Tokyo Electron announces construction of new Miyagi plant

JAPAN: Tokyo Electron Ltd (TEL) will commence construction of a plant that had been previously postponed in Taiwa-cho, Miyagi Prefecture.

The construction of the Miyagi plant was originally postponed in light of the global economic downturn. As the semiconductor production equipment market has improved, TEL has made the decision to begin construction in the summer of 2010.

The plant is scheduled to begin operations in the spring of 2011 or later. The investment in the new plant remains unchanged from the initial plans and is expected to be a total of approximately 25 billion yen, including the cost of the land, which TEL has already purchased.

The plant will consolidate development and mass production functions for etch systems for semiconductor and establish integrated structures to reduce the development times for high value-added products. The market for these systems is expected to grow rapidly in the future. In addition, mass production methods will be reviewed to raise productivity and reduce delivery lead times.

“We will conduct a comprehensive review of existing manufacturing processes to create a world-leading, state-of-the-art production plant,” commented TEL Chairman Tetsuro Higashi. “This will enable TEL to supply products that meet customer needs in a timely manner. We ask for the support of the Miyagi prefectural government, local cities and towns, and also local businesses.”