Major US chemical firm expands S’pore plant, expects to create about 100 new jobs

SINGAPORE – An American firm that makes speciality chemicals and materials used in electronics manufacturing has opened an extension at its Tuas Avenue plant that is expected to create close to 100 new jobs once fully operational.

The multimillion-dollar investment by MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions will double output of Argomax, the company’s flagship silver sintering paste.

The paste is a type of bonding material that can withstand the intense heat found in new electronic products such as electric vehicles (EVs).

Mr Tom Hunsinger, its vice-president of semiconductor assembly, told The Straits Times on May 30 that Singapore is a critical hub for the firm, as it makes its higher value-added products here and enables the business to better serve customers in Asia.

“We have great intellectual property protection in Singapore and so the majority of the high-value products come from here and get distributed out to the rest of Asia,” said Mr Hunsinger, who added that the plant extension is expected to create nearly 100 jobs over the next few years.

These positions will be in various areas, including operations, quality control, engineering and research and development.

Singapore is the company’s only production site for Argomax, which is shipped to customers globally. The Asia market contributes about 60 per cent of the firm’s sales, with China being a huge market and South-east Asia growing rapidly.

“A lot of the advanced packaging and advanced components are being made in South-east Asia,” Mr Hunsinger added.

MacDermid serves a wide range of clients across various industries, including semiconductor, circuitry and electronics assembly.

Mr Hunsinger said at the opening ceremony on May 30 that Singapore’s reputation and proven track record of being globally connected, stable and pro-innovation makes it an ideal location to invest.

“The local ecosystem of research and development institutes, talent development and government-industry collaboration is among the best in the world.

“The Economic Development Board’s support and agility and aligning with strategic industries helped to make this happen.”

The company employs more than 250 people here, including those in its Tuas West Road and Joo Koon plants, which manufacture other products.

The global surge in power electronics, particularly within the EV sector, has intensified the growing demand for high-performance materials such as Argomax.

Its technology allows for the development of smaller, lighter and more efficient powertrain systems, offering a competitive edge over conventional bonding methods. “So it makes the components that are ultimately produced a lot more efficient, which then enables things like cars to go further because they are not consuming as much energy,” Mr Hunsinger added.

He added that the firm is “reasonably well-protected” from possible price rises stemming from US tariffs thanks to its global manufacturing footprint.

“Because we make a lot in Asia and ship within Asia, we have been able to be in a relatively good position from tariffs.

“Since we do have a global footprint, we can work with our sister companies to figure out a way that we can move material around within our entities, and that can help offset some of the local tariff impact.”

Mr Jack van Mook, the firm’s vice-president of Asia commercial, pointed to Singapore’s free-trade agreements with other countries, saying that having three factories here helps to alleviate the impact from geopolitical tensions.