Sony UK Technology Centre (UK TEC), world-leading manufacturer of professional and broadcast camera systems, has expanded its product portfolio to ensure the site’s sustainability in Wales.
The Pencoed-based business will have an additional six professional camera products added to its portfolio which will be introduced to the company’s production line throughout the year.
Over 6,000 units will be produced at the Pencoed site every year on top of its core manufacturing business of professional and broadcast camera and cameras systems and it is expected to create an additional ten jobs at the introduction phase.
Amongst the new products will be Sony’s recently launched, lightweight, handheld camcorders, including model PMW-200, a high-quality professional camcorder which can produce footage suitable for broadcast. These products have been extremely popular in Europe and Middle East and with customer demand in these markets increasing, the technology giant has decided to produce its latest camcorders at the site in Pencoed.
Katsunori Yamanouchi, Vice President, Sony Professional Solutions Europe, commented: “Our latest handheld camcorders are smaller devices with a broadcast specification, so they are highly complex and intricate products to make. As such these products require a lot of skill, knowledge and understanding of the latest manufacturing processes ensuring they are made with precision, accuracy and are of the highest quality.
“The site in Pencoed is known for its excellent quality standards and it has developed a reputation for manufacturing excellence that is why we believe it is the best place to manufacture our latest camera products.
“With our latest handheld camcorders being made in the UK we are closer to our customers. We can ensure customers aren’t faced with long waiting times and it gives them peace of mind that they can count on a strong, local support from the Sony team in Pencoed. It allows us to deliver a premium service for a premium product that our customers have come to rely on.”
The site will be using its trusted lean manufacturing techniques to produce the new product portfolio. It will also be investing approximately £300,000 which has been part-funded by the Welsh Government for additional equipment to fulfil the order requirements, providing flexibility and scalability should demand increase.
Congratulating the Sony UK Technology Centre, Economy Minister, Edwina Hart said: “This is excellent news and speaks volumes for the quality of work undertaken at Pencoed which has an international reputation as a centre of manufacturing excellence.
“Sony is an invaluable asset to Wales and helps to cement our reputation as a country with high skills and high value products. The management at Pencoed has a highly innovative approach which has enabled it to make the transition from high volume, low value products to high-end manufacturing delivered by a highly skilled workforce.
“The Welsh Government has a very close and long standing working relationship with Sony and I am pleased we were able to support this latest investment in new advanced products. It will create and safeguard jobs, ensure the centre’s sustainability and help raise the profile of Wales in terms of advanced manufacturing capability and skills across Europe.”
Investments will also be put towards expanding the site’s manufacturing process capability. This includes a manufacturing control test system, which will be designed, built and configured by Sony UK TEC’s in-house engineers. The system will be an automated process simulating ‘real life’ environments and rigorously testing the handset’s functionality such as colour levels, video quality, sound playback and lenses quality. In turn this will help to ensure the reliability of the products whilst making the manufacturing and testing process as efficient as possible.
Steve Dalton OBE, Managing Director of Sony UK Technology Centre, concluded: “We have a long manufacturing history in Wales having made consumer products in the early days through to high-end professional broadcast cameras. In order to continue our longevity, we have made substantial investments to the site in Pencoed, in terms of equipment, new processes, additional skill sets, all supporting the diversification of our products and operations.
“It is our highly skilled workforce coupled with state-of-the-art electronics manufacturing equipment and processes that has allowed us to remain innovative and compete on a global scale.
“The introduction of these new products will allow us to continue to excel in manufacturing by developing world-class products. Furthermore, it will see us as the only professional device manufacturer to produce its products in Europe. As a result, this will add to the site’s sustainability and future in the UK and Wales. It also demonstrates the huge opportunities within the UK manufacturing industry.
“Looking forward, we are committed to invest in the community and we will continue to innovate and diversify our existing product range to ensure our operations in the UK continue to prosper.”
