JX USA breaks ground on new electronics materials plant in Arizona

ARIZONA – JX Nippon Mining & Metals USA, Inc. (“JX USA”), along with the City of Mesa, the Arizona Commerce Authority and local officials, celebrated the groundbreaking to begin construction of JX USA’s new state-of-the-art electronic materials manufacturing plant.

The new plant is expected to be operational in early 2024 and create more than 100 jobs by 2025. The 273,000-square-foot plant is located on 63 acres at the northeast corner of Germann Road and Crismon Road.

The plant will produce sputtering cathodes for semiconductors and will produce more than double the output of JX USA’s current Chandler plant.

“JX Nippon Mining & Metals USA, Inc. is a leading-edge electronics materials manufacturer,” said Masago Kuwabara, President and CEO of JX Nippon Mining & Metals USA, Inc. “We are proud to advance our commitment to manufacturing electronics materials in the City of Mesa. With an excellent team of designers and engineers, and a product strategy, we expect today to be just the beginning of a long presence in this dynamic city.”

The new plant will feature a large production area, offices, wellness facilities and landscaping. JX USA will also use this site as an incubator for new business development, and intends to make it the center of JX USA’s advanced materials business in the U.S. in the future.

“We are excited about JX Nippon’s plans to make Mesa the new base of operations for its sputtering cathode business in the United States,” said Mesa Mayor John Giles. “JX’s investment and commitment to Mesa further demonstrates the desire for leading advanced manufacturers to grow their business in our city.”

JX USA manufactures and sells sputtering targets to the semiconductor industries in North America and Europe. In recent years, many of the company’s customers are expanding their production capabilities in France, Germany, Italy and the United States, including Arizona, so the company will further increase its semiconductor sputtering targets production capacity to better serve its customers.

The company chose Arizona based on numerous positive factors, including business climate, infrastructure, talent, geographic location and supply chain for the semiconductor sector.

In addition, the city of Mesa is expected to grow in the future as a hub for advanced industry and has room for expansion in anticipation of JX USA’s future business development needs.