Canon plans to raise inkjet printer output by 40% next year

Beijing time September 22 Morning news, according to foreign media reports, Canon Tuesday said it plans to increase inkjet printer output by about 40% in 2011 to meet strong global demand. At present, Canon's Thailand and Vietnam factories are responsible for the production of inkjet printers.　　Richard Berg, a Canon spokesman, said it would raise the production capacity of Thai factories to the level of Vietnamese factories. Canon's existing plant will increase its annual output to 8 million units, and will create a new factory with an annual output of 5.5 million units.　　The new plant will require 14.6 billion yen (about 170 million US dollars) of investment and can provide 5,000 jobs.　　According to IDC, the demand for inkjet printers grew 14% from April to June, the biggest increase since the end of 2003, and the inkjet printer occupied two-thirds of the printer market. During the same period, Canon became the world's second-largest printer manufacturer, with shipments of 5.6 million units, which accounted for 19.3% of the $13.3 billion worth of global markets.　　HP is still top of the list, with a market share of twice times that of Canon, and a third in Epson, with a market share of 14%. Canon said the increase in printer capacity in Thai factories is not only a response to demand growth, but also a sign that the company is optimistic about future demand. Canon said in a statement: "The expected future demand will continue to increase, which forced canon to improve inkjet printer capacity." "The new plant is scheduled to start construction in January 2011 and put into production in October. (Yan Fei)