Freescale to close Parmer Lane site, move workers to Oak Hill

Freescale Semiconductor Inc. plans to close its facility at 7700 W. Parmer Lane by the end of 2013 and transfer all the site's staff to its Oak Hill headquarters, a company representative confirmed March 6.

Freescale declined to say how many employees would be involved in the transfer to Oak Hill but said the move will not result in any loss of jobs among the roughly 5,000 Austin employees. The company is consolidating its teams, spokeswoman Kendrid Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said the consolidation aims to improve communication and collaboration among teams, increase face-to-face interaction, allow employees to be grouped together and reduce real estate expenses, among other benefits.

"These efforts are part of a broader set of initiatives announced last year to realign our business to help focus the company in areas where we can grow and win," she said. "Freescale's employees are our primary competitive advantage, and we value them and want to create the most exciting and collaborative work environment possible."

Parmer Lane employees' roles include engineering, software development, marketing, sales and support functions.

Along with transferring in new employees, Freescale will renovate the Oak Hill headquarters in 2013, Rodriguez said. The company will add meeting and breakout rooms to enable "opportunities for planned and impromptu discussions, brainstorming and problem-solving," she said.

Freescale will improve lighting and its parking garage, in addition to making cosmetic changes such as new carpeting and paint for the 6501 W. William Cannon Drive headquarters.

"Every effort is being made to keep disruptions to a minimum, and we are working to make the transitions as seamless as possible," she said.