[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] FST, a specialized company in semiconductor pellicles and chiller equipment, announced on the 17th that it recorded consolidated sales of 44.1 billion KRW and operating profit of 1.26 billion KRW in the first quarter of this year. Sales and operating profit decreased by 14.26% and 86.76%, respectively, compared to the same period last year.
A company official explained, "The main cause of the decline in operating performance was the increase in costs due to rising prices of key raw materials for chiller equipment and the mass production preparation of consolidated subsidiaries."
Despite the decrease in sales in the first quarter of this year, FST achieved pellicle sales of 19.6 billion KRW, an increase of 14.76% compared to the same period last year.
The company official said, "Stable semiconductor pellicle sales and the expansion of demand for large-area LCD/OLED pellicles domestically and internationally enabled sales growth despite uncertain external conditions," adding, "Due to the steady growth of the pellicle materials business and increased equipment investment by major customers, operating performance is expected to improve from the second half of the year."
He also stated, "With the recent strengthening of global environmental regulations, demand for eco-friendly chillers is expected to gradually increase," and added, "We are actively conducting research and development on eco-friendly chillers and technological development to improve product performance accordingly."
He continued, "We are continuously developing EUV pellicle process equipment suitable for the next-generation semiconductor process, the EUV process, and are preparing to become a leading company in the EUV process in the future."
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