News: Suppliers
26 March 2026
Aixtron to build new manufacturing plant in Malaysia
To strengthen its global competitiveness, deposition equipment maker Aixtron SE of Herzogenrath, near Aachen, Germany is to build a new manufacturing facility in Malaysia in order to tap into the fast growing semiconductor equipment ecosystem in South East Asia.
Aixtron plans to manufacture some of its 100/150/200mm products in the new plant in the Penang region, mostly to address customers in Asia. The new location will include assembly & test, engineering support, and local purchasing capabilities. This will allow local assembly of some of Aixtron’s products, and sourcing of many parts from the local supply chain of module and component makers. The modular factory design allows for future expansion with little additional investment. With the plant in Malaysia, Aixtron says that it is making a step to tap one of the leading ecosystems of the semiconductor equipment industry and follows other leading global semiconductor equipment makers in terms of global footprint expansion.
“Aixtron’s decision to build a new facility in Penang underscores our region’s growing reputation as a premier destination for advanced technology investments,” says Dato’ Loo Lee Lian, CEO of InvestPenang. “This new facility highlights Penang’s attractiveness as a strategic hub for innovation and manufacturing, reflecting the company's confidence in our highly skilled workforce and favorable business environment,” she adds.
“With this step, Aixtron is implementing a best-practice strategy of the global semiconductor supply industry and leveraging the excellently developed local ecosystem,” comments Aixtron’s CEO Dr Felix Grawert. “Overall, this represents a clear growth step for us, strengthening our position in the Asian market,” he adds. “We remain dedicated to our European locations in Herzogenrath, Germany, and Cambridge, UK. Both locations are central pillars for research, development, and also production, especially due to many strong and specialized suppliers. The plant in Malaysia complements the strengths of the existing locations and allows us to leverage ‘the best of both worlds’ by adding access to the South East Asia supply chain. No personnel reduction is planned in Europe as a result of this.”
Full-year 2026 financials unchanged; €40m capex for new facility
The capital expenditure for the new site is estimated at about €40m, to be spent in second-half 2026 and first-half 2027. The plant is expected to start operation in Spring 2027, with first shipments expected in second-half 2027. The start-up costs expected in 2026 in connection with preparing for production will not affect the forecast for fiscal full-year 2026.
Aixtron’s Q3 revenue and margin impacted by volume shifts into Q4
