Canon Inc. has delayed construction of a toner cartridge factory, citing a drop in demand as a result of the economic downturn.
The nation's largest office equipment maker was originally scheduled to start operations at the factory in Oita in September, Canon said in a statement on its Web site Thursday.
The startup was then put back a further six months to March 2010, Tokyo-based Canon said in November. The company hasn't decided when operations will begin, but the decision will not affect the 152 employees already hired for the plant, Canon said Thursday.