Doosan Corporation to invest 1 trillion won in semiconductors

Doosan Chairman Park Jeong-won checks a wafer testing facility at Doosan Tesna's factory in Anseong, Gyeonggi. [DOOSAN]

Doosan Corporation will invest 1 trillion won ($774 million) into its semiconductor business over five years, according to Chairman Park Jeong-won.

It acquired 38.7 percent of Tesna, a chip test company, in March.

Most of the funding will be used to ramp up the capacity of Tesna's wafer test operations with the aim of being among the world's top five semiconductor test companies.

Renamed Doosan Tesna, the Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-based company will build a new factory by 2024. Last month, it said it will spend 124 billion won buying semiconductor test equipment.

In the wafer test area, Tesna claims the largest market share in Korea, with its clients including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. But its standing in the global markets remains relatively weak.

Founded in 2002, Tesna provides test services for processors and image sensors, a category where market capacity is limited.

Doosan Corporation expects that demand for those devices will keep driving the growth of semiconductor test services.

"The semiconductor business will become a new pillar of Doosan's growth on top of existing sectors like energy and machinery," Park said in a statement.

"Doosan will be fully committed to turning Doosan Tesna into the best partner for system chip makers and the top five test service provider in the world by making sufficient investments," he said.

Park visited Doosan Tesna's testing facility in Anseong on Wednesday to monitor its operation on-site.

Tesna posted 76.8 percent growth in operating profit to 54 billion won last year and a 56.6 percent increase in sales to 207.6 billion won.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]