Toppan Carves Out Semiconductor Photomask Business

Toppan has entered into a share transfer agreement to carve out its semiconductor pho-tomask business and establish a new company, Toppan Photomask Co., Ltd. (Toppan Pho-tomask), with independent Japanese private equity company Integral Corporation (Integral) as an investment partner.

Toppan Photomask begins operations as a joint venture between Toppan and Integral. The company will drive growth and strengthen competitiveness as an independent busi-ness entity that continues to support the rapidly growing semiconductor industry.

As digital innovation accelerates in diverse markets due to the evolution of technologies including artificial intelligence, automotive, power, and 5G networks, the global semiconductor market continues to expand at a rapid pace and is forecast to be worth more than 100 trillion yen in 2030.

Against a backdrop of a global shortage of semiconductors, manufacturers are moving to bolster production capacity, which is in turn driving unprecedented demand for photo-masks, essential components for semiconductor fabrication.

Since entering the photomask business in 1961, Toppan has continued to support growth of the semiconductor industry by deploying its advanced technological capabilities and expanding its manufacturing network from Japan to Asia, North America, and Europe. Amid a growing trend for national governments to support domestic production of semiconductors, Toppan is the only photomask manufacturer to have a worldwide production network and enjoys the leading share of the merchant market for semiconductor photo-masks.

The rapid growth of the semiconductor market, however, is driving the photomask market to a turning point, requiring manufacturers to make investments in R&D and equipment faster and more flexibly than ever before, based on accurate assessment of market changes and customer trends.

While receiving support as a consolidated subsidiary of Toppan Inc., Toppan Photomask will continue to manufacture semiconductor photomasks, strengthen its management and governance functions by taking advantage of support and expertise from Integral—which has an extensive track record of supporting IPOs—and drive the business forward to achieve accelerated growth toward a future stock market listing.

In its semiconductor-related business, Toppan will also strengthen FC-BGA substrate of-ferings, which are seeing robust demand, and develop and provide components and de-vices for growth fields such as healthcare, mobility, communication, and sensors.

Toppan Photomask is headed by CEO Teruo Ninomiya.

“We are very excited to be making a new start that will drive greater efficiency and pro-vide even better service in an extremely dynamic market,” said Ninomiya. “An IPO will be one milestone for us in the future as we look to support the long-term growth of the semiconductor sector in collaboration with our customers in a constantly changing landscape.”