- New plant to add 1,200 t/month VSP capacity
- Microthin capacity to rise by 4 million sq m/month
Mitsui Mining & Metals on 17 August announced plans to establish a new plant in Malaysia to expand production of electrolytic copper foil used in high-frequency substrates and ultra-thin copper foil for semiconductor applications. The new facility is expected to add monthly production capacity of 1,200 tonnes (t) of VSP copper foil and 4 million square metres of Microthin foil from fiscal 2031 onward.
The company plans to establish the plant near its existing Malaysia facility. The establishment date, start of operations and investment amount have not yet been decided.
Capacity expansion
Following the new plant’s operation, Mitsui Mining & Metals expects its combined VSP production capacity to reach 2,600 t/month. Microthin capacity is expected to reach 12 million sq m/month.
The company had previously announced plans to increase VSP capacity to 1,400 t/month and Microthin capacity to 8 million sq m/month at its existing Malaysia operations. The latest expansion plan is aimed at supporting additional demand as AI and semiconductor markets continue to grow.
For VSP, production capacity is expected to reach 2,000 t/month in fiscal 2031 and 2,600 t/month in fiscal 2032 following the new plant’s operation.
AI demand drives expansion
The company said continued rapid growth in the AI and semiconductor markets beyond fiscal 2018 has prompted it to establish an additional production base to maintain stable supplies to customers.
VSP copper foil is used for high-frequency substrates, while Microthin is a carrier-attached ultra-thin copper foil used in advanced electronic applications. The planned capacity addition would therefore expand Mitsui Mining & Metals’ ability to serve growing requirements from high-performance semiconductor and electronic applications.
The company also has plans to establish a VSP production system of up to 5,000 t/month in response to further market expansion.
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