Mec, a manufacturer of surface treatment chemicals for semiconductor substrates, is planning to build a new factory in Kitakyushu City. The company currently has one factory each in Hyogo Prefecture, where its headquarters is located, and Niigata Prefecture, as well as five factories overseas in Asia and elsewhere. President Kazuo Maeda explained that the decision to build a new factory was made with consideration to Business Continuity Planning (BCP), and the location was chosen for its convenient logistics and availability of skilled labor. The new factory will have a production capacity of 30,000 tons per year, making it the company's largest production base, and increasing the company's total output by nearly 40%. The investment amount, including the cost of land acquisition, is 4 billion yen. Construction is set to begin in October this year, with operations expected to start in January 2025.