The factory, representing a ¥3.5bn (£22m) investment, will begin construction in November 2022, and is due for completion in December 2023.

Epson said the site, which will have a 3,700sqm factory floor, would triple its current printhead production capacity.

The company explained in a statement that rising global demand for office and home-based inkjet printing markets were expected to continue to grow over the medium and long terms, and high-capacity industrial inkjet printing demand in developed countries had also grown.

The new factory, to be constructed adjacent to Epson’s existing inkjet printhead factory, will produce its PrecisionCore MicroTFP printheads for high-capacity ink tank and business inkjet printers.

Epson said the expansion in production capacity would let it “strengthen its product lineup and expand printhead sales to third parties, with a view to increasing the supply of inkjet printers equipped with PrecisionCore MicroTFP printheads”.

Akita Epson, a wholly owned subsidiary of Seiko Epson, currently employs 987 people at its 90,000sqm lot in Akita Prefecture.