Germany's SUSS to Move Mask Aligner Manufacturing to Taiwan, China

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 27, the board of directors of German semiconductor equipment manufacturer SUSS approved a production network adjustment plan, deciding to gradually transfer manufacturing operations from its Garching plant to two production sites in Zhubei, Taiwan, China and Sternenfels, Germany. Among these, mask aligner manufacturing will be concentrated in Zhubei, module manufacturing will be concentrated in Sternenfels, and the Garching plant will cease system and module production. The adjustment is expected to incur one-time costs of approximately EUR 6.2 million.

Under the adjustment plan, SUSS will consolidate manufacturing activities from its original three production sites into two main plants. The Zhubei site will take on the gradually consolidated mask aligner manufacturing business, while the Sternenfels plant will be responsible for module production. The adjustment affects approximately 70 employees at the Garching plant, and the company plans to consult with employee representatives regarding personnel arrangements.

SUSS expects the one-time costs related to the production transfer to be approximately EUR 6.2 million, of which about EUR 4.5 million will be incurred in fiscal year 2026. The manufacturing migration will also cause adjustments to the timing of revenue recognition for certain products; combined with limited supply of some components, the company expects some sales revenue to be deferred to fiscal year 2027.

According to the business guidance synchronously revised on October 27, SUSS lowered its expected revenue for fiscal year 2026 from EUR 425 million to EUR 485 million down to EUR 405 million to EUR 425 million, and adjusted its expected EBIT margin from 8% to 10% to 5% to 7%. The company maintains its gross margin guidance of 35% to 37%.

Germany will retain SUSS's headquarters, research and development, and key technology operations. The company's new development and application center in Karlsruhe is currently under construction. This production adjustment is concentrated on equipment and module manufacturing functions and does not involve relocating the company's overall research and development operations to Taiwan, China.