News Release

JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation (President: Seiichi Murayama; hereinafter “the Company”) is pleased to announce that the installation of additional facilities for increasing production of rolled copper foil, high-functionality copper alloy strips, and sputtering targets for semiconductors,^*1 in keeping with the policies of the Medium-Term Management Plan for the fiscal years 2017 to 2019, has been completed on schedule.

 

Each of the products affected by this expansion— rolled copper foil, high-functionality copper alloy strips (Corson alloys and Titanium copper alloys), and sputtering targets for semiconductors—are products that are the core to the advanced materials field, selected as a Focus Business^*2 in the JX Nippon Mining & Metals Group Long-Term Vision 2040. Demand for these products, as advanced materials indispensable for further raising the performance of smartphones and other leading-edge electronic devices, continues to expand. This trend is likely to continue with the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and wider use of artificial intelligence (AI).

 

To meet such growing demand, the Company has introduced facilities that will expand the production capacity of each of the products by approximately 30 percent over 2017 levels.^*3 The new facilities, used for  production of rolled copper foil and high-functionality copper alloy strips, include melting and casting equipment, rolling mills, annealing furnaces, and surface roughening treatment lines. In the case of sputtering targets for semiconductors, they apply mainly to copper and copper alloy target processes. While keeping an eye on demand trends in the near and medium term, we plan to gradually bring the new facilities on line, raising production as necessary.

 

Dramatic growth in the volume of network traffic with the advance of the data-driven society should lead to further investment in data centers and other communications infrastructure, increased use of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, and the realization of self-driving vehicles. Going forward, the Company will seek to continue adding capacity dynamically, meeting market needs, and contribute to achievement of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) advocated by the United Nations, through the supply of advanced functional materials essential to realization and development of a data-driven society.

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*1 See the April 19, 2018 news release, “Plans to Increase Production Capacity for Rolled Copper Foil, High-Functionality Copper Alloy Strips, and Sputtering Targets for Semiconductors.”

*2 In the JX Nippon Mining & Metals Group Long-Term Vision 2040, our existing businesses are categorized as Focus Businesses and Base Businesses. Of these, Focus Businesses are defined as business fields such as advanced materials and technology-based recycling, where differentiation through technology can achieve a global competitive advantage, and which are the core to our growth strategy.

*3 Rolled copper foil and high-functionality copper alloy strips are compared based on square meters, while sputtering targets for semiconductors are compared based on piece counts.

For Reference: Photos of New Facilities

■Equipment for rolled copper foil and high-functionality copper alloy strips

Rolling mills (upper) and annealing furnaces (lower) (Kurami Works, Kanagawa Prefecture)

■Equipment for sputtering targets for semiconductors

Melting furnaces (Isohara Works, Ibaraki Prefecture)