Gudeng to build EUV pod factory in Japan
Gudeng Precision Industrial Co will launch a new facility in Fukuoka Prefecture’s Kurume to reduce its reliance on Taiwanese and Chinese production.
The Chinese firm is a key player in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) process that is essential to the manufacture of advanced chips. It makes wafer pods, which are box-like front-opening unified pods (FOUP) used to ship, transport and store wafers. Gudeng’s customers include Intel, TSMC and Samsung.
The new Japanese plant will be the firm's first outside China/Taiwan, and will be strategically located to serve the recently-opened TSMC foundry in nearby Kumamoto Prefecture’s Kikuyo. Gudeng plans to begin the construction of the plant later this year, with mass production expected to start next year.
Gudeng is nearing completion of a plant at New Taipei City’s Tucheng District in Taiwan. It has also established a division in the US to manage sourcing and distribution of its products and components.
