The new facility will significantly expand the company's production capabilities, with the Christie SolariaT projectors scheduled to roll off the assembly line in July. Production will begin with the Christie CP2220 and the Christie CP2210, with the Christie CP2230 to follow. The Shenzhen factory will initially feed the Asia Pacific market, freeing up capacity at Christie's North American plant to increase supply to the rest of the world.
"Assembly in China opens up significant new opportunities and shipping flexibility for Christie that will allow us to better serve all our customers around the world," observed Ihor Stech, Christie's vice-president of operations. "It is the ideal location because much of our raw material comes from the Asian region, so we can more efficiently convert them to final product. With the initial projectors feeding the markets in Asia, we will also save on import duties. Meanwhile, we can quickly deploy the projectors to meet demands around the world as needed."
Stech noted that Christie selected Shenzhen because it offers access to a well-educated and highly skilled labour force. It is China's third largest city, after Shanghai and Beijing, with 16m people, and considered one of the country's most successful industrial centres. In addition, its close proximity to Hong Kong attracts a multinational staff to serve the global markets. Hong Kong also features one of the largest ports in the world, facilitating quick deployment of digital projectors to other regions.
With plans to increase the staff in Shenzhen and to add a second assembly line in the coming months, Christie says it is poised to double production and leap over the competition in dedicated manufacturing capabilities.
"We are committed to all our partners in the exhibition community, and that includes making substantial financial investments to ensure we meet their needs," said Gerry Remers, president and COO of Christie Digital Systems Canada. "The two facilities are operating closely together under the direction of Christie's veteran technical team, with Shenzhen precisely mirroring the world class manufacturing standards we observe in North America. We are using identical equipment and assembly line techniques. We are also employing the same principles, training and technical expertise in our work force that have made Christie projectors the most trusted, most reliable and best selling digital cinema projectors in the world."
(Jim Evans)
