Entegris Inc, a supplier of advanced materials and process solutions for the semiconductor and other high-technology industries, yesterday held an opening ceremony in Kaohsiung for its largest manufacturing facility that would produce advanced products such as liquid filters that can be used in 2-nanometer process technology.
The US-based company expects to recruit more than 400 employees for the new facility by 2025, when the US$500 million plant becomes fully operational. The company employs 720 people in Taiwan.
The Kaohsiung factory is forecast to generate US$500 million per year when it is fully utilized, the company said.
Photo: Su Fu-nan, Taipei Times
There is potential for the company to further expand and invest in land adjacent to the fab, it said.
Entegris said it would not scale back investment on research-and-development efforts, nor on capital spending during downturns.
It also operates a research-and-development center in Hsinchu.
“Our new Kaohsiung facility demonstrates our commitment to serving our customers in Asia and supporting the local industry ecosystem,” Entegris chief executive officer Bertrand Loy said. “The expansion of our footprint here helps us provide greater supply security and shorter lead times to customers across the region.”
The Kaohsiung facility is expected to add 20 percent capacity for three major products, including advanced liquid filters, the company said.
Regarding whether Entegris factored in the geopolitical risks in building an advanced factory in Taiwan, Loy said: “There is a lot of nervousness around that... The grand opening of our Kaohsiung facility, it is really a statement of the company’s commitment” to Taiwan.
“We want to be adequately positioned to support our customers in Taiwan and their ecosystem,” Loy said.
Entegris counts Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) as one of its largest customers in Taiwan.
The new Kaohsiung fab is to produce Entegris’ next-generation products for TSMC and its customers in Taiwan, the company said.
The liquid filters made at the fab can be used in 28-nanometer nodes and can be further miniaturized for 5-nanometer, 3-nanometer and 2-nanometer technology nodes, which extreme ultraviolet lithography tools would use, Entegris said.
The company expects the global semiconductor industry would touch bottom this quarter, Loy said.
However, the pace of recovery remains to be seen, he added.
Entegris has been working with local customers and partners in the ecosystem for the past 32 years, during which Taiwan’s semiconductor industry has expanded at an annual compound growth rate of 16 percent, the company said.
Taiwan, in particular, has a dominant position in the world, with a 65 percent market share, it added.
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