Semiconductor materials company breaks ground on new Mesa plant
Oct 11, 2022, 9:34 AM | Updated: 9:37 am
PHOENIX — A semiconductor materials company broke ground on a new manufacturing plant in Mesa last week.
JX Nippon Mining & Metals USA, Inc. completed a $29 million land acquisition in April for its new base of operations, which is expected to begin operating by early 2024, the city of Mesa said in a press release.
The plant near Germann and Crimson roads southeast of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport will produce sputtering targets for semiconductors to serve the North American and European industries.
RELATED STORIES
“We are proud to be moving forward on our commitment to manufacture electronic materials in the city of Mesa,” Masago Kuwabaram, the company’s president and CEO, said in the release. “With an outstanding team of designers and engineers, and a product strategy, we expect today to be just the start of a longstanding presence in this dynamic city.”
The 273,000 square-foot facility will field a large production area, an office, welfare facilities and a garden.
The plant is expected to produce 100 jobs by 2025, according to the release.
“We’re excited by JX Nippon’s plans to make Mesa the new base of operations for its sputtering target business in the U.S.,” Mayor John Giles said in the release. “JX’s investment and commitment to Mesa further demonstrate the desire for leading advanced manufacturers to grow their business in our city.”
The new base is expected to double the production of the company’s existing plant in Chandler, which opened in 1990.
The semiconductor industry is booming in the Valley, anchored by a pair of multibillion-dollar projects. The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is building a massive factory in north Phoenix and Intel is expanding its microchip production in Chandler.
