Mitsubishi Materials to Expand Tool Insert Chip, Tungsten Output

Mitsubishi Materials announced on Wednesday the firm expands the output capacity of tool insert chip and tungsten in the year to March 2010 for around 13.3 billion yen. The firm tries to expand the cemented carbide business. The firm builds new 10 billion yen plant in Tsukuba plant, Ibaraki to expand the insert chip output capacity by 40% from fiscal 2006. The firm’s subsidiary, Japan New Metals builds new plant in Akita for around 2.5 billion yen to expand the tungsten powder output capacity by 15%. The firm builds new plant with 7,000 square meters of floor space in the insert chip production center of Tsukuba plant. The plant starts commercial operations in fiscal 2009. The firm already announced 20% expansion for the cemented carbide output from fiscal 2006. With the new plant, the output capacity increases by 40% along with ongoing insert expansion for existing plant in Tsukuba. Japan New Metals, which smelts tungsten from ore and scrap, builds new plant in fiscal 2009 to refine the intermediate material of ammonium paratungstate (APT) into tungsten powder and tungsten carbide powder. The Akita plant now refines APT from tungsten ore and used cemented carbide while Osaka plant refines APT into tungsten. With the new plant, the firm can make tungsten powder both at Osaka and Akita. Mitsubishi Materials expands the cemented carbide salesperson by around 30% by fiscal 2009 from fiscal 2006. The firm also launches 800 million yen processing technology center in fiscal 2009.