The Japanese giant is looking to the wider world to market its semiconductor manufacturing tools, as well as diversifying into other high-tech areas
A Nikon lithography machine at the China International Import Expo(Image credit: Getty Images)
Nikon may be best known to you and me primarily as a manufacturer of cameras such as the Z6 III, Z8 and Z50, plus some of the best lenses to fit onto them, but the Japanese giant has many other industrial interests and is also one of the biggest players in lithography equipment – the machines used to make computer chips.
But according to a report in the British business broadsheet the Financial Times, it is currently heavily reliant on sales of its semiconductor manufacturing technology to China, which makes up around 17 percent of Nikon's revenues, and is looking to market its machines to the tech sector in the wider world, as well as diversifying into new markets.
In an exclusive interview, Nikon president Muneaki Tokunari told the famously pink paper that geopolitical tensions are causing the company to rethink its strategy. The company has seen success in selling its less advanced equipment to China, whereas rivals have failed because their higher-tech machinery has been barred due to US export restrictions.
Nikon President Muneaki Tokunari at the company's HQ in Tokyo (Image credit: Getty Images)
However, Mr Tokunari acknowledges that even its lower-tech lithography equipment could face similar restrictions in the future, particularly after the US Presidential elections in November. “The rules could get changed tomorrow,” the paper quotes Tokunari as saying.
Mr Tokunari went on to tell the Financial Times that he hoped to counter any downturn in its Chinese activities by marketing equipment to other countries looking to build their own chip supply chains. Nikon is also looking to diversify into new areas, such as 3D printing, having bought German 3D printer maker SLM Solutions Group.
Prior to joining digitalcameraworld.com as News Editor, Adam was the editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine for seven years, and as such is one of Digital Camera World's leading experts when it comes to all things Nikon-related.
Whether it’s reviews and hands-on tests of the latest Nikon cameras and lenses, sharing his skills using filters, tripods, lighting, L brackets and other photography equipment, or trading tips and techniques on shooting landscapes, wildlife and almost any genre of photography, Adam is always on hand to provide his insights.
Prior to his tenure on N-Photo, Adam was also a veteran of publications such as PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, so his wealth of photographic knowledge isn’t solely limited to the Big N.
