Entegris, Inc. (Billerica, Mass.) is expanding its manufacturing presence in Taiwan with an investment of approximately $200 million over the next three to five years.
Entegris plans to commence construction of a new facility in early 2021 and expects to begin initial operations in late 2021 as it ramps to full production in subsequent phases. Located in Southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Science Park, the new, 27,000 square-meter facility will develop and produce solutions critical to chipmakers. These include filters for microcontamination control, gas delivery systems, advanced chemistries, and other Entegris products and services. The site where the new facility will be located totals approximately 61,700 square meters, which will allow for the expansion of manufacturing capacity, as needed.
According to Bertrand Loy, Entegris’ president and chief executive officer, expanding the company’s manufacturing capacity reflects the increased and growing demand for its products and services from leading global manufacturers of semiconductors in Taiwan and the broader Asia Pacific region. Based on IC Insights’ Global Wafer Capacity report in 2020, nearly 22% of the global semiconductor wafer fab capacity is in Taiwan while the Asia region, including Taiwan, Korea, China, and Japan, produce approximately 75% of all global semiconductors.
“Taiwan is a well-established global leader in the semiconductor industry, and with this expanded presence we will be well positioned to be even more responsive to our customers’ emerging needs as we work closely with them to accelerate their development cycles and product ramps. In addition, our closer proximity will strengthen supply security to our customers in the region while supplementing our expansive manufacturing capacity throughout Asia in South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and China,” Loy said.
As part of the planned expansion, the company expects to recruit more than 200 new employees with engineering backgrounds and manufacturing experience to add to its existing Taiwan headcount of approximately 300.
Entegris also plans a significant expansion of its Taiwan Technology Center for Research and Development (TTC) on its Hsinchu campus where its scientists and engineers collaborate with customers to explore and develop innovative solutions to some of the chipmakers’ most complex materials and contamination control challenges.
Alvin Hsieh, Entegris Taiwan country president, said, “Entegris’ presence in Taiwan spans 30 years and this expansion of our manufacturing and R&D facilities represents an important next phase in the company’s ongoing commitment to the industry and the region. We will leverage advanced automation, digitalization, and analytical tools in this state-of-the-art facility to achieve the highest standards of quality and productivity as we respond to the rapidly evolving needs of our customers.”
Minister Mei-Hua Wang with the Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs commented about Entegris’ planned expansion: “We are happy to see Entegris building upon its three-decade presence and ongoing investment in Taiwan and its leadership role within the global semiconductor industry. The company’s planned expansion will help Taiwan accumulate and broaden significant innovation capacity in the semiconductor equipment manufacturing sector and further strengthen Taiwan’s expertise and ecosystem. The Ministry of Economic Affairs will continue to provide full support to Entegris and to help the semiconductor industry advance and prosper.”