

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Biography / Administrative History

Signetics, a contraction of Signal Network Electronics, was founded in 1961 in Mountain View, California by former Fairchild employees David Allison, David James, Lionel Kartner and Mark Weisenstein. It was the first company in the world established expressly to make and sell integrated circuits (IC). Within a year of its founding, the company's first family of bipolar digital diode transistor logic circuits had gained market acceptance and were finding initial application in military and space systems. Signetics was the first IC company to receive both Minuteman approval (1967) and NASA line certification 1970). Among the company's early innovations were the 555 timer, Dolby circuits, and the programmable read-only memory.

Chronology

  • 1930 July 23: Donald Ferguson Liddie is born in Newark, New Jersey
  • 1952: Liddie graduates from LeHigh University with a BS in Industrial Engineering
  • 1952 June - 1954 Aug. : Liddie is Industrial Engineer, Western Electric Company
  • 1954 Aug. - 1956 Aug. : Liddie is Assistant Industrial Engineer, Edgewood Arsenal U.S. Army Chemical Center
  • 1956 Aug. - 1959 June : Liddie is Senior Industrial Engineer, Corning Glass Works
  • 1959 June - 1961 Sept. : Liddie is Plant Industrial Engineer, Corning Glass Works
  • 1961 Sept. - 1963 Sept. : Liddie is Plant Supervisor-Administrative Services, Corning Glass Works
  • 1961 Sept. 12: Signetics is founded by former Fairchild employees Dave Allison, David James, Lionel Katttner and Mark Weissenstern
  • 1962: Construction of first Signetics plant is completed, Sunnyvale, California
  • 1962 Nov.: Corning Glass Works (CGW) acquires a 51% equity position in Signetics
  • 1963 Sept. 1: Liddie is first CGW employee to transfer to Signetics
  • 1963 Sept. - 1966 Jan. : Liddie is Manager, Manufacturing at Signetics
  • 1964 Dec.: Corning Glass Works increases their equity position to 82%
  • 1966 Jan. - 1968 Dec. : Liddie is Manager, Corporate Services at Signetics
  • 1966 Aug. 9: First off-site branch product assembly plant opens in Provo, Utah. It is the first IC assembly plant located outside the Santa Clara Valley
  • 1966 Sept.: Signetics Korea Co., Ltd. (Sig-Kor) is founded in Seoul, South Korea. It is the first low-cost production facility to both assemble and test ICs in Asia
  • 1968 - 1969 : Signetics International Corporation is established in anticipation of the emergence of overseas markets
  • 1969 Jan - 1980 April : Liddie is President, Signetics International Corporation
  • 1969 May: EFTA plant opens in Linlithgow, Scotland
  • 1969 Sept.: Assembly and test plant opens in Noerdlingen, West Germany
  • Early 1970s: High volume assembly and test plant opens in Setubal, Portugal
  • 1973 Nov. 2: Initial public offering of 1.3 million shares of common stock at $17/share. This reduces CGW ownership from 92% to 70%
  • 1974 March 28: Registered Signetics Thailand Co., Ltd. (Sig-Thai). Assembly and test operations begin in Bangkok, Thailand
  • 1975 June 5: Merger with U.S. Philips Corporation a wholly-owned subsidiary of N.V. Philips of the Netherlands, at $8/share
  • 1975 Dec. - 1984 Jan. : Liddie is Vice President, Corporate Services at Signetics
  • 1976 Jan.: Signetics Japan, Ltd begins operations
  • 1976 April: Linlithgow plant closes and is sold to Sun Microsystems Setubal, Portugal plant closes
  • 1978 March 29: Signetics Filippinas (Sig-Fil) incorporated in Manila, the Philippines
  • 1981 March: Signetics has 21 operating buildings in Sunnyvale/Santa Clara, California area
  • 1982 March: Official operations begin in a new Albuquerque, New Mexico plant
  • 1983: Manila plant is sold
  • 1983 Nov. 7: Sale of Signetics Gmbh to SES employees is announced
  • 1984 Jan. - 1992 Dec. : Liddie is Vice President, Human Resources and Administration at Signetics
  • 1985: Signetics is the first IC company to announce a zero defects warranty on all products Sig-Fil closes
  • 1988 Jan. 1: Signetics merged into North American Philips Corporation (NAPC)
  • 1991 Jan. 1: Signetics is a wholly owned subsidiary of NAPC
  • 1992 Feb.: Closure of Orem, Utah plant by year end is announced
  • 1992 July: Signetics Corporation, a division of North American Philips Corporation, changes its name to Philips Semiconductors
  • 1993 Jan. - 1995 Aug. : Liddie is appointed Executive Vice President and Chairman, Management Committee Philips Semiconductors
  • 1995 Aug.: Liddie retires after 39 years
  • 2008 April 14: Don Liddie passes away at his home in Saratoga, California

From the guide to the Guide to the Don Liddie papers on Signetics, 1961-2006, 1975-1992, (Computer History Museum)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Guide to the Don Liddie papers on Signetics, 1961-2006, 1975-1992 Computer History Museum
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Philips Semiconductors corporateBody
associatedWith Signetics (Firm) corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Subject
Semiconductor industry
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1930

Death 2008

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