Pragmatic Semiconductor names Paul James as EVP Manufacturing

Pragmatic Semiconductor has appointed Dr Paul James as Executive Vice President of Manufacturing and Operations, effective immediately. James succeeds Shane Geary, who oversaw the opening and initial ramp of high-volume production at Pragmatic Park, the company's flagship facility in the North East of England and, by the company's account, the UK's only 300mm semiconductor fabrication plant.

James brings 25 years of fab leadership to the role. Most recently he served a decade as Managing Director of Vishay Newport Limited, formerly Nexperia, where he led the site's transition from an integrated device manufacturer model to an independent foundry while restructuring its commercial and operational base. Earlier positions spanned MAX I.E.G., Plessey Semiconductors and Zarlink Semiconductor, covering technical, operations and commercial strategy functions. He holds a PhD in physics.

The appointment in context

Chief executive David Moore said James joins "at an important point in our continued growth," citing the need to expand capacity, strengthen operational excellence and scale manufacturing to meet what the company describes as "increasing global customer demand." Pragmatic did not disclose current production volumes, capacity targets, or the size of its customer backlog.

James himself described Pragmatic's 300mm flexible semiconductor process as having "many advantages over standard silicon processing including cost, cycle time and environmental impact." The Datatech Times has softened that characterisation: the technology is differentiated in its application domain, but the claim of broad superiority over conventional silicon requires independent benchmarking to substantiate fully.

Pragmatic's core product is the FlexIC, an ultra-thin flexible integrated circuit aimed at edge and item-level applications such as NFC, RFID and connected packaging. The company positions its foundry service as a route to supply-chain resilience for customers who cannot easily access mainstream silicon capacity.

Market landscape

The flexible and printed electronics sector has attracted sustained investment over the past decade, with Pragmatic competing alongside players such as PragmatIC (a distinct entity), FlexEnable and ISORG in Europe, as well as a range of Asian manufacturers targeting IoT labelling and disposable sensor markets. Demand is partly driven by the expansion of item-level intelligence in retail and logistics, where cost-per-unit constraints rule out conventional silicon packaging.

The UK semiconductor industry has been seeking to raise its profile following the publication of the government's National Semiconductor Strategy in 2023, which committed funding and a long-term framework to develop domestic design and manufacturing capability. Pragmatic's North East site has featured in that narrative as a proof point for UK advanced manufacturing, making the operational leadership hire more than a routine succession announcement.

James's background in IDM-to-foundry transitions is particularly relevant: Pragmatic operates a captive process that it also licenses as a foundry service, a dual-revenue model that demands tight co-ordination between process development, customer qualification and volume production. Investors and prospective foundry customers will look for early signals that the new EVP can accelerate qualification cycles and expand the customer roster beyond early adopters.