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Bandai Spirits to Build New Hobby Center Factory
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
Bandai Namco Holdings' toy and hobby subsidiary Bandai Spirits announced plans on Thursday to build a new Bandai Hobby Center factory, with the company planning to acquire 4,506 tsubo (approximately 14,895 square meters) of land, and a planned production launch in 2024.
The company is planning to prioritize workplace safety in the new factory.
Bandai Spirits began production in its Bandai Hobby Center Shinkan factory in 2020. The company established that new factory to meet rising demand in Gunpla models inside and outside Japan due to various collaborations marking the franchise's 40th anniversary, new anime, and the planned Hollywood live-action Gundam film.
When Gunpla first launched in 1980, over a million units shipped within half a year. The original Bandai Hobby Center factory was completed in 2006, and it produced and shipped 6.6 million units in its first year. Gradually demand increased, and the factory's machinery expanded. In 2018, the same factory produced 15.73 million kits. By 2019, total shipments had exceeded 500 million.
Source: Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web
Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings Inc., is a non-controlling, minority shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.
