Mitsui Chemicals to Boost Taiwanese Production of ICROS™ Tape
Responding to global growth in semiconductor demand
2021.04.08
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello, Inc.
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo: 4183; President & CEO: HASHIMOTO Osamu) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello, Inc. (CEO: MATSUZAKA Shigeharu) has decided on a production increase for ICROS™ Tape, a protective tape used in semiconductor manufacturing processes.
This increase is set to go into effect at Taiwan Tohcello Functional Sheet, Inc. (Kaohsiung; Taiwan Tohcello), which started up operations in January of last year. The expansion will more than double Mitsui Chemicals’ Taiwanese production capacity for ICROS™ Tape. Combined with domestic moves being made in Nagoya, this project will serve to significantly bolster both supply capacity and business continuity planning (BCP).
Overview of the capacity increase
| Company name | Taiwan Tohcello Functional Sheet, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Location | Kaohsiung Science Park, Southern Taiwan Science Park, Luzhu District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan |
| Production capacity | 7.6 million square meters per year (once capacity increase is complete) |
| Schedule (tentative) | Start of construction August 2021 Start of business operations October 2023 |
Used as a protective tape in semiconductor manufacturing processes, ICROS™ Tape combines Mitsui Chemicals’ resin-derived polymer science technology with Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello’s sophisticated film processing technology. In particular, ICROS™ Tape holds a leading global market share for use in the silicon wafer backgrinding process.
Lifestyle changes caused by COVID-19 – such as the rise of teleworking – have recently seen the semiconductor market meet with increased demand from the likes of PCs and data centers. And with the spread of 5G expected to boost demand for the likes of base stations and portable devices, semiconductor demand should overall continue to grow at a high pitch going forward. Mitsui Chemicals aims to use this production increase for ICROS™ Tape to meet the global rise in semiconductor demand and further expand its business.
The move represents Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello fleshing out its production, sales and technology services for high-quality products, endeavoring here to further strengthen and grow its business for films and sheets.
