Tokuyama to Build Second Polycrystalline Silicon Manufacturing Base in Malaysia
Nikkei Electronics Asia, Nov 28, 2008
Source: TechOn
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20081128/162044/
Tokuyama Corp plans to build its second polycrystalline silicon manufacturing base at the Samalaju Industrial Park in Sarawak, Malaysia. The company has decided to start drafting the basic design of the facility. The basic design, scheduled to be completed by the middle of 2009, will be created through a partnering agreement with Chiyoda Corp.
The company has targeted polycrystalline silicon as a material for strategic growth. To strengthen this business area, the company plans to increase the annual production capacity of the facilities in the Tokuyama Factory (Shunan City, Yamaguchi) from the current 5,200 tons to 8,200 tons in the spring of 2009.
The company said its decision to invest in this new facility is due to the expanding demand for polycrystalline silicon. In addition, because the Tokuyama factory is the company’s only manufacturing base for polycrystalline silicon, the construction of a second manufacturing base is necessary in order to disperse the risk.
The new site is on a 200ha coastal area in the Samalaju Industrial Park, which is located 50km northeast of central Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia. According to Tokuyama, the annual production capacity of this facility is expected to be about 3,000 tons in 2012, and further expansion will depend on the demand of semiconductors and solar cells. The facility will have a local workforce of about 300.