Sony's Technology Centre Zooming in on camera construction

摘要

Opened in 1992 by Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ, the site at Pencoed was initially created to manufacture Sony CRT TVs for the European marketplace. The two sites in South Wales produced one television every eight seconds and employed 5,000 people. Seven years later, the Centre began producing SD cameras, expanding into the HD market in 2006, and today, staff numbers around 400 people. However, recent Sony announcements suggest the growth and optimism at the site is not shared by all Sony divisions. In February, after 17 years in the PC business, Sony announced its was getting out, selling its VAIO laptop computer brand to Japanese investment fund Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) and cutting jobs. Sony instead decided to focus on the manufacture of games consoles and smartphones, as well as its studios, and made clear that its TV division would be split into a separate subsidiary as part of a restructuring programme. This was followed in May by Sony posting an £808 million quarterly loss, due to the sale of its VAIO business and a drop in value of its overseas disc manufacturing and battery business.