Materion Corp., an advanced materials company in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, is establishing a facility on Milwaukee's northwest side to accelerate the growth of advanced chemicals for the semiconductor and electric vehicle battery markets.
The 150,000-square-foot facility at 12255 W. Carmen Ave. expands Materion's capacity to produce atomic layer deposition materials for semiconductor chips and provide advanced chemicals for developing next-generation battery technology for EVs, the company said in a statement.
Materion (NYSE: MTRN) in spring leased that building from Indianapolis developer Scannell Properties. Scannell listed the property for sale after securing Materion as its long-term tenant, resulting in a $16.4 million sale in late July to an affiliate of San Diego investor Realty Income Corp., according to state records.
Production at the new facility is expected to ramp up during the first half of next year, Materion said.
The expansion is expected to significantly enhance Materion's position as a global supplier to the high-growth semiconductor industry, the company said.
The move follows the company's 2021 acquisition of H.C. Starck's HCS-Electronic Materials business, which added tantalum- and niobium-based solutions to Materion's portfolio of precious and non-precious metal targets for semiconductor chip manufacturers, Materion said.
On the EV front, Materion is working with battery manufacturers to develop inorganic chemicals to use in next-generation vehicle batteries focused on enabling longer range, faster charging and enhanced safety, the company said.
Following a multi-year R&D partnership, one unnamed customer is paying $6 million to establish a prototype line in the new Milwaukee facility, Materion said.
Relationships with next-generation battery customers are expected to strengthen Materion's position as a critical supplier to the automotive market, the company said.
The Ohio company recently celebrated 25 years of work on NASA's James Webb Space telescope, for which it provided beryllium blanks for the telescope's primary, secondary and tertiary mirrors and support structures.