Epson invests in new Akita Epson Factory in Japan, which is said to triple PrecisionCore print head production annually.
As the business inkjet printer market continues on an upward trajectory, Epson said it recognises the strength of its inkjet technology and has committed to investing in it. IDC recently reported that within the market, over 255,000 colour A3 MFP units are shipped annually in North America.
Epson will triple printhead production capacity and has reaffirmed its commitment to PrecisionCore Heat-Free inkjet technology and developing sustainable technologies. This charge is backed by a previously announced $712.5 million (€678.5 million) investment over ten years.
As part of this investment, Akita Epson Corporation, a group company of Seiko Epson Corporation, has committed approximately $25.1 million (€23.9 million) towards the construction of a new factory on the Akita Epson lot to increase production capacity of printheads for inkjet printers.
Construction work on the new factory began in November 2022 and is scheduled for completion in December 2023. This investment will approximately triple Akita Epson’s current printhead production capacity.
“From environmental to workflow efficiencies, inkjet provides several benefits over the legacy laser machines. From our experience, where inkjet goes, it wins, and Epson recognizes this incredible opportunity to disrupt the market,” said Mark Mathews, Vice President, North America Commercial Sales and Marketing, Epson America, Inc. “Epson is focused on changing the way we consume energy and is committed to providing innovative and efficient PrecisionCore Heat-Free print solutions. Looking ahead, we believe this increase in production will have a large impact within this market that will justify the investment.”
The new factory will be used to manufacture and assemble inkjet printheads, the core devices used in inkjet printers. The investment plan will ensure that Epson has enough production space to meet the predicted future growth in demand.
The company added that it will also enable it to strengthen its product line-up and expand printhead sales to third parties, with a view to increasing the supply of inkjet printers equipped with PrecisionCore MicroTFP printheads.
