Hitachi Chemical Strengthens Photosensitive Dry Film for PWB Business in China   

Hitachi Chemical announced on July 17th, it plans to invest Yen 520 million (approximately US$4.9 million) in a new R & D center for photosensitive dry film for printed wiring boards (PWBs) at Suzhou site, Jiangsu province, eastern China.
   Hitachi Chemical commenced production of the Suzhou plant this May for the the manufacture of photosensitive dry film for PWBs with a capacity of 50 million m2 per year.
   PWB manufacturers in Japan, Korea, Taiwan province, and other locations, who are the prime users of the photosensitive film, are accelerating the shift of their production bases to China. And the local PWB firms are expanding their production to meet the growing demand for PWBs. China has become the largest photosensitive film market worldwide.
   Hitachi Chemical has built three sites located in Suzhou, Yantai (Shandong province) and Dongguan (Guangdong province) for the production of photosensitive dry film to meet the local demand.
   The new Center, due operation in April 2009, will strengthen its research and development ability of photosensitive dry film to better serve the customers in Chinese market.