Seiko Epson announces the opening of its new printhead factory at the company’s Hirooka office in Shiojiri, Japan. 

The new $31.1 million factory is part of the company’s mid- to long range strategic plans for its printing solutions (inkjet printer) business. The plant will produce PrecisionCore printheads, the core devices in Epson’s inkjet printers. Epson will conduct R&D and drive advances in production engineering and other areas at the facility, which, in the future, will roughly triple Epson’s current printhead production capacity.

As both an R&D and production center for core devices used in the printing solutions business, and the location of Epson’s inkjet printer planning and design functions, the Hirooka office works closely with Epson’s production sites worldwide. It shares the advanced production technology and expertise it gains through the development and production of core devices with Epson’s overseas production sites to help maximize manufacturing capabilities across the Epson Group.

The company says its investment in the new factory is also part of Epson’s plans to further reinforce its R&D and production platform through the 2020 fiscal year.

The new factory will handle the front-end manufacturing process for PrecisionCore printheads, the core devices in Epson’s business inkjet printers, high-capacity ink tank printers, and commercial and industrial printers.

The new facility is a five-floor, earthquake-resistant steel-framed building that is slightly more than 34,000 square feet.