Nagano, Japan, February 28, 2019
MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO.,LTD., opened a large technology center in the suburbs of Los Angeles in February and plans to open a TA lab center in Sao Paulo in April.
Through these measures, we will provide a full support system for sales dealers and end users in the North, Central and South America region, and promote the revitalization of both dealer and user businesses in order to expand our market share in the region.
1. Large Technology Center in Los Angeles
(1) Background and Purpose of Establishment
On February 21, 2019, MIMAKI USA, Inc. (President: Naoya Kawagoshi), a consolidated subsidiary that oversees the Group's North, Central and South American operations, opened a large technology center in Gardena, a suburb of Los Angeles (hereinafter referred to as the "LA Technology Center"), and relocated its existing Los Angeles branch office to the center.
The LA Technology Center is located 20 minutes from Los Angeles International Airport. It has established core products for the Singrafix (SG) market, such as advertising and signage, the Industrial Products (IP) market, such as manufacturing sites for industrial products, the Textile Apparel (TA) market, such as dough and ready-made clothing, and the full-color 3D market. In addition, the LA Technology Center will hold a variety of events at the center, including solution proposals and application demonstrations, dealer engineer certification courses, and software training.
In addition, we will leverage our 30-minute car location from LA Downtown and Hollywood to provide new business opportunities for entertainment, amusement, and other industries where demand for digital on-demand printing is expected to expand in the future.
(2) Overview of Los Angeles Technology Center
| Formal name | Mimaki Los Angeles Technology Center |
| Opening date | February 21, 2019 (local time) |
| Approx | 2,600 ㎡ |
| Business description | Sales of our products, demonstrations, application proposals, training and support for dealers and users, etc |
| Location | 150 West Walnut St., Ste. 100, Gardena, CA 90248, USA |
| Number of employees | 19 (including 4 Japanese) |
2. TA Lab Center in Sao Paulo
(1) Background and Purpose of Establishment
Our consolidated subsidiary, MIMAKI BRASIL COMERCIO E IMPORTACAO LTDA (President: Hiroki Yoshida), established a new TA Laboratory near the Sao Paulo Sales Office in the Federal Republic of Brazil and is scheduled to commence operations in April 2019.
The Federal Republic of Brazil has a strong need for high-quality digital on-demand printing, and our share of sales of our products continues to expand significantly. In order to expand sales of products for the TA market, which has great potential, we will establish a TA Lab Center in a favorable location near the center of Sao Paulo.
In addition to the Tiger series and Tx300 series of our mainstay printers for the TAs market, we will establish a system to provide total solutions by deploying the Rimslow series, which handles the pre-and post-printing processes. This will enable us to appeal to a large number of sales dealers and end users our product and proposal capabilities in the TA market.
(2) Overview of Sao Paulo TA Lab Center
| Name (Tentative) | Sao Paulo TA Lab Center |
| Opening date | Scheduled for early April 2019 |
| Approx | 342 ㎡ |
| Business description | Demonstration and negotiation of products for the TA market (Tiger series, Tx300 series, Rimslow series) |
| Location | Avenida Ceci, 1606, Planalto,Paulista,Sao Paulo, SP, Brasil |
About MIMAKI ENGINEERING
Mimaki is a global industry leader of wide-format inkjet printers, cutting plotters, 3D modeling machines, software, hardware and associated consumable items, such as inks and cutting blades. The company engineers and manufactures a complete range of products that attain the total workflow solution for sign/graphics, textile/apparel and industrial printing professionals. Mimaki excels in offering superior quality and reliable products, based upon its aqueous solvent and UV-curable inkjet technology. As an innovator and strategic partner, Mimaki is committed to always providing “something new, something different” in the marketplace.