Global chemical company Ecolab has set out to strengthen the competitiveness of the domestic semiconductor materials industry by establishing its first production base for key semiconductor materials in Korea.

Ecolab held a completion ceremony for its high-purity colloidal silica manufacturing plant for semiconductors at its Yangsan factory site in Eogok-dong, Yangsan-si, Gyeongsangnam-do on the 5th and began preparations for full-scale production.

The newly completed Yangsan plant is Ecolab's first colloidal silica production facility established overseas.

By directly producing advanced semiconductor materials domestically, which have previously been imported while relying on U.S. production bases, it is expected to contribute to the stability of material procurement for the Korean semiconductor industry and the mitigation of global supply chain risks.

The Yangsan plant produces high-purity colloidal silica for CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) slurry, a key material in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

The factory has a size of approximately 1,634 pyeong (5,400㎡) and was completed after about two years of expansion work following the groundbreaking ceremony in December 2023.

Ecolab’s manufacturing technology and quality control know-how accumulated over 70 years have been applied, and a stable mass production system has been established by equipping it with semiconductor-dedicated processes and precision quality control facilities.

Ecolab invested approximately 70 billion won in this mass production plant.

Establishment of ultra-pure water facilities and technological advancement, as well as water treatment and energy efficiency improvement We also plan to pursue additional investment in the CTG (Chemical & Technical Group) business area, which provides solutions.

With the expansion of factory operations, the workforce will be increased in stages to hire an additional 30 people, and full-scale product mass production is scheduled to begin in the first half of the year.

The reason Global Ecolab chose Korea as its first overseas production base lies in the high technological competitiveness of the Korean semiconductor industry and the stable operational performance of Ecolab Korea's mass production plant over the past 20 years.

It also reflects a strategic decision to respond more quickly to the demand of Asian and global customers and to expand the proportion of domestic procurement of advanced semiconductor materials.

"The new Yangsan plant is more than just an expansion of production facilities; it is a significant turning point for Korea to leap forward as a strategic semiconductor material production hub," said Ryu Yang-kwon, CEO of Ecolab Korea. "By directly producing core semiconductor materials domestically, we will enhance process quality stability and contribute to revitalizing the local economy and strengthening the competitiveness of the Korean semiconductor industry."

Meanwhile, in line with its ESG management philosophy, Ecolab plans to operate its new plant using LNG and electricity and minimize carbon dioxide emissions by applying high-efficiency low-NOx burners. In alignment with the government's carbon neutrality policy, the company pursues sustainable plant operations by annually evaluating the achievement of energy usage and carbon reduction targets.