Epson has completed construction work at its new $310m factory at Hirooka, which will be used to produce the PrecisionCore chips used in its printheads.
The company says the new factory will triple current PrecisionCore print chip production capacity.
Epson is also expanding its R&D department, with a planned building at Hirooka that will house a factory for prototyping and volume-producing large commercial and industrial printing systems and a test laboratory for digital textile printing.
Epson is targeting the commercial, industrial printing markets and office markets, with the Precision Core technology at the heart of its print solutions.
A spokesperson from the company says, “In the commercial and industrial sectors, an accelerating shift from analogue to digital solutions is expected to generate significant market growth for printers used for printing signage, textiles and product labels. Epson will continue to strengthen its line-up of commercial and industrial large-format printers, and will boost both its R&D and manufacturing capability.
“The new factory will enable Epson to expand its presence in these markets in addition to bolstering its ability to handle an expected medium-range increase in demand for printheads. By leveraging its production capacity, Epson also plans to rollout sales of its PrecisionCore printheads for large-format printers worldwide, and work with its partners to accelerate the shift to digital in commercial and industrial printing.
“The new factory will be the second production site for PrecisionCore print chips, which are currently manufactured at the Suwa Minami Plant in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The structure, facilities, and equipment of the new factory boast excellent disaster resistance, thus reinforcing Epson’s business continuity capabilities.
“The new factory is also designed to achieve 20 per cent higher space productivity than existing factories. It is equipped with a research and development function and will play a key role in improving printhead quality and productivity primarily through the development of production technology.
“Epson is committed to inkjet innovation. By advancing its original technologies and providing products and services based on its unique core devices, the company seeks to lessen environmental impact through its efforts to expand the world of digital printing.”
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