Semiconductor materials company buys 65 acres in Mesa for $29M to build new base of operations

PHOENIX — A semiconductor materials company has completed a $29 million land acquisition in Mesa that will become a new base of operations, the city announced Monday.

JX Nippon Mining & Metals USA, Inc. will use the 65-acre greenfield site, located just southeast from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, to serve the North American and European markets.

“Our region has a role to play in the United States’ semiconductor competitiveness, and Mesa is an ideal location for manufacturing operations,” Mayor John Giles said in a press release. “This is a timely and exciting investment in our city, and we look forward to celebrating JX Nippon Mining and Metals Mesa groundbreaking in the coming months.”

The company is set to begin the first phase of development this month, which includes the construction of two manufacturing buildings and an adjacent office building that will total 267,000 square feet.

The target is to start operations in early 2024 and lead to the creation of more than 100 jobs by 2025, the company said.

It is expected the new base of operations will be capable of more than doubling the production of the company’s current plant in Chandler, which opened in 1991.

“Today’s announcement represents another opportunity for JX to reinvest in Arizona’s vibrant semiconductor ecosystem and support the increasing needs of our customers,” Masago Kuwabara, president and CEO of the company, said in the release.

“We’ve been a proud member of the East Valley and local semiconductor industry for over 30 years, and we look forward to our next 30 years and beyond.”

The project scope is conceptually designed to accommodate three more equally-sized phases totaling 960,000 square feet of additional manufacturing and warehousing space, which the company said would be implemented based upon market demand and in alignment with its strategic plan.

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