Fanuc to increase machining centre output by 50-60 per cent
Japan-based machine tool manufacturer Fanuc is increasing production capacity for small machining centres from 1,600 units per month to 2,500, by the first half of fiscal 2011, to meet robust demand from China and other Asian countries.
The firm will expand its Tsukuba factory, located in Ibaraki Prefecture. The factory has been operating at full capacity since early spring to keep up with growing demand from Chinese electronic manufacturing services, automotive part makers and others.
Worldwide demand has been rising overall, but strong demand in China has helped underpin Fanuc's business, according to Fanuc president Yoshiharu Inaba. The firm consequently plans to strengthen its Chinese sales and service networks.
With demand for machine tools also recovering in the U.S. and Europe, Japanese machine tool manufacturers received roughly 92 billion yen (US$1.1 billion) of orders in September, up 110 per cent from a year earlier, according to the Japan Machine Tool Builders' Association.