Nikon investing B519m to make digital cameras here

Nikon plans to invest 519 million baht to make digital cameras in Thailand to cater to strong demand. Sudjit Inthaiwong, deputy secretary-general of the Board of Investment, said officials had approved Nikon (Thailand) Co's expansion project at its plant in the Rojana Industrial Park in Ayutthaya.

In addition to digital cameras, Nikon will produce lenses, optics and semi-finished parts for cameras and lenses.

The planned expansion is part of Nikon's policy to relocate its high-cost production base from Japan to Thailand. The move will help cut its production costs and prepare for the upward trend of the digital camera market in Thailand, where demand is rising by more than 30% per year.

The project is expected to create more than 5,000 job opportunities in Thailand, said Ms Sudjit.

Nikon first invested in Thailand in 1990 to produce cameras and other photographic equipment. As technology for digital cameras is changing rapidly, Nikon found it essential to relocate its production to Thailand to produce new models to meet strong demand.

The Japanese company has six production bases worldwide: three in Japan, two in China and one in Thailand.

In another development, the Industry Ministry has announced plans to revise a regulation to allow the expansion of existing tanneries and bleaching factories to be located outside industrial estates to cope with new investments.

Existing rules forced both types of factories to be located in industrial estates to strictly control pollution levels.

But Piyabutr Cholvijarn, the deputy industry minister, said he had received complaints from operators of tanneries and bleaching factories about expensive land prices and leases.

He said operators would also have to bear high expenses logistics if bleaching factories were built far from garment factories and tanneries.

Tanning and bleaching industries have enjoyed higher production over the past few years due to healthy exports.

Mr Piyabutr said the revised regulation will allow existing plants to expand capacity. New ones can now set up facilities either inside or outside industrial estates, but they must conduct an environmental impact assessment study for those outside.

A major land developer plans to develop an industrial estate in Kanchanaburi to house the integrated textile mills and tanneries in a bid to develop a cluster for pollution-prone industries, he added.