DISCO's Completion of New Building at Nagano Works Chino Plant
DISCO Corporation, a semiconductor manufacturing equipment manufacturer has completed construction of a new seismically isolated building (Building B) at Nagano Works Chino Plant (Chino City, Nagano). With completion, the total floor area of the Nagano Works Chino Plant, including the existing building, is approximately 7.5 times greater. This expansion enables further enhancement of the product supply system for future demand in semiconductors and electronic components.
Due to widespread use of high-performance smartphones and increase in base stations and data centers accompanying the start of 5G service, demand for semiconductors and electronic components, including memory, sensors, and condensers, is increasing worldwide. As a result, need is also rising for DISCO’s precision processing equipment* and precision processing tools** (blades/wheels) among device manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturing subcontractors, and electronic component manufacturers. Demand is expected to expand mid-to-long term as well, with future technologies such as IoT, AI, self-driving technology, and telemedicine as drivers of growth. Therefore, DISCO needed to further enhance its product supply system.
Enhancement of Production System
Production floors in the existing building (Building A) are operating at almost full capacity. With the construction of Building B, the total floor area of the entire Nagano Works Chino Plant is 7.5 times greater than before. This expansion enables flexibility in adapting to further increase in demand. In addition, construction of another new building (total floor area: approximately 67,800 m²) is in progress at Hiroshima Works Kuwabata Plant (Kure City, Hiroshima) and will be completed in August 2021.
Improvement of BCM*** Support
Currently, production of major products is conducted mainly at Hiroshima Works Kure Plant and Kuwabata Plant. However, the distance between the factories is approx. 10 km, which is a concern should disaster affect a wide area. Therefore, diversification of risk is a major topic. After operation starts in Building B at Nagano Works Chino Plant, the variety of items that Nagano Works can produce will increase, and DISCO will work toward establishing a system that can achieve production and shipment of the same products from both Hiroshima and Nagano Works. This production system will then enable the achievement of a stable production supply in the event of an emergency.
