# Canon Adding New Camera Plant as Production Returns to Japan



## Canon Rumors Guy (Aug 31, 2017)

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<em>Automation makes manufacturing at home more competitive</em></p>
<p><strong>TOKYO</strong> — Canon plans to have a new camera plant in Japan up and running by 2019 as it moves more production back home, relying on factory automation to lower the cost of domestic operations.</p>
<p>The Japanese electronics maker will acquire 300,000 sq. meters of land for a digital camera factory in southern Japan’s Miyazaki Prefecture as early as September. The plant will be Canon’s first new camera factory in this country since 2010, and will feature labor-saving assembly lines of the sort Canon is installing across its Japanese facilities to make domestic production cost-competitive. Total costs are projected to be around 20 billion yen ($181 million).</p>

<p>The facility will take over production of single-lens reflex cameras formerly manufactured at another Miyazaki plant. Canon will eventually consider bringing production of some compact digital cameras now made overseas back to Japan as well. The company produced 56% of its cameras and other offerings in this country in the year 2016, and plans to raise that figure to 60%. <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Canon-adding-new-camera-plant-as-production-returns-to-Japan">Read the full story</a></p>
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## Woody (Aug 31, 2017)

Canon Rumors said:


> Canon plans to have a new camera plant in Japan up and running by 2019 as it moves more production back home, relying on factory automation to lower the cost of domestic operations.



Sounds like Canon is getting ready to launch a full attack in the MILC arena.


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## bholliman (Aug 31, 2017)

Interesting. The camera market is contracting overall as smartphones continue to erode the lower end. I'm surprised that automated production in Japan is lower cost than manufacturing in Thailand or other low-labor cost countries. Certainly a state of the art, automated, factory will produce excellent quality with very low variation.


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## 9VIII (Aug 31, 2017)

This company is awesome!

"The market is shrinking, competition is stiffer than ever, no-one online seems to like our products... We're building another factory."


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## Jopa (Aug 31, 2017)

9VIII said:


> This company is awesome!
> 
> "The market is shrinking, competition is stiffer than ever, no-one online seems to like our products... We're building another factory."



Yeah... Pretty much everybody on this forum hates Canon products 



Woody said:


> Canon Rumors said:
> 
> 
> > Canon plans to have a new camera plant in Japan up and running by 2019 as it moves more production back home, relying on factory automation to lower the cost of domestic operations.
> ...



Exactly my thoughts.


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## PhotographerJim (Sep 1, 2017)

Does anyone actually set their lens down like that  (Shutter).....


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 1, 2017)

Canon announced a few years back that all their products were being designed for robotic assembly. I suspect that they want to keep a stable workforce and are adding production to offset workers displaced by robots. That new factory is going to have far fewer workers.

Canon's big advantage in the market is their ability to manufacture cameras and lenses for less than the competition. They know that most buyers will select the lowest cost product that will do the job.


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## Maximilian (Sep 1, 2017)

Canon Rumors said:


> ... as it moves more production back home, relying on factory automation to lower the cost of domestic operations ...


Funny how all around the world companies seem to recognize that if you want to built quality products you'll need at least some good quality workers and a fast and good access to quality control. 
So a lot of the outsourcing and relocating of production sites is changed back - at least to a certain amount.


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## mistaspeedy (Sep 1, 2017)

Good to hear that they are making a new factory in Japan. Hopefully this means even higher quality products.


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## Talys (Sep 2, 2017)

Maximilian said:


> Canon Rumors said:
> 
> 
> > ... as it moves more production back home, relying on factory automation to lower the cost of domestic operations ...
> ...



It's still cheaper and more profitable to have a virtual prison with slave labor make your product, in a country with virtually no employee rights and labor code. As Apple has demonstrated with the iPhone (I'm not singling Apple out; only using them as an example of many) it isn't unsound business practice. 

However, there are other reasons to move to domestic production, and Made in Japan still carries value, just like Made in Germany. 

Personally, I would pay about a 20% premium on 'regular' items to have them made in a country that promotes working conditions like mine (Canada) and for premium products like precision tools, I'd probably spend double. Call it prejudice if you like; I'm well aware that China can produce quality products, but they can also produce inconsistent products and junk, and I really dislike thinking that I got my microwave or camera lens cheap on the back of someone killing themselves to produce it. It's not like I'm super rich or anything; I'd rather just make do with less stuff.


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## [email protected] (Sep 2, 2017)

One would expect that as the camera and lens market is gutted on the low end, that successful companies would be the ones who own the high end. Canon is certainly one. With that rebalancing of their portfolio, you'd expect them to need more manufacturing capacity where they make there high end products. Dog bites man.


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