Hada Corporation's EUV Photomask Pod Shipments Increase by Over 50% Year-over-Year; Business Performance to Improve Quarterly in the Second Half of the Year; New Plant in Arizona to Start Trial Production in Q4

Hada Corporation, a photomask pod manufacturer, has seen a significant increase in EUV photomask pod shipments due to the global advancement of advanced processes and the improvement of customer yields. The company expects its EUV photomask pod shipments to increase by more than 50% year-over-year, and business performance is expected to improve quarterly in the second half of the year. The initial processing line of the new plant in Arizona, USA, is scheduled to be completed and will start trial production in the fourth quarter of this year.

The demand for front-opening unified pods (FOUP) in the Greater China region has strongly recovered after the customer complaint issue was resolved. Sales in the first seven months have already exceeded the full-year level of last year. The shipments of advanced packaging carriers in the first seven months have reached 2.5 times that of the same period last year. As customer-side specifications and sizes gradually converge and unify, customers in Taiwan, the US, and Asia will start appropriate production and shipments in the second half of the year.

Hada expects to enter the stage of mass production in 2027. At the same time, the verification of front-opening unified pods (FOUP) in the Japanese and Korean markets is also in the final stage, and it is expected to start small-scale shipments in the second half of the year.

Regarding the aerospace business, Hada has been involved in the aerospace business since 2020 and has achieved high growth of 60% in the past two years. The product line includes hydraulic fittings, flight control, engine, fuel system precision parts, and aircraft interior plastic injection molding. The new plant in Arizona is scheduled to start local verification of aerospace products in September and trial production in the fourth quarter, which will help reduce geopolitical risks and deepen long-term supply relationships with US aerospace and semiconductor giants.

Due to the increase in the proportion of high-margin products such as photomask carriers and the contribution of non-operating investment income, the board of directors has decided to distribute additional interim cash dividends of 10 yen per share through capital surplus appropriation to substantially return profits to shareholders. The company's total capital expenditure for the year is expected to be between 20 billion and 25 billion yen.