Semiconductor cooling solutions manufacturer Phononic Inc. has appointed Kevin Granucci as general manager and vice president of sales for its optoelectronic division. Granucci brings more than 20 years of industry experience to Phononic, where he will be focused on accelerating growth into the optoelectronics market and driving the global adoption of the company's application-specific thermoelectric solutions. Granucci will be based in San Jose, Calif., and will help to expand Phononic’s presence in Silicon Valley while leading its Asian-Pacific team. Granucci began his semiconductor career with Hitachi before moving to its opto-device division spin out, Opnext Inc., where he drove and managed North American sales of optical modules, components and subsystems. Following Opnext’s merger with optical communications and laser solutions provider Oclaro in 2012, Granucci led Oclaro’s client-side module strategy and marketing team while stationed in Japan, building critical new relationships with customers in China and Europe while improving gross margins and profitability for the business unit to record levels. “It was a bittersweet decision to pursue a new venture after 20 years with such an established industry leader like Oclaro, but I saw the tremendous growth rate and the potential of Phononic to become a household name in thermoelectric cooling — I simply couldn’t pass up the chance to be part of that journey,” Granucci said. “Phononic’s materials, manufacturing processes and modules deliver significantly lower power consumption, increased heat pumping density and consistent quality to customers. Phononic’s team combines deep expertise and passion, bringing application-specific insight and innovation to every project. These qualities, along with the need for devices that pack more sophisticated cooling capabilities into far smaller form factors, are becoming increasingly critical as the industry continues to evolve.” Phononic Inc. develops solid-state semiconductor solutions that displace compressors, heat sinks and fans for cooling and heating.