Harima Chemicals Group, Inc. will construct a new plant and a new research building at its Kakogawa Site to expand production capacity and research and development of semiconductor resist resins amid growing semiconductor demand driven by generative AI.
Construction will begin in June 2026, with completion scheduled for June 2027.

Location	671-4 Mizusashi, Noguchi-cho, Kakogawa, Hyogo, Japan (Within the Harima Chemicals Group Kakogawa Plant)
Total floor area / Structure	Plant: Approx. 750m2 / Two-story steel-frame structure Research building: Approx. 1,400m2 / Three-story reinforced concrete structure
Main facilities	Plant: Reactors, cleanrooms, analytical laboratories, etc. Research building: Laboratories, cleanrooms, meeting rooms, etc.
Schedule	Construction start: June 2026 Completion: June 2027 Pilot production start: July 2027 Mass production start: June 2028

Construction of the new plant will approximately double semiconductor resist resin production capacity in its first year of operation. The plant is also designed for future capacity expansion through additional equipment installations.

The facility will feature cleanrooms and high-precision automated control systems compatible with next-generation products. It will also include analytical laboratories to strengthen in-process inspections and a new raw material storage area to stabilize material quality and improve logistics efficiency, supporting the development of a smart factory.

The new "Central Research Laboratory No. 3" will develop new materials for rapidly evolving semiconductor technologies. By integrating research theme exploration, material design, evaluation, and pilot-scale production, the facility will enable rapid product development and material proposals tailored to customer needs.

The building will feature ultra-clean cleanrooms and dedicated laboratories for resist material development, strengthening our development and proposal capabilities for next-generation products requiring strict contamination control.

Our semiconductor resist resins business is built on fast, integrated manufacturing that covers development, proposal, production, and delivery to meet customer needs. Backed by approximately 30 years of accumulated development and manufacturing expertise, the business has grown significantly over the past decade. The new plant and research building will enable faster customer feedback and reinforce integration from development through quality control.

This will support growing demand while stabilizing and further improving product quality. We will also strengthen our development and supply capabilities for back-end semiconductor processes, including advanced packaging that requires stricter quality control standards.

Orders for our semiconductor resist resins continue to grow year by year, exceeding initial projections. At the same time, expanding semiconductor applications and more advanced manufacturing processes are driving stricter performance and quality control requirements for resist materials.

As we advance, we will expand our business in high-value-added resist materials, where strong growth is expected, while also exploring future expansion into other semiconductor materials to develop our semiconductor materials business further.

■Contact
Public Relations, Harima Chemicals Group, Inc.
URL:https://www.harima.co.jp/en/contact/