Fujifilm Holdings Corp. has completed a new fabrication building at its factory in Japan's southern prefecture of Oita, enabling the company to triple production of post-CMP cleaners. The new facility began operations in August 2026, introducing automated production equipment and quality evaluation instruments to expand manufacturing capacity threefold. The building spans approximately 3,600 square meters and required an investment of ¥7 billion ($44 million). As per IBTimes JP, the facility also houses manufacturing, quality inspection and office functions, with solar panels installed on the roof.
The expansion comes as semiconductors represent the most promising growth segment for Fujifilm's business, which has been impacted by stagnation in office equipment sales. According to reports from Business Standard, the company's stock suffered its worst decline on record last month following disappointing earnings. Fujifilm is now ramping up cutting-edge product development and output capacity across a wide range of semiconductor materials, including CMP slurries, post-CMP cleaners, photoresists and polyimides. The company's semiconductor materials business has recorded average annual sales growth of about 20% between fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2025, making it one of the growth drivers of the Fujifilm group.
Revenue from Fujifilm's semiconductor materials business grew 25% year-over-year in the April-June quarter, demonstrating strong momentum in this new focus area. The company expects sales of its post-CMP cleaners to more than double in fiscal 2030 from fiscal 2024 levels. Fujifilm has invested more than 100 billion yen from fiscal 2021 through fiscal 2024 to increase production capacity for CMP slurries in Japan, the United States and Taiwan, and for polyimide in Japan and Belgium. The company supplies photoresists, photolithography-related materials, thin-film materials, high-purity process chemicals and photosensitive insulating film materials for advanced packaging under the ZEMATES brand, with manufacturing bases across Japan, the United States, Europe and Asia.
Demand for semiconductor materials has been supported by broader growth in AI, 5G and internet-connected devices. In Japan, manufacturers have been increasing investment in semiconductor supply chains as chip production and packaging become more advanced. Post-CMP cleaners are essential materials used after chemical mechanical planarization to remove particles, trace metals and organic residues while protecting metal surfaces. The capacity expansion is specifically aimed at supporting fast-growing demand for advanced semiconductors, including AI chips and chips used in AI data centers. Fujifilm has been expanding sales of post-CMP cleaners mainly to customers in North America, Europe and Asia, drawing on its ability to offer the products together with CMP slurries.
