Highland Materials

What Highland Materials does

Highland Materials is a Johnson City, Tennessee-based manufacturer of purified polysilicon, aluminum-silicon master alloys, polyaluminum chloride, and silicon anode material serving semiconductor, solar/PV, battery, automotive, aerospace, building materials, and water treatment customers. Its competitive position is anchored by a patent-protected metallurgical silicon purification process and what the company describes as the only proven method for upcycling kerf loss — the silicon sawdust waste from wafer manufacturing — back into usable polysilicon feedstock, closing a circular loop in the wafer supply chain. Reported performance claims include 70% lower production cost, 75% less energy use, 75% less greenhouse gas emissions versus Siemens-process virgin polysilicon, 40% lower CAPEX/OPEX than competitors, a facility footprint roughly one-sixth the size of comparable Siemens plants, and conversion efficiencies on par with electronic-grade silicon in PV modules certified by UL, IEC, and TÜV Rheinland.

The business model is B2B direct enterprise sales of industrial materials under quote-based pricing tied to volume and specifications, with no public pricing. The company is currently scaling from a pilot operation that produced approximately 600 MT of polysilicon toward a 1.2M sq ft, $950M manufacturing facility at the Phipps Bend Industrial Park in Hawkins County, TN, designed for 16,000 MT/year of initial polysilicon capacity with stated ramp to 20,000–24,000 MT/year. Capital stack support includes $255.6M in US DOE 48C tax credits (April 2024), more than $140M in combined TVA and Tennessee state/local incentives, and a lease arrangement with Pivotal Manufacturing Partners on land acquired at Phipps Bend in August 2025. Highland is led by CEO/President Richard Rast and Chairman Terry Jester, with Alain Turenne as CTO, Matthias Heuer as SVP of R&D, and a workforce projected to grow to 400+ at the Tennessee facility.

Name

Highland Materials

Legal name

Highland Materials

Website

https://highlandmaterials.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Highland Materials is a Johnson City, TN-based manufacturer of purified polysilicon, Al-Si master alloys, polyaluminum chloride, and silicon anode materials serving semiconductor, solar, battery, automotive, aerospace, and water treatment customers via a patented kerf-loss upcycling process.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Polysilicon Manufacturing

NAICS

Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Smelting and Refining (33141)

SIC

Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341), Primary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3330)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Melting & Secondary Smelting/Refining (Recycled Feedstock Producers) (EUAIAJAJ)

Keywords

• Polysilicon manufacturing
• Silicon purification technology
• Aluminum silicon alloys
• Semiconductor raw materials
• Water treatment chemicals

Headquarters

HQ city

Johnson City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Polysilicon Product Sales: Sale of solar grade polysilicon, electronic-grade silicon, and silicon anode materials to semiconductor, solar, and battery manufacturers. Revenue from direct product sales with pricing based on volume and material specifications.
2. Aluminum Silicon Master Alloys: Sale of Al-Si master alloys to automotive, aerospace, and building materials industries for increased strength and weight reduction applications.
3. Polyaluminum Chloride: Sale of polyaluminum chloride for water treatment applications in municipal and industrial water clarification and purification.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Highland Materials manufactures ultrapure polysilicon and aluminum-based industrial materials using a patent-protected silicon purification process that upcycles kerf waste from wafer manufacturing. Its product portfolio includes solar-grade polysilicon for PV and semiconductor wafer producers, silicon anode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries, aluminum-silicon master alloys for automotive and aerospace lightweighting, and polyaluminum chloride coagulant for water treatment.

Product overview

Highland Materials is a polysilicon manufacturing company producing a portfolio of silicon and aluminum products. The core offerings include Solar Silicon Material (ultrapure polysilicon for semiconductors and solar panels), Al-Si Master Alloys (aluminum silicon alloys for automotive, aerospace, and construction), Polyaluminum Chloride (water treatment coagulant), and Anode Material (silicon for next-generation lithium-ion batteries). The company differentiates through its proprietary silicon purification technology that upcycles kerf waste from wafer manufacturing, delivering 70% lower costs, 75% less energy consumption, and 75% less greenhouse gas emissions compared to standard virgin polysilicon production methods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solar Silicon Material Ultrapure polysilicon produced via patent-protected kerf-loss upcycling process, designed as a drop-in or blend feedstock for PV module manufacturers and semiconductor wafer producers, achieving conversion efficiencies on par with electronic-grade silicon.
• Silicon Anode Material
• Al-Si Master Alloys
• Polyaluminum Chloride (PAC)

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 million+ PV cells powered worldwide with Highland Materials solar silicon
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Pivotal Manufacturing PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Pivotal Manufacturing acquired 140 acres of land at Phipps Bend and leased the property to Highland Materials for the polysilicon manufacturing facility. Pivotal is developing the Phipps Bend Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Campus.
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025TVA is providing more than $140M in combined local/state/TVA incentives. The Phipps Bend site has direct on-site access to a regional transmission interconnect owned by the federally owned electric utility corporation. TVA infrastructure investment of $2.6B was previously made at the site.
• Solar Energy Manufacturers for America (SEMA) CoalitionsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024SEMA Coalition has emphasized the importance of securing domestic production in upstream supply chain steps. Called the Highland polysilicon plant 'a new era in US solar production' and a 'real milestone.'
• U.S. Department of Energy (Verification)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner3rd party verification of Highland Materials' technology and claims. Highland Materials' process verified as providing 90% reduction in carbon emissions compared to other major manufacturers.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hemlock Semiconductor: Hemlock is the largest US-based producer of polysilicon for the semiconductor and solar industries. It is the closest US-headquartered peer in terms of product, customer base, and end-market exposure, and is also expanding Tennessee capacity — making it a directly comparable domestic competitor.
• REC Silicon: REC Silicon produces electronic-grade and solar-grade polysilicon, including fluidized bed reactor (FBR) technology for the semiconductor and PV markets. It is a direct peer in polysilicon production with overlapping US and European footprint and similar end customers.
• Wacker Chemie: Wacker is a leading global producer of polysilicon via the Siemens process, supplying semiconductor and solar customers worldwide. It is a direct peer in ultrapure polysilicon manufacturing and Highland's stated benchmark for cost and emissions comparisons.
• OCI Company: OCI produces polysilicon for solar and semiconductor markets with US (Iowa) operations. It is a direct competitor in the US domestic polysilicon market and a relevant comparable for capacity, customer mix, and trade-policy exposure.
• Tokuyama Corporation: Tokuyama is a Japanese chemical company that produces polycrystalline silicon for the semiconductor industry, plus industrial chemicals like polyaluminum chloride. Overlaps directly with Highland on ultrapure polysilicon and PAC products.

Broad incumbents

• Tongwei: Tongwei is the world's largest polysilicon producer and dominant Chinese incumbent. As a broader incumbent with global scale and aggressive cost leadership, it represents the dominant competitive threat and a pricing benchmark for solar-grade silicon.

Emerging players

• GCL Technology Holdings: GCL is a major Chinese polysilicon and silicon wafer producer, one of the top global suppliers. It is a relevant emerging player in the silicon supply chain that Highland must compete against for both feedstock and end-customer relationships.
• Daqo New Energy: Daqo is a Chinese high-purity polysilicon producer focused on monocrystalline-grade solar silicon. As an emerging large-scale low-cost producer, it is a relevant comparable on cost structure and pricing dynamics for solar-grade polysilicon.
• USALCO: USALCO is a leading US producer of polyaluminum chloride and other aluminum-based water-treatment chemicals. It is a direct peer in Highland's PAC product line, with overlapping municipal and industrial water-treatment customers.
• Sila Nanotechnologies: Sila is a leading developer of silicon anode materials for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. It is a relevant comparable in the silicon anode end market where Highland is currently sampling and testing material with battery manufacturers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Highland Materials