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In May 2001, DuPont Photomasks announced that it planned to close its Hamilton, Scotland manufacturing plant by May 31. The company cited delayed or cancelled customer plans for new semiconductor fabs and said the UK photomask market was too small to support a dedicated facility. The announcement described a planned closure, not a verified account of what happened afterward.
What DuPont announced
EDN reported the announcement on May 11, 2001. DuPont Photomasks said the Hamilton facility would close by May 31, and about 36 employees were reported as affected. The company said it would move the plant’s equipment to ten other existing manufacturing facilities. EDN’s May 11, 2001 report records the plan; it does not establish whether the closure took place exactly on that date or what later happened to the site or the affected workers.
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Why the company said it was closing the plant
DuPont framed the decision as a mismatch between local demand and its European manufacturing footprint. Peter Kirlin, then chairman and CEO of DuPont Photomasks, said customer plans for new fabs had been pushed out, delayed or cancelled after the Hamilton facility opened in 1997. That is the company’s explanation, not an independently measured account of UK fab numbers or a longitudinal statistic showing how many fabs closed.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteKirlin also said the total available UK photomask market was less than 10 percent of the total European market. The figure was DuPont’s estimate as reported in 2001, not a current market-share measure. The company said it could serve European customers more cost-effectively from three larger facilities in France and Germany, and expected the change to improve productivity and profitability. The report presents these as DuPont’s rationale; it does not independently validate the market comparison or the projected savings.
What the company said about customers
DuPont said relocating the equipment would not affect customer deliveries. This was the company’s assurance at the time of the announcement. EDN did not verify delivery performance after the planned transfer or report a later outcome.
How to read the “drop in U.K. fabs” framing
The headline’s reference to a drop in UK fabs should be understood as shorthand for the company’s reported concern about fab plans: Kirlin said customers had pushed out, delayed or cancelled plans for new semiconductor fabs. The contemporaneous report does not provide an independent count of UK fabs, quantify a decline in chip production, or establish that a measured fall in fab numbers alone caused the closure.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.UK photomask activity today
A UK government semiconductor-sector study updated September 2, 2026 identifies MacDermid Alpha, formerly Compugraphics, as a UK-based supplier of dedicated photomasks to the European semiconductor industry. The study also describes semiconductor activity across multiple UK regions. This is present-day sector context, not evidence that MacDermid Alpha took over the Hamilton facility or its work, or that the 2001 decision explains current UK industry conditions. UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Semiconductor sector study 2026
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