Imaging Resource posted a report from the Nikon Sendai factory to show how the new Nikon Z is made. This is their summary:
While the severe restrictions resulting from proprietary concerns meant that I can’t show you photos of some of the most interesting parts of the operation, I greatly appreciate the rare opportunity to see one of Nikon’s production facilities up close like this. As I mentioned at the outset, it was especially interesting to me to see how much had changed from when I last saw this factory, producing D3 bodies back in 2007. While automation has taken over many previously human-performed tasks, watching the current workers at their tasks served to show me how far automation has yet to go, in order to replace many of these high-skill operations. An awful lot still depends on human vision, adaptability and dexterity; it’s hard to imagine how some of the fine operations currently being done could be automated, even in 10 years or more time.
Two things were clear, namely that Nikon is both already producing substantial numbers of Z7 bodies, and has the space and capability to expand production in the future. (Although the availability of the aforementioned skilled workers may represent something of a pacing item.)
