Showa Denko (SDK; Tokyo, Japan; www.sdk.co.jp) has established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Showa Chemicals of America Inc. (SCA), in Austin, Texas, aiming to strengthen its sale of high-purity gases for electronics in the U.S.
American semiconductor manufacturers have 15% of the global semiconductor production capacity, and are expected to grow further. Moreover, a lot of major semiconductor manufacturers and semiconductor-processing-device manufacturers have headquarters in the U.S. and are developing state-of-the-art technologies there. Thus the U.S. market is very important for SDK in formulating effective marketing strategy to promote high-purity gases for electronics.
Until now, SDK has been marketing high-purity gases through Showa Denko America, Inc., which is SDK’s wholly-owned subsidiary headquartered in New York. Now, SDK established SCA in order to further expand its high-purity gas business in the U.S., strengthen relationship between SDK and major semiconductor manufacturers in the U.S., and gather information about state-of-the-art semiconductor-processing technologies. SCA is scheduled to start its operation in October 2017.
SDK is the only manufacturer of high-purity gases in the world that provides full product lineup, including ammoniated gases, chlorinated/brominated gases, and fluorinated gases. SDK sells various high-purity gas products in many areas where manufacturers of semiconductors and display panels are located. SCA will function as the Showa Denko Group’s base in the U.S. to promote marketing, sale and distribution of high-purity gas products.
In its ongoing medium-term business plan “Project 2020+,” SDK positions its business to produce and sell high-purity gases for electronics as “Growth-accelerating” business. We will position SCA as the central base of our electronic chemicals business in the U.S. and aim to expand that business further.