Lotte Fine Chemical announced on July 30 that it recorded sales of 586.3 billion won and an operating profit of 61.9 billion won for the second quarter of 2026. Compared to the same period last year, sales increased by 38.1%, while operating profit surged by 611.5%.
The improvement in performance was influenced by a general market recovery due to rising international prices of major products and increased sales in specialty businesses, including food and pharmaceutical cellulose and semiconductor material TMAC.
Sales of food and pharmaceutical cellulose began to ramp up in the second quarter, following production from the newly expanded facility. This cellulose is used in plant-based pharmaceutical capsules and tablet coatings, and the market has been steadily growing due to rising interest in health and wellness.
Sales of TMAC, a semiconductor material, also increased in the second quarter, driven by rising demand in the semiconductor market. TMAC (tetramethylammonium chloride) is a key raw material for TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide), which is used in semiconductor and display circuit development processes.
On the same day, Lotte Fine Chemical announced it would invest 13 billion won to expand TMAC production in response to increasing semiconductor demand. The company plans to raise its already leading TMAC production capacity from 55,000 tons per year to 64,000 tons by the second quarter of 2028, an increase of 9,000 tons, or about 16%.
Lotte Fine Chemical is also expanding its clean ammonia business, including ship fuel supply, based on its infrastructure as Asia's largest ammonia terminal, aiming to become the leading clean ammonia hub in Asia.
CEO Jeong Seung-won stated, "In the second quarter, our performance improved due to the overall market recovery of major products and the expansion of sales in specialty businesses like food and pharmaceutical cellulose and semiconductor material TMAC. We decided to invest in TMAC expansion to proactively respond to increasing semiconductor demand, and we will continue to strengthen our competitiveness in the eco-friendly business through the expansion of our ammonia ship fuel business."
Meanwhile, Lotte Fine Chemical announced in April that it had commercialized ammonia ship fuel for the first time in the world.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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