Axcelis 韩国平泽扩建奠基：投资3500万美元建亚洲制造中心，2028下半年投产

US semiconductor ion implantation equipment maker Axcelis is expanding its Pyeongtaek operations in South Korea into an Asian manufacturing hub. The company plans to increase production capacity by building a new factory five times the size of its existing facility.
Axcelis held a groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 20 at the site of its new Axcelis Asia Operations Center (AAOC) facility in the Oseong Industrial Complex in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
The new facility will occupy a site of approximately 22,314 square meters, with a building footprint of about 15,537 square meters. Its total floor area will be roughly five times that of the existing manufacturing facility. The plant will include equipment manufacturing facilities, warehouses, cleanrooms and a training center. Construction is expected to take about 18 months, with full operations scheduled to begin in the second half of 2028. The investment totals approximately $35 million. Axcelis previously held an investment declaration ceremony with officials from South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources in Washington, D.C., in September.
The plant will primarily manufacture ion implantation equipment, which is used in front-end semiconductor processing to modify the electrical properties of wafers by implanting ions. Axcelis and US-based Applied Materials have traditionally dominated the market. The new factory will adopt lean manufacturing methods to improve efficiency by reducing waste in production processes.
AAOC is Axcelis' only manufacturing facility outside the United States. The company is headquartered in Massachusetts. Axcelis established AAOC in Pyeongtaek in 2021 and began producing and shipping equipment in the second half of 2022. At the time, the factory covered approximately 3,967 square meters. Its production capacity was equivalent to about 20% of the company's US headquarters operations, and 60% of its output was exported. Axcelis said at the time that it aimed to increase the share of components sourced from South Korean suppliers from 5% to 50% over the long term.
The company's workforce has also expanded. Axcelis Korea's headcount has grown from 120 employees in 2022 to approximately 200 currently. The company plans to increase staffing to about 300 over the medium to long term.
Samsung Electronics, a major Axcelis customer, operates semiconductor manufacturing facilities in Pyeongtaek. Samsung is installing equipment at its fourth plant, P4, and constructing its fifth plant, P5. SK hynix is also developing a semiconductor cluster in nearby Yongin.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Axcelis President and CEO Russell Low, Axcelis Korea President Park Young-keun, Kang Gam-chan, director general for trade and investment at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae and Pyeongtaek Mayor Choi Won-yong. Choi told Low that the city would support the successful expansion of AAOC around the clock.
"I would like to thank the government and local government officials who supported this project," Low said. "We will create new opportunities for the next generation and build a sustainable and prosperous future for everyone."