Tokyo Electron Announces New Building Construction

Tokyo Electron (TEL) announced its decision to construct new manufacturing buildings at its subsidiary, Tokyo Electron Technology Solutions, with the purpose of expanding the production capacity for semiconductor manufacturing equipment in anticipation of a continued rise in semiconductor demand. The new buildings will be built at the subsidiary's Yamanashi (Fujii) and Tohoku office sites.

JX Nippon Mining & Metals Plans to Increase Production Capacity for Rolled Copper Foil, High-Functionality Copper Alloy Strips, and Sputtering Targets

JX Nippon Mining & Metals announced to meet growing demand for rolled copper foil, high-functionality copper alloy strips, and sputtering targets for semiconductors by boosting production capacity for each of these products by around 30%. These products are essential for state-of-the-art electronic materials and utilize the Company's original technologies.

TOKYO OHKA KOGYO Investments in Pixelligent Technologies

TOKYO OHKA KOGYO announced that it has invested in Pixelligent Technologies, LLC in the U.S., one of the world's leading manufacturers having technology to mass-produce Zirconium oxide capped nanoparticles (ZrO2), a high refractive index inorganic material, with a sub-10 nm diameter with functionalized surface, with an aim to promote supply of high refractive index materials that contribute to improving brightness and sensitivity of OLED display and CMOS image sensor. The investment amounted to 2 million U.S. dollars (approx. 220 million yen).

Through this investment in capital, the company will promote enlarging the scale of high refractive index inorganic material production and develop high refractive index material markets to aim for application of our technology in broader fields by supporting R&D of Pixelligent as well as combining Pixelligent's strength and the company's strength in advanced microprocessing technology accumulated in the semiconductor and display fields.

JX Nippon Mining & Metals and Japan Bank for International Cooperation Acquire Germany's H.C. Starck Tantalum and Niobium

JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation advised its intention to acquire all shares in H.C. Starck Tantalum and Niobium (HCS TaNb). The Company has reached an agreement with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) that JBIC will join in this acquisition to the effect that JBIC will support overseas investment by the company utilizing its certain equity investment facility. This is the first time that JBIC has used this facility to invest directly in the metals business since the facility was established in February 2013.

JX Metals Deutschland (JXMD), a wholly owned company that the company established with the purpose of acquiring HCS TaNb, will issue nonvoting class shares for acquisition by JBIC. JXMD, in which the company and JBIC will have equity interests, will then acquire HCS TaNb.

Idemitsu Establishes a Local Subsidiary Related to OLED Materials Business in China

Idemitsu Kosan reached a basic agreement with the government of the Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone in the city of Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, on the establishment, in the first quarter of the 2018 fiscal year, of a Chinese subsidiary company to engage in businesses related to OLED materials.

Following completion of incorporation procedures, future plans call for completion of construction of the new company's facility and the beginning of commercial material production during fiscal 2019.

Hitachi Chemical Builds a New Factory in Taiwan to Manufacture Advanced Functional Laminate Materials for PCB

Hitachi Chemical announced to construct a new factory to manufacture advanced functional laminate materials for printed wiring boards (pre-preg and copper-clad laminates) on the site of Hitachi Chemical Electronic Materials (Taiwan), Hitachi Chemical's subsidiary in Taiwan.

Hitachi Chemical will invest a total of approximately 7.5 billion yen and the new factory will begin operation by April 2020.

AGC Establishes Marketing Base in Myanmar

AGC Asahi Glass announced to open a branch of AGC Asia Pacific, which oversees the Southeast Asian region, in Yangon City, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Going forward, the AGC Group will further strengthen marketing activities in Myanmar.