Canon Inc. will overhaul its domestic production system by introducing unmanned manufacturing lines, officials of the electrical machinery maker said Monday.
By March 31, 2008, the company plans to have 25 percent of the value of its domestic output, which totals some 1 trillion yen, carried out on unmanned lines.
The automation plan, which will involve reassigning some 5,000 workers, will mainly affect Canon's factories in Aomori, Fukushima, Saitama, Shiga, Mie and Oita prefectures, the officials said.
Canon decided on unmanned manufacturing lines after judging that shifting some production lines to China "won't be a final solution" to cutting costs because pay there will eventually rise due to the country's economic development, a company official said.
The company will also adopt other measures to enhance competitiveness, including manufacturing components on its own, the officials said.