Mitsui Mining & Smelting to Expand Electrolytic Copper Foil Output Earlier

Mitsui Mining & Smelting announced on Thursday the firm will expand output capacity of special electrolytic copper foil to 3.5 million square meters per month at Ageo plant in Saitama by October a year ahead from original plan. The firm already expanded the capacity to 3.1 million square meters by the end of March 6 months ahead of the original schedule. The firm expands the capacity to 4.3 million square meters in fiscal 2007 ending March 2008 finally. The firm expands the capacity at no.2 plant in Ageo. The firm renewed and restarted the no.2 plant as special plant for high-end special foil of ultra precise circuit in September 2005 after the idle since information bubble burst in 2001. The firm planed to expand the capacity to 4.3 million square meters per month gradually for around 5 billion yen by 2008 from 2.4 million square meters before the restart. The firm decided to accelerate the expansion when the demand of special electrolytic copper foil surges for advanced digital devices including cell phone, plasma display and liquid crystal panel. The firm said the demand increases for wide and ultra thin products with 9-12 micrometers thick and 1.3 meters width. The demand is expected to increase more when the material is used for hinge of cell phone in stead of traditional rolling copper foil while the demand surges for electromagnetic shielding of plasma display and chip on film packaging with ultra fine pattern.