Epson to triple production capacity for inkjet printhead production

A kita Epson Corporation, a group company of Seiko Epson Corporation, is investing in a new factory to increase production capacity of printheads for inkjet printers. Construction to begin this month (November 2015), the new factory—which is set to begin operations in the autumn of 2016—will triple Akita Epson’s current printhead production capacity. The company’s printing solutions business provides products and services based on original Micro Piezo inkjet technology to customers in the consumer, office, commercial and industrial markets. The new factory at Akita Epson will manufacture and assemble inkjet printheads, the core devices used in Epson’s high-capacity ink tank printers and business inkjet printers.

Epson’s high-capacity ink tank printers are new concept products that meet customer needs for low printing costs while providing genuine Epson print quality. Sales of these printers were strong in the 2014 fiscal year (ended March 31, 2015), with annual unit shipment growth topping 40 percent and future growth in demand expected. The office market is also seeing annual growth in demand for high-speed business inkjet printers that produce outstanding image quality at a lower cost per print and lower energy consumption than laser printers.