A planned 125,000 square-foot manufacturing facility set to open in Kyle in 2021 will serve as a South Korean technology company’s U.S. headquarters.
In a press release, officials with ENF Technology announced the $45 million Kyle facility will be the company’s base of operations in the country. The facility will house a manufacturing operation for the blending of electronic and process materials meant to support fabrication of microelectronic products.
The move comes several months after Kyle city officials in March approved ENF’s facility, known as Magic Mint, which will be located along Kyle Crossing near the intersection of Kohler’s Crossing in Kyle. ENF Technologies, which has several South Korean manufacturing sites, produces products for several technology companies including Samsung, GlobalFoundries, Miron, Intel and Texas Instruments, the Hays Free Press reported.
The facility will house a manufacturing operation for the blending of electronic and process materials meant to support fabrication of microelectronic products.
Joe Cestari, ENF project executive for the Kyle facility, said ENF purchased a 25-acre property and plans to break ground on its first site in October. Cestari said the facility will be “mechanically complete” by the first quarter of 2021. ENF plans to hire approximately 15 to 20 employees, with room for expansion in the future, Cestari said.
According to the release, ENF Technology has been issued a permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for water-based copper stripper production. The company has filed an additional permit with the TCEQ relating to the ammonium hydroxide process the company plans to undertake.
Those two processes will be used in the facility’s cleanroom manufacturing environment, according to the release. Copper strippers are used in semiconductor production to clean microchips and remove polymers generated in the dry etching process.
Materials manufactured by ENF ultimately end up in cell phones and other electronic products, Cestari said.
He added the TCEQ permit for ammonium hydroxide was filed due to the amount of distance between a proposed tank and the facility. Cestari said the permit was not filed because of any hazardous chemical concerns or due to the volume of ammonium hydroxide on site.
W.J. Yang, ENF Kyle Technology general manager, said in a statement the company prides itself on “our innovation and the quality of our materials that support leading-edge semiconductor” technology.
In addition, the company is dedicated to engagement with the community and hiring local talent, along with positively impacting the environment. According to the release, ENF has surpassed more than a decade of operation in South Korea with “zero recordable safety incidents” and no environmental impacts.
Regional guidelines in South Korea are “virtually identical” to Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards in the U.S., according to the release.
“We look forward to collaborating with the community in Kyle to become a long-term contributor to the local economy,” Yang said.
