“Furukawa has made this commitment based on Taiwan’s stable electricity supply, reasonable costs and high quality, hard-working labor force,” Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Sheng-chung said Oct. 3.
“The tariff concessions between Taiwan and mainland China are another major consideration for Furukawa, as electrodeposited copper foils are one of the items on the early harvest list.”
Lin made the remarks at a letter of intent signing ceremony attended by Furukawa Chairman Hiroshi Ishihara in Taipei.
Under the terms of the agreement, the Japanese firm will set up a NT$2.45 billion factory for electrodeposited copper foils used in automobile lithium batteries. The plant is set to be Furukawa’s first offshore production site for this product.
The firm’s Taiwan subsidiary, Furukawa Circuit Foil Taiwan Corp., is also spending NT$2.1 billion on boosting copper foil output for printed circuit boards. Monthly production will rise from 800 tons to 1,200 tons, with output of 4.5 billion yen (US$58.68 million).
According to Lin, the investment was first proposed during his visit to Furukawa HQ at the head of a Ministry of Economic Affairs-organized business promotion in February.
Ishihara said Furukawa may consider similar moves for the firm’s other businesses, including telecommunications and power cables, while Vice President Tetsuro Yasunaga said the firm will evaluate additional expansion projects in Taiwan. (JSM)
Write to Meg Chang at meg.chang@mail.gio.gov.tw