The many billions of dollars in direct funding or incentives the US Chips Act has bestowed on domestic manufacturers continue to obscure the basic adage that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

That truism was tested, again, in late November as Denkai America, the US-based subsidiary of the Japanese materials company, announced its intentions to close and liquidate its copper foil manufacturing plant in Augusta, South Carolina, the last such factory in the United States.

The news comes just two years after its parent company, Nippon Denkai, heralded the site as the future of foil production, with tens of millions of dollars in investments planned and hundreds of new jobs expected. The company cited financial problems stemming from semiconductor shortages, a decrease in exports of batteries manufactured domestically, lower demand for smartphones, and other factors for the decision.

Read more ...