November 1, 2007 – Japan Air Gases, a unit of Air Liquide, plans to spend ~15 million euros (US ~$21.7M) to build a new electronics material center in the Harima Science Park in Ako, Hyogo (northwest of Osaka), complementing two other such centers in Tsukuba and Ina. The new site, to be operational sometime next year, will focus on silane bundle transfilling and other high-value molecules, with capacity for further expansion.

Christophe Fontaine, VP of Air Liquide Group’s electronics unit, noted the new facility will boost JAG’s supply chain mainly in western Japan, but also the rest of the country and the Asia region in general.

JAG is in the process of being merged with Air Liquide’s other Japanese unit, Air Liquide Japan Ltd. (which builds gas plants), pooling sales of around ~200B yen (US $1.7B) in order to better compete with rival Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corp., noted the Nikkei daily.