Dive Brief:
- Electronics manufacturer Nikon is investing $25 million to establish a new subsidiary in the U.S. dubbed Nikon Advanced Manufacturing, the Tokyo, Japan-based company said last month.
- The new company will be based in California and serve as the global headquarters for Nikon's newly created Advanced Manufacturing Business Unit, overseeing the scaling and managing of the additive manufacturing business.
- Nikon’s new yet-to-be-named location in California is expected to start operations in July. The company said the facility, its first global headquarters located outside Japan, will improve proximity to customers and partners in the aerospace, space and defense industries.
Dive Insight:
The company has been taking steps to broaden its digital manufacturing footprint since 2019, first by establishing a division focused on launching new growth businesses such as advanced manufacturing.
"In recent years, Nikon has executed pivotal investments and bold acquisitions focused on building a comprehensive portfolio of technology, industry knowledge and vision," CEO Hamid Zarringhalam said in a statement.
Nikon's acquisition of metal additive manufacturer SLM Solutions Group AG and additive manufacturer Morf3D consolidated to form Nikon Advanced Manufacturing. However, SLM and Morf3D will each continue to fulfill their customer programs and requirements separately.
"Nikon DED additive, subtractive and CT scanning solutions are perfectly complemented by the industry-leading L-PBF systems from SLM Solutions as well as Morf3D's strong innovation pipeline and specialized aerospace qualifications," Co-CEO Yuichi Shibazaki said in a statement. "Nikon Advanced Manufacturing will enable us to work together with our partners and customers to unlock the incredible potential of advanced manufacturing and contribute to a more sustainable society."
The new subsidiary aligns with Nikon’s Vision 2030, part of its Medium-Term Management Plan. Nikon seeks to advance and innovate technology by having humans and machines simultaneously co-creating, prominently on digital manufacturing using optics technologies by 2030.
