Ricoh: Thai floods affect GXR module production
posted Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 5:33 PM EDT
Over the last month, we've been monitoring the devastating floods in Thailand, which have seen factories from major imaging companies including Canon, Nikon and Sony shuttered.
Even for brands that have no factories in affected areas, supply-chain issues are causing disruption, with companies such as shutter-mechanism manufacturer Nidec Copal facing interruptions in their parts production. A report today from Japan's Ricoh Co. Ltd. confirms one such instance, with production of the A12 lens mount / sensor module for the GXR digital camera now being limited by parts availability. Announced last August, the Ricoh GXR MOUNT A12 is based around a twelve megapixel, APS-C CMOS image sensor and a Leica M lens mount.
Ricoh doesn't specify exactly which parts are at issue, nor whether production of the A12 module has been halted entirely for the time being, or has been dialed back in terms of output volume. Either way, though, the company is far from alone in feeling the effects of the Thai floods, which are likely to continue beyond the holiday shopping season.
More details can be found in the press release below. You can find our past coverage of the Thai floods here and here.
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Production of Ricoh's GXR Mount A12, shown here mounted on the GXR body, is being affected by parts supplies issues due to the Thai floods.
Photo provided by Ricoh Co Ltd. |
Press Release
Effects of Thailand flooding on Ricoh brand digital camera production
November 10, 2011 -- Ricoh Company, Ltd. -- We would like to send our heartfelt condolences to those affected by the flooding in Thailand.
Since Ricoh does not produce digital cameras in Thailand, the recent flooding has not directly damaged our manufacturing bases. However, production of some parts has been halted at manufacturers we outsource production to and at suppliers. The effects of that production halt are thus starting to be seen in supply of parts.
A lack of parts has already occurred for some products (GXR MOUNT A12), and effects could be expected to expand to other products, depending on future circumstances.
We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause to customers and ask for your understanding. Investigations on the situation and its severity will continue, and we are working to minimize effects to our customers.