Japan-based Roland DG Corporation, a leading global manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers, recently opened its first plant outside Japan in Thailand.
The firm aims to use the Samut Sakhon factory as its regional production centre to capitalise on economic growth in Asean countries.
Expansion outside Japan will enable Roland to lower costs and improve price competitiveness, particularly in emerging countries, said president Masahiro Tomioka.
The company is also a worldwide provider of 3D milling, engraving and direct part marking technologies.
The Japanese firm chose to build a factory in Samut Sakhon because of the skilled workforce and attractive incentives from the Board of Investment.
The location is also seen as an ideal hub for Southeast Asia that will allow the firm to manage its logistics more efficiently.
The plant will reduce risks to the supply chain as the province was unaffected by the massive floods in 2011.
Located on the Sinsakhon Printing City & Industrial Estate, the factory started operations last October and produced 400 units in three months, said Roland Digital Group (Thailand) president Akira Suzaki.
It has one production line turning out RE-640 and RA-640 wide-format printers for export to the US, Europe, Asia and Africa.
The company aims to launch another production line for its VS series by July, increasing output to 3,700 units this year and 5,000 in 2014.
Wide-format printer production in Thailand will account for about 40% of its global production.
Mr Tomioka said the company would expand product design in Thailand by 2015.
It aims to increase revenue from Asia to equal that from the US and Europe. Asia contributed only 10% of Roland's revenue of US$400 million last year, while Europe contributed 34% and North America 24 %.
The company has a 40% market share of the Thai wide-format printer market, where SVOA is a distributor.