Versum Materials, Inc. (NYSE: VSM), a leading materials supplier to the semiconductor industry, announced today that it has broken ground on a multimillion-dollar project at its chemical manufacturing site in Hometown, Pennsylvania. The groundbreaking ceremony took place April 20, 2017, and was attended by members of the community and local government.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170509005503/en/

Versum Materials employees and honored guests.at its Hometown, PA groundbreaking ceremony. (Photo: B ...

Versum Materials employees and honored guests.at its Hometown, PA groundbreaking ceremony. (Photo: Business Wire)

The new facility will house a state-of-the-art research and development laboratory for new materials used in the manufacture of semiconductors. Scientists in the facility expect to synthesize and purify new molecules up to parts per trillion impurity levels using the latest technologies available in the industry. The researchers will be able to assess the applications for these new molecules and scale up the molecules to kilogram quantities for customer evaluation. These new organometallic compounds will be deposited on semiconductor wafers through various cutting edge technologies for semiconductor applications. Additionally, the new facility will have capabilities for small volume manufacturing and advanced analytical and quality assessment.

Approximately 30 employees, half of which hold advanced degrees in chemistry or chemical engineering, will be based in the new facility. The company expects construction to be completed by the end of the year.

This latest expansion is part of a $20 million investment that Versum has made over the past year at its Hometown campus. It recently increased production capacity and modified equipment configuration to reduce manufacturing bottlenecking. Versum’s Hometown manufacturing facility produces a variety of high purity specialty gases and chemicals for semiconductor manufacturers around the world, including Tungsten Hexafluoride, WF6. WF6 is used as a metallization source for the formation of tungsten plug interconnects between multiple layers in semiconductor devices. It is an important material in the production of both logic and memory (DRAM and NAND) devices.

“Our Hometown facility continues to play an important role in our company’s success. This investment will facilitate significant advancements in the semiconductor industry, which is something the local community can take pride in,” stated Jim Hart, a senior leader in Versum’s Global Technology team.

About Versum Materials

Versum Materials, Inc. (NYSE: VSM) is a leading electronic materials company providing high-purity chemicals and gases, delivery systems, services and materials expertise to meet the evolving needs of the global semiconductor and display industries. Derived from the Latin word for “toward,” the name “Versum” communicates the company’s deep commitment to helping customers move toward the future by collaborating, innovating and creating cutting-edge solutions.

A global leader in technology, quality, safety and reliability, Versum Materials is one of the world’s leading suppliers of next generation CMP slurries, ultra-thin dielectric and metal film precursors, formulated cleans and etching products, and delivery equipment that has revolutionized the semiconductor industry. Versum Materials has annual sales of approximately $1 billion, 1,900 employees and 10 major facilities in Asia and North America. It is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. Prior to its separation on Oct. 1, 2016, Versum Materials had operated for more than three decades as a division of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE: APD).

For additional information, please visit http://www.versummaterials.com.

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements may be identified by references to future periods, and include statements about our ability to facilitate significant advancements in the semiconductor industry, the expected construction completion date, and our hiring plans. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date the statements were made. Actual results and the outcomes of future events may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements because of a number of risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, weakening of global or regional general economic conditions and product supply versus demand imbalances in the semiconductor industry could decrease the demand for our products and services; our concentrated customer base; our ability to continue technological innovation to meet the evolving needs of our customers; our inability to protect and enforce intellectual property rights; operational, political and legal risks of our international operations; hazards associated with specialty chemical manufacturing could disrupt our operations or the operations of our suppliers or customers; changes in government regulations in the U.S. and in other countries where we operate; raw material shortages and price increases; sole source and limited source suppliers; fluctuation of currency exchange rates; increased competition; our ability to successfully complete the transition to an independent public company; increased costs as a separate public company; and other risk factors described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2016, and in our periodic filings. Versum Materials assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information in this press release.

The Versum Materials logo and Versum are trademarks of Versum Materials, Inc. or its affiliates.