Japanese company Hoya is spending JPY 8 billion to build a photomask factory in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, with start-up planned for October 1996. Photomasks are used in semiconductor manufacturing. …
Japanese company Hoya is spending JPY 8 billion to build a photomask factory in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, with start-up planned for October 1996. Photomasks are used in semiconductor manufacturing. Hoya“s existing photomask production at Hachioji near Tokyo is already near capacity. Besides increasing capacity to meet growing demand, multiple plants will increase supply stability. Hoya acquired the land in 1991 but delayed construction due to economic uncertainty. Hoya also announced the establishment of a plastic eyeglass lens production joint venture in Guangzhou, China. Construction on a plant for the venture was set to begin in March 1996, and production at the plant is scheduled to begin in October 1996. Currently, most eyeglasses sold in China use glass lenses. The new joint venture intends to promote the use of plastic lenses. The joint venture is capitalised at US$ 10 million, with Hoya providing 95% and a Guangzhou government-affiliated body the remainder. Capital expenditure for the facility is expected to amount to JPY 2.5 billion. The plant, which will have an annual capacity for 20 million eyeglass lenses, will employ a staff of 500. Hoya Lens UK, which is based in the UK, has announced a further UK 500,000 capital investment in its lens factory in Wrexham, UK.