Tohoku Epson Corporation, a Group company of Seiko Epson Corporation, will invest approximately ¥5.1 billion on the construction of a new factory for inkjet printheads. Consequently, the company held a ground breaking ceremony Wednesday for the new factory.

The construction of the new factory in the premises of Tohoku Epson will start on June 15 and will conclude in September 2025. Accordingly, the investment for the new facility will approximately quadruple Tohoku Epson’s current printhead capacity.

Suits Different Applications

Epson’s printing solutions business provides products and services based on original Micro Piezo inkjet technology to customers in the office, home, commercial and industrial markets. In addition, the company expects to see sustained global demand for inkjet printers based on current growth in high-speed units for the office. In addition, the company expects continued demand for high-capacity ink tank printers for the home and office in emerging markets and North America.

Furthermore, demand for commercial and industrial inkjet printers is increasing along with a technology shift from analog to digital in sectors where the printing media is not paper, such as digital textile printing. Moreover, many commercial and industrial inkjet printers use PrecisionCore MicroTFP printheads^* (PrecisionCore printheads). These printheads can flexibly adapt to different applications by assembling MicroTFP print chips in various combinations.

Epson expects further growth in the use of PrecisionCore printheads in commercial and industrial printers as well as in inkjet multifunction printers with high-speed lineheads.

Epson is strengthening its printhead sales business to accelerate inkjet innovation and expand the applications for digital printing, which has a far lower environmental impact than conventional printing. There exists an ever-expanding range of printing applications as well as emerging needs in areas such as electronics and bioprinting. Thus, Epson is looking to collaborate with partners with new ideas and technologies. Through such open innovation, the company is seeking to expand the possibilities of PrecisionCore technology.

To Meet Future Demand

Tohoku Epson began manufacturing printheads in 1995. Thereafter, it launched volume production of PrecisionCore printheads in June 2013 on a fully automated assembly line that makes extensive use of Epson robots. It has been accumulating expertise in printhead production and building a solid base of production technology, increasing its competitive advantage as a domestic production site.

Seiko Epson’s Hirooka Office in Japan’s Nagano Prefecture handles front-end processing of micro-TFP print chips. Plans call for production of these chips to increase over the next three years. Therefore, the new Tohoku Epson factory will accommodate this increase. Together with Akita Epson Building No. 10, Epson will be able to expand domestic back-end process production capacity. Akita Epson Building No. 10 concluded its construction in December 2023.

Furthermore, to ensure stable production, each of the two sites in the Tohoku region will be allocated responsibility for different models, but to ensure business continuity, both sites will be able to flexibly adapt to production fluctuations with production lines for the most popular models and with shared lines. This will enable the company to strengthen its product lineup in response to future demand for inkjet printers equipped with PrecisionCore printheads.

Sophisticated Manufacturing Processes

The new factory building will employ a newly engineered process that will save manpower and space. Specifically, there will have minimized in-process inventory, automated transfer robots, and efficient layout reducing the workload on personnel. “We will respond to the challenges faced by the manufacturing industry, and realize a factory of the future that is both more efficient and easier to work in.”

This is the first new building at Tohoku Epson since the construction of a semiconductor fabrication facility in 1997. To limit noise and ensure safety in the vicinity of the site, the company will shorten the construction period by pouring the concrete floor in winter instead of stopping work. As a corporate citizen rooted in the local community, Tohoku Epson aims to have this factory contribute to the development and harmony of the local community.

12 June 2024