Mon, 12/05/2016 - 07:59

TOKYO (Dec. 5, 2016)—EBARA CORPORATION has completed construction of a new manufacturing plant and its related service facilities in Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan, with operations commencing Nov. 15, 2016, according to a statement from the company. The operating functions of the plant include production of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, as well as maintenance and support services related to dry vacuum pumps. The new plant features highly flexible production facilities capable of making chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) systems, a major product line for EBARA, as well as other products, including semiconductor manufacturing equipment, according to the company. EBARA will remain focused on energy-saving initiatives aimed at halving the clean room’s power consumption and recycling more than 95 percent of the water used in the production process, in pursuit of a lower environmental burden, environmental harmony and synergy with local communities, the company said in the statement. The new plant is expected to double EBARA’s production capacity for precision products in Kumamoto, facilitating quick and flexible responses to customer demands and requirements regarding delivery periods, as well as flexible production management at manufacturing facilities, including those for precision products located in Fujisawa. The new plant will start running at full production capacity at the beginning of next year. The maintenance service facility in Kumamoto features a strong overhauling capacity, three times that of similar facilities operating in Kyushu. Kumamoto’s service facility will serve as a hub for maintenance services for dry vacuum pumps, mainly covering the Kyushu and Chugoku areas. The company said in the statement: “We expect that the semiconductor market will show consistent growth in the coming years, given rising demand from customers in the auto, energy, and medical industries, as well as the growing popularity of the Internet of Things (IoT), the idea of connecting devices over the Internet. In the semiconductor manufacturing equipment business, we must accommodate diverse business requirements related to the use of applications and manufacturing processes on the part of our customers.”