CERMA

What CERMA does

CERMA Precision, Inc. (株式会社サーマプレシジョン) is a privately held Japanese manufacturer of precision manufacturing and inspection equipment for the electronics and semiconductor industries, headquartered in Koto-ku, Tokyo. The company was formed in December 2013 through the merger of Thermatronics Trading Co., Ltd. (an electronic components and semiconductor equipment trading firm) and Mejiro Precision (an exposure equipment manufacturer), and traces its predecessor establishment to March 16, 1976. With 43 employees and ¥100 million in registered capital, CERMA develops and sells projection exposure systems (CMS full-panel and MRS 8-inch batch), UV-LED optical systems (ULA series) that replace mercury lamps, slit coaters, vertical wet processing equipment, PVD systems for copper direct deposition, and metrology instruments including CVS plating analyzers (QUALILAB ELITE distributed from ECI/KLA), SERA oxide film measurement, and shadow Moiré warpage measurement (TherMoiré AXP 2.0). The company also supplies related optical components, consumables, and an eco-friendly centrifugal silicon-sludge recycling system.

The business model is built on direct enterprise field sales of custom-configured, quote-based capital equipment in Japan, supported by two physical demonstration facilities (a headquarters clean room and the Tokyo Tech lab) where prospective customers can evaluate equipment with actual sample testing. Overseas distribution runs through exclusive channel partners Business Service Co., Ltd. in Korea and AMPOC Far East Co., Ltd. in Taiwan. Revenue is generated through three streams: capital equipment sales, consumables and spare parts (surface treatment agents, cleaning agents, separator sheets), and demonstration/technical services. Named customers include Sony, Toshiba, Kyocera, Renesas, ROHM, Mitsubishi Electric, Ibiden, Shinko Electric Industries, JCU, Sumita Optical Glass, Micron Japan, Lens Technology, and TPK Holding — spanning PCB, semiconductor backend, memory, optical glass, and touch panel manufacturing segments. The company's competitive positioning rests on proprietary optical design capability derived from ex-Nikon engineering talent, a custom-tailored approach to optical systems that larger generalist equipment makers do not accommodate, and a broad single-source equipment portfolio covering exposure, coating, wet processing, and metrology workflows.

Name

CERMA

Legal name

株式会社サーマプレシジョン

Website

https://cerma.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CERMA Precision is a Japanese (Koto-ku, Tokyo) manufacturer of precision optical and process equipment — projection exposure systems, UV-LED optical systems, PVD tools, and metrology instruments — serving electronics and semiconductor manufacturers including Sony, Toshiba, Renesas, ROHM, and Kyocera through direct sales and Asian channel partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment

NAICS

Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing (333242), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515), Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (3344)

SIC

Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Electronic Components & Accessories (3670), Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620)

akta.pro primary industry

Lithography Equipment (DUV/EUV) (HDAHAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Semiconductor Process Chemicals (Wet & Dry) (IMAEAKAA), Electroplating & Metallization Chemicals (Cu/Ni/Au plating, additives) (IMAEAKAK), Electrical & Electronics Film/Sheet Extrusion (Insulating Films, Display/Optical Films) (IMANACAE)

Keywords

• Semiconductor manufacturing equipment
• Photolithography exposure systems
• Wet processing equipment
• Electronic component testing
• Precision coating equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Koto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Precision Manufacturing Equipment Sales: Sale of capital equipment including projection exposure systems, UV-LED optical systems, PVD systems, wet processing equipment, coating systems, and metrology instruments to electronics and semiconductor manufacturers.
2. Consumables and Spare Parts: Sale of consumables including metal surface treatment agents (SSP-1000, SSP-2000), developer cleaning agents (Krinchem series), defoamers, clear sheets, and photomask storage systems.
3. Demonstration and Technical Services: The company operates demonstration facilities (clean rooms) at its headquarters and Tokyo Tech where customers can evaluate equipment, potentially including fee-based demonstration and technical consultation services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CERMA designs, manufactures, and sells experimental and evaluation equipment for the electronics and semiconductor manufacturing industry. Its portfolio includes projection exposure (photolithography) systems, UV-LED optical exposure units, wet processing equipment, precision coating equipment, and metrology/analysis instruments used by device makers and research institutions for prototyping and process development.

Product overview

CERMA PRECISION is a Japanese industrial manufacturing equipment company formed in 2013 from the merger of Therma-Tronix Trading (electronic components/semiconductor manufacturing equipment) and Mojiro Precision (exposure system manufacturer). The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of manufacturing and inspection equipment for the electronics and semiconductor industries. Core products include projection exposure systems (CMS for full-panel lithography and MRS for 8-inch batch processing), UV-LED optical systems (ULA series), and wet processing equipment. Production equipment encompasses slit coaters, photomask storage systems, PVD systems, and layup/welding machines. Analysis equipment includes CVS plating bath analyzers (QUALILAB ELITE), oxide film measurement (SERA), X-ray inspection systems, copper thickness gauges, and shadow moiré warpage measurement systems (TherMoiré AXP series). Optical components include UV exposure irradiation units (MUL series), mercury lamp housings, and metal halide light sources. The company also offers related consumables and eco-friendly recycling equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Projection Exposure Systems Photolithography exposure systems that transfer circuit patterns onto substrates for semiconductor, MEMS, and electronic component manufacturers and research institutions performing device development and process evaluation.
• UV-LED Optical Exposure Systems UV-LED based optical exposure units offering a mercury-lamp-free, lower-energy-consumption alternative for UV curing and exposure steps in electronics and semiconductor manufacturing R&D.
• Wet Processing Equipment Wet stations and process equipment for cleaning, developing, etching, and rinsing of wafers and electronic substrates during prototyping and small-volume device manufacturing.
• Precision Coating Equipment Spin coaters and related coating systems used to apply photoresists and functional thin films uniformly onto substrates in semiconductor, MEMS, and electronic component process development.
• Metrology and Analysis Instruments Measurement and inspection instruments for evaluating film thickness, pattern critical dimensions, surface properties, and other process outputs used in quality assurance and process development by electronics manufacturers.

Quantifiable outcome

• UV-LED vs mercury lamp cost: ¥33,780/year vs ¥2,731,100/year (2kW) or ¥4,711,900/year (4.3kW)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature13 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BUSINESS SERVICE CO.,LTD. (Korea)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive authorized agent for Korea market. Handles all customer inquiries and sales support for CERMA products in South Korea. Contact: 82-2-533-9505.
• AMPOC FAR EAST CO., LTD. (Taiwan)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive authorized agent for Taiwan market. Handles customer inquiries and sales support for CERMA products in Taiwan. Contact: 886-2-27262220.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Canon Inc. Canon is the other principal Japanese lithography OEM, with FPA i-line steppers competing head-to-head with CERMA's projection exposure tools in semiconductor packaging and MEMS manufacturing.
• Nikon Corporation: Nikon is the dominant Japanese lithography equipment maker and the historical employer of CERMA's founding optical engineers; its i-line/FPA steppers directly compete with CERMA's CMS and MRS projection exposure systems in semiconductor back-end and PCB applications.
• SCREEN Holdings: SCREEN Holdings is a Japanese semiconductor and electronics equipment manufacturer whose cleaning, coating, and surface-preparation systems overlap directly with CERMA's wet processing and slit coater product lines serving the same Japanese customer base.
• SUSS MicroTec: SUSS MicroTec is a German-headquartered specialist in mask aligners, projection lithography, and wafer bonding — directly comparable to CERMA's exposure equipment serving advanced packaging, MEMS, and 3D integration customers.

Broad incumbents

• ULVAC, Inc. ULVAC is a Japanese vacuum and thin-film equipment maker whose sputtering and PVD systems overlap with CERMA's newly launched copper-direct PVD system and whose product breadth competes across the same electronics manufacturing value chain.
• ASML Holding: ASML is the global lithography incumbent; while focused on DUV/EUV rather than i-line/UV-LED, it sets the competitive baseline for projection exposure pricing and technology trajectory that shapes CERMA's addressable market.
• Tokyo Electron (TEL): Tokyo Electron is a global broad-line semiconductor equipment OEM whose coating, developing, and cleaning systems overlap with CERMA's wet processing and slit coater portfolio, but TEL operates across front-end and back-end fabs worldwide, dwarfing CERMA's niche.
• KLA Corporation: KLA acquired ECI Technology, whose QUALILAB ELITE CVS analyzer CERMA distributes in Japan; KLA's broader process-control portfolio overlaps with CERMA's SERA, CVS, and X-ray multilayer inspection lines in the same electronics manufacturing customers.

Emerging players

• Akrometrix, Inc. Akrometrix is a US-based warpage measurement specialist whose shadow Moiré systems are distributed alongside CERMA's TherMoiré AXP products at the Tokyo Tech demo lab; they share end-customers in PCB and packaging thermal metrology.
• JCU Corporation: JCU is a Japanese supplier of plating and surface-treatment chemicals for electronics; listed as a CERMA customer, it represents the plating-chemistry side of the same wet-process workflow where CERMA provides CVS analysis and wet processing equipment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 CERMA