Epson announced that its subsidiary Epson Precision Philippines Inc has completed the build of the new facility.
The new site, which was announced in 2015 and reported on by The Recycler, will be aimed at increasing inkjet printer production. Since January 2015 when the building started the OEM has invested US $143 million (€125 million) in the “state of the art” plant and everything has been built to be environmentally friendly. This includes a rooftop solar power generation system that has a maximum capacity of 3,000 KW.
In terms of inkjet printers specifically, Epson has predicted the need to “significantly boost production capacity” for the high-capacity ink tank printers it produces, which are “currently experiencing rapid growth”, as well as for office inkjets, which are said to be making “steady inroads into the market”. The OEM also referred to the growth in demand for projectors in business and education, and that it believes its growth in this market will “surpass” its competitors.
The company has forecast the necessity to increase its inkjet printer production in China, Indonesia and Philippines specifically to boost its high-capacity ink tank printers which are increasing in popularity and have shown growth in emerging markets and also the high-speed line head inkjet MFPs which are gaining growth worldwide.
The company plans to increase the workforce in the Philippines to 20,000 to address the increase in production.