Gelest Inc., a Mitsubishi Chemical Group company, broke ground on its newest, 50,000 square-foot facility, located at Gelest’s global headquarters in Morrisville, Pennsylvania. Slated for completion in September 2024, Gelest plans to initially hire more than 25 employees, with additional recruitment phases of up to 50 employees as the operation scales to match customer demand. 

Jonathan Goff, vice president of the custom synthesis division, Mitsubishi Chemical Group, and president of Gelest, said, “We are leveraging the technical expertise of the local workforce and recruiting from local universities. In addition, we are supporting the trend towards on-shoring business, thereby fortifying the U.S. supply chain for crucial materials for advanced manufacturing.” The new facility will enhance Gelest’s production capabilities, supporting a diverse range of customer applications, from microelectronics and medical devices to advanced thermal coatings and mobility.

As part of a strategic collaboration with Lam Research Corp., Fremont, California, Gelest will develop and manufacture precursor chemicals for use in Lam’s breakthrough dry photoresist technology for EUV lithography. Dry resist EUV technology is an advanced semiconductor manufacturing technique poised to propel the next generation of logic and DRAM technologies for the semiconductor market. 

Gelest’s Senior Vice President of Operations, Neville Lockwood, said, “We’re installing state-of-the-art equipment designed for development, analysis, packaging, and large-scale manufacturing of highly specialized chemistries to support advanced technology markets. The quality and process control systems for this facility will meet the rigorous requirements of today and tomorrow’s customers and markets.” 

As the research excellence center of parent company Mitsubishi Chemical Group, Gelest contributes new products and technologies to fundamental materials, including microelectronics. 

The addition of the new production facility underpins Gelest’s commitment to ongoing expansion in Morrisville. The company established its headquarters there in 2001, which now comprises production, R&D, and administration facilities. With the new production facility, Gelest’s footprint extends to nine buildings in Morrisville. The facility will occupy a revitalized U.S. EPA Brownfield site, due to the support of U.S. steel and specialty chemicals industries.

To learn more, visit www.gelest.com.