Hitachi Metals Starts Local Production of Mo-based Sputtering Target in Suzhou

Hitachi Metals establishes a plant of sputtering target materials for liquid crystal panels in Suzhou, China and starts commercial production in the second half of fiscal 2010 ending in March 2011. The firm invests approximately 200 million yen for the plant. The plant plans to produce 50 targets per month initially and to triple the output to 150 targets per month toward 2013.

Liquid crystal panel makers’ plants are integrated in coastal areas of Yangtze River such as Shanghai, Suzhou and Chengdu. Panel production in China is forecasted to triple toward 2015. Hitachi Metals established a sputtering target material plant inside its subsidiary in Suzhou, Hitachi Metals (Suzhou) Electronics and introduced bonding facilities in order to follow the strong demand growth in the country.

Suzhou plant bonds sputtering target material which is cut and processed at Hitachi Metals’ Taiwanese plant. Suzhou plant started sample shipment in May to acquire target users’ certifications. Hitachi Metals has exported sputtering target materials for liquid crystal panels from Taiwanese plant to the users in China so far. The firm plans to shift to the local production in China.

The firm aims to sustain 50% global market share for molybdenum based sputtering target material by full utilization of 4 production bases in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Suzhou. The existent plants in Taiwan and Korea produces 300 targets per month by each.