Materials Analysis Technology Inc (閎康) is considering expanding the laboratory space in its new Kumamoto site in Japan to catch up with growing demand mainly seen for car chips, the provider of material and chip reliability analysis said yesterday.
A major customer is expected to reserve for capacity in the Kumamoto laboratory in November to help boost the laboratory’s utilization to 100 percent by the beginning of next year, Materials Analysis Technology Inc chairwoman Hsieh Yong-fen (謝詠芬) said.
“Our first lab in Kumamoto is ready with capacity and workforce for material analysis. We are considering adding a second and a third laboratory for reliability analysis or failure analysis in Kumamoto since demand is increasing fast,” Hsieh said, citing customer feedback.
Photo: grace hung, Taipei Times
To address growing demand, Materials Analysis usually builds laboratories close to customers’ factories as developed countries such as the US and Japan ban exports of advanced technology samples, Hsieh said.
High transportation cost is also a factor behind the company’s capacity expansion in Kumamoto, Hsieh said, adding that the company operates a material analysis laboratory in Nagoya, Japan, to offer buffer capacity for customers.
Japan has become the fastest-growing market for Material Analysis, making up about 8 percent of its total revenue, Hsieh said.
The region’s revenue contribution is predicted to rise to about 10 percent once the Kumamoto fab starts to generate revenue, she said.
The Kumamoto fab would begin contributing revenue to the company in the first quarter of next year, she said.
As Rapidus Corp, a chipmaker backed by the Japanese government, aims to create a semiconductor cluster in Hokkaido, Materials Analysis said it could potentially build its own laboratory on that same island.
In Japan, the company primarily serves foundry companies and some chip designers.
Materials Analysis’ cumulative revenue in the first eight months rose 29 percent year-on-year to NT$3.17 billion (US$99.34 million).
The company expects revenue this year to expand between 20 percent and 25 percent from NT$3.97 billion last year, thanks to delayed orders from last year due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
Next year, revenue growth is expected to outpace the company’s regular 20 percent target per year in the past 20 years, it said.
Aside from Japan, robust demand from China for chips used in consumer electronics and cars would also drive growth next year, it added.
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