The new factory will be constructed on a 200 hectare site at the Samalaju Industrial Park in Sarawak (Malaysia).Construction is scheduled to commence early in 2011 and it is expected that it will start operations in spring 2013. The factory will comprise Siemens method-based facilities with an annual production capacity of 6,000 tonnes. Tokuyama plans to produce polycrystalline silicon for solar cells at the time of the start of operations.
In preparation for this, Tokuyama Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. will be newly established in Sarawak in August of this year as a company to manufacture and sell polycrystalline silicon. Around 300 people will need to be recruited to operate the plant when it opens, about 280 of whom will be hired locally.
To date, Tokuyama has manufactured and sold polycrystalline silicon mainly for semiconductors, and the Tokuyama Factory (Shunan City, Yamaguchi) has been the Company’s only manufacturing base. The Company has decided to move forward with the selection of a site for a second manufacturing base in light of expected high levels of growth in demand for polycrystalline silicon for solar cells over the medium to long term and in order to spread risk. The Samalaju Industrial Park was chosen as the candidate site for the second manufacturing base in November of last year. The manufacture of polycrystalline silicon is electricity intensive and requires industrial water, quality workers, and other resources. Such resources are readily available at the Samalaju Industrial Park, which also offers preferential tax treatment and support for acquisition of permits and licenses provided by the federal and state government.
After selecting the site, Tokuyama drafted the basic design of the factory and also considered various factors including future trends in polycrystalline silicon supply and demand. As a result of this process, Tokuyama has decided to designate the polycrystalline silicon business as a strategically growing business in its Centennial Vision and is actively strengthening to expand related operations. By mass-producing polycrystalline silicon at the two manufacturing bases of the Tokuyama Factory and the Malaysia facility, Tokuyama will maintain its presence in the industry by focusing on attracting new customers and retaining existing ones.
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