Sony would plan the production of image sensors, a profitable activity for the company, as a result of the floods in Thailand to move to Japan. It is not known whether the move is final.
According to Amateur Photographer, based on a report of the Japanese industrial newsletter, Pen drive, Sony Bangkadi-beeldsensorfabriek in Thailand until January 2012 out of the running. Sony would, therefore, have decided to move the production to transfer to Japan. According to Pen, it would go to a halfgeleiderfabriek in Kumamoto on the southern island of Kyushu of Japan.
Sony was forced the European launch of the NEX-7, the new flagship model in the NEX-ilc-camera line-up, while also the production of the NEX-5N and the NEX-C3, among the problems to suffer would have. It is not known if the sensors for these cameras in the beeldsensorfabriek in Thailand were produced.
Incidentally, Sony was already planning to order the production of ccd and cmos image sensors in Japan to expand. According to Reuters, the company has committed to production within two to three years to increase by fifty percent. Currently, the total production of about 50,000 wafers, with a size of 300mm, with image sensors. Appearance is in march 2015 increased to 75,000 wafers.
The planned expansion of production capacity will mainly concentrate around the Nagasaki Technology Center, but also halfgeleiderfabrieken will cost reasons for this be used. Recently, the fourth production line in Nagasaki opened, while in October the third already was in use.
The sensorfabriek in Thailand, founded in 1988 as the first foreign production facility of Sony, can accommodate 3,300 people. The complex is 46.637m2 large. Sony has the move is not yet confirmed.
