AT & S Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik AG

AT&S officially opens new plant and largest single investment in China - Seite 2

At plant 1, AT&S produces IC substrates, the connection between microchips and printed circuit boards, which are used for microprocessors in computing. Since the start of serial production in late February, the gradual expansion of capacity and the increase in production volume of the complex technology have been proceeding well. From the end of the calendar year 2016, AT&S will gradually start up the second production line for IC substrates. Overall, AT&S will invest roughly Eur 280 million in property, plant and equipment for this technology by mid-2017.

In addition, the Chongqing site will be extended by a second plant for the latest generation of high-end printed circuit boards, i.e., substrate-like PCBs in order to be able to offer advanced packaging solutions at wafer level. This plant will start production with the first production line in the second half of the calendar year 2016, and with a second production line next year. Roughly Eur 200 million will be invested in property, plant and equipment at this plant.

Chen Jian Phua, CEO of the Business Unit Mobile Devices & Substrates, who has been responsible for the establishment of the sites in Shanghai and Chonqing for 12 years for AT&S in leading management positions, outlines the complexity of the technology and the framework conditions: "The new IC substrate technology is not comparable to any technology previously used by AT&S: new, extremely complex production processes in 100 percent cleanroom conditions, new materials as well as a new team, which had to build up know-how in a very short time. We are very proud that we have managed to achieve all this on a very tight schedule. We also invested more than 670,000 hours in training the roughly 1,700 employees who currently work in Chongqing. Sustainable and comprehensive investments in environmental protection have always been important to us at all locations; in Chongqing, about Eur 24 million have been invested in this area."

What are IC substrates and what are they used for? IC substrates serve as a connection between the semiconductor (chips) and PCBs, they "transmit" the nano-structures of the chip onto the PCB (micrometre structures) and are used in microprocessors for computers, communication, automotive and industrial applications. In comparison with PCBs, IC substrates have much finer structures (approx. 40 micrometres vs. approx. 12 micrometres), and different basic materials as well as different production processes are used. Depending on the application, there is a wide variety of substrate technologies with different assemblies and performance requirements.