 |
| Photo by Jakob Owens |
Canon has revealed that it is building a new semi-automated camera plant in Japan, and that it expects to open the plant in 2019. The factory will be located in the Miyazaki Prefecture on a 300,000 square meter land parcel, marking this the first time Canon has built a new camera production facility in Japan since 2010. The plant will focus on producing single-lens reflex cameras, according to Nikkei.
This business move is part of a growing effort on Canon’s part to bring more of its production business back to its home nation, a move spurred in part by increased wages abroad. Though Canon had originally moved much of its production outside of Japan, the cost of domestic manufacturing has lowered thanks to factory automation technologies.
Per Nikkei’s report, Canon successfully brought 56% of its production back to Japan from overseas destinations last year, and it is working toward a goal of bringing that number up to 60%. In addition, Canon’s Oita Prefecture factory is said to be more than 70% automated, greatly reducing the number of laborers the company requires.
What will this mean for consumers? Hopefully lower prices, or at the very least a more economically efficient and cash-positive Canon.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)