Akita Epson Completes New Printhead Factory

- TOKYO, Japan, November 17, 2016 –

Akita Epson Corporation, a group company of Seiko Epson Corporation (TSE: 6724, "Epson"), has held a ceremony to celebrate the completion of a new factory. Epson invested approximately 3.4 billion yen on the construction of the plant, which will triple Akita Epson's current printhead production capacity. Construction began in October 2015 and the new plant went online earlier this month.

Epson provides printers and services based on original Micro Piezo inkjet technology to customers in the home, office, commercial, and industrial markets. The printheads produced at the new Akita Epson factory will be the core devices to be used in Epson's high-capacity ink tank printers and business inkjet printers.

Epson’s high-capacity ink tank printers meet the needs of customers for low-cost prints with genuine Epson print quality. Initially launched in October 2010, sales of these products had reached as many as 15 million units worldwide as of June 2016. 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.

"Akita Epson is an important domestic production site with advanced technological capability and a close working relationship with Epson's corporate R&D function," said Takashi Mitsui, president of Akita Epson. "We make a significant contribution to the manufacturing capability of the entire Epson Group, sharing with Epson's overseas manufacturing plants the technical expertise we have gained from manufacturing core devices. By using Epson's original production equipment and automating and rationalizing production lines, the new plant will further raise our production capability."

Epson is committed to advancing its original technologies and to delighting customers by exceeding their expectations with products and services based on original core devices.

Profile of the New Akita Epson factory

Akita Epson corporate profile (as of June 1, 2016)

Inkjet printer printheads

Micro Piezo printheads eject droplets of ink via mechanical pressure. This mechanical pressure is created when piezoelectric elements in the print heads contract in response to an applied voltage. Two main characteristics set Epson's technology apart from other inkjet printing systems. The first is that Micro Piezo printing systems do not use heat to eject the ink droplets. The second is that they precisely control the volume of ink contained in each ink droplet.

For more information about Epson's technologies, please visit the following web site: http://global.epson.com/innovation/

About Epson

Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to connecting people, things and information with its original efficient, compact and precision technologies. With a lineup that ranges from inkjet printers and digital printing systems to 3LCD projectors, smart glasses, sensing systems and industrial robots, the company is focused on driving innovations and exceeding customer expectations in inkjet, visual communications, wearables and robotics.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises more than 73,000 employees in 91 companies around the world, and is proud of its contributions to the communities in which it operates and its ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impacts.

http://global.epson.com/