Japanese camera developer Nikon has confirmed that they will no longer continue to produce their cameras in their main country of origin and where their headquarters are placed and will shift their focus to their satellite factory in Thailand in order to reduce the costs of the company.
This would mark as an end to the company's production in Japan which could be dated for the past 70 years. Their factory in Sendai of the Miyagi Prefecture of Northern Japan will now stop their operations, and the company would divert their main production process in Thailand.
The factory in Thailand has already began the production of the two upcoming Nikon models, the Nikon Z6 and Nikon Z7 mirrorless camera models way back in October. But now with the decision of the company, the production and manufacturing of the Nikon D6 DSLR camera which was supposedly a 'Made in Japan' Nikon camera would then be transferred to Thailand by the end of next year.
Nikon's Brief Factory History
The Sendai factory of Nikon was established in 1971, with it becoming the company's "mother factory" and their main headquarters. They started to produce their cameras in 1979, with their Nikon EM camera as their very first entry level film camera.
The factory of Nikon in Thailand on the other hand was established and saw operations in 1990. Since it was launched, the Thailand factory became the company's main factory dedicated for producing their cameras and other products such as camera lenses and batteries over the past 30 years.
Hirotaka Ikegami, the general manager of the Imaging Business Division of Nikon, mentioned in a statement following the decision, that the Sendai production plant called Sendai Nikon will pursue the transfer of the production of their cameras which has already continued for about almost 40 years to the plant in Thailand. Yet the move would still maintain just like how the Sendai Nikon was known for - producing high-precision and high-performance parts and elements which are vital and needed for their video cameras and products, and they are expecting that the Thai factory would carry on all of these aspects.
Sendai Nikon's New Role
Also, according to Ikegami, the move would also be significant as it could potentially play an active role to their Sendai Nikon as a star-up factory which could incorporate new businesses and partners that could give support to the future of Nikon. It would then depend on the production technology and mobility inclined with the camera production and new product launches for the company itself.
Yet even the factory of Nikon in Sendai was really known for manufacturing and producing their most advanced cameras and utilizing the most up to date technology and trends in the world of film and digital media, the company ensures and guarantees that their future releases would also be the same as the way they have created and released their Japan-made products. Sendai Nikon would still be continuing operations for producing some of their video product parts.
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