Toppan Photomasks, Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-listed ToppanPrinting Co., Ltd., and GF, an advanced special-technology wafer fab, have announced that the two parties have reached a long-term supply agreement. Under the agreement, Toppan will provide reticle and related services to GF, which is currently supported by GF's photomask manufacturing business in Burlington, Vermont, USA. The agreement also stipulates that Toppan will acquire part of the assets of GF Burlington's photomask manufacturing plant. The agreement will also strengthen the joint venture of the Advanced Mask Technology Center (AMTC) of the two parties in Dresden, Germany. The transaction paves the way for the transfer of more advanced mask manufacturing tools to AMTC and will effectively increase production capacity, thereby further consolidating its long-term position as an advanced mask manufacturing plant in Europe.
In the coming months, the two companies will gradually transfer the acquired equipment and processes to Toppan's manufacturing plants around the world. With this agreement, Toppan can not only expand the scope and production capacity of its Round Rock plant in Texas, but also its global photomask business. GF, as an advanced special process wafer fab, will also Concentrate resources to develop feature-rich and differentiated solutions to create more value for customers. Work at the GF Burlington plant will not be affected.
Guido Ueberreiter, vice president of global mask and fab back-end operations, said: "This agreement is based on long-term friendly cooperation between the two parties, which not only enables GF to benefit from Toppan's global capacity, but also optimizes wafer 9 The production space of the factory achieves the steady development of wafer manufacturing while we focus on platform differentiation. Toppan is our ideal partner. By complementing each other's strengths, we will enhance our competitive advantage and use high efficiency as a large scale for our customers. Provide quality solutions and services. "
Mike Hadsell, CEO of Toppan Photomasks, Inc., said: "We are honored to be the key photomask supplier for GF ’s next phase of transformation, and we value this rare opportunity and hope to provide GF with more products and services "This agreement is based on the technical cooperation between the two parties through JDP and the stable technical cooperation formed by the AMTC joint venture in Dresden, which can be said to be a natural extension of the original cooperation relationship."
Tetsuro Ueki, senior executive director of Toppan Printing's electronics division, said: "We are very grateful for the strong support provided by GF during the agreement. This agreement will promote the future development of both companies. As an advanced photomask manufacturer, We look forward to contributing more to the successful development of GF. "