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    Nikon factories to remain closed until 2012 due to Thailand floods

    Nikon factories to remain closed until 2012 due to Thailand floods

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    Nikon has issued a third official note on the damage to its facilities from the ongoing flooding in Thailand, and it looks like it will be closed into next year.

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    Nikon factory flood
    Nikon factory flood

    Nikon has issued a third official note on the damage to its facilities from the ongoing flooding in Thailand, and it looks like it will be closed into next year. The company's Ayutthaya plant will begin production again in January and get fully back up to speed by March, but with its doors shuttered since October 6th, the damage has already been substantial. This factory is used for both Nikon DLSRs and its new interchangeable lens V1 and J1 cameras —and three to six months of limited production will make Nikon's newest gear very difficult to get hold of for the immediate future. The flood waters have receded from their 2-yard deep peak by about 15 inches, but that's still far too deep to begin repair work and Nikon is already estimating the financial damage at 65 billion yen ($830 million) in sales and 25 billion yen ($320 million) in income. This is the second major disaster to hit Nikon's production facilities in the last yea — the Japanese earthquake and tsunami significantly lowered its output earlier in 2011.