The largest image sensor plant from Sony – the world’s biggest manufacturer of image sensors – has halted production after an earthquake hit Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28. As of July 31, production still has not resumed, Sony said during an earnings report.
The Kumamoto Technology Center of Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation in Kikuyo Town, Kumamoto Prefecture is Sony's biggest image sensor hub, and the manufacturing facilities are located near the epicenter of the July 28 earthquake.
During an earnings call on July 31, Sony said that production is still suspended. "Restoration efforts to resume production are currently underway," Sony told investors.
Earlier this week, Sony confirmed that the earthquake impacted sensor production. Fujifilm and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc facilities were also evacuated after the earthquake.
Sony said that all employees were safely evacuated, with "a few people who sustained minor injuries."
Sony is the world’s largest manufacturer of image sensors, and the halted plant has been known to produce as many as four million image sensors in a single day.
The company says that the damage to the building and manufacturing lines is still being assessed.
Manufacturing camera sensors is a highly precise process, and even if the building sustained minimal damage, the manufacturing lines will likely need to be assessed to see if recalibration is needed. Damage to the area's roads could also potentially delay shipping.
Sony hasn’t yet shared how the pause could affect product availability, but an earthquake in the same region in 2011 previously caused delays and limited availability in the months following the earthquake for several brands, including Sony, Canon, and Nikon.
As one of the largest sensor manufacturers, the pause could have an impact beyond Sony-branded cameras, as Sony sensors are often found in other cameras as well as smartphones and other smart devices.
Fujifilm and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc. also evacuated following the quakes.
Editor's note: This story was updated with the information on the latest status of the image sensor plant on July 31.
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