Confirmed! Japanese giant Canon: China's printer factory halts production
According to First Financial, several companies in Zhongshan confirmed to reporters that the Canon printer factory in Zhongshan ceased production on November 21, and employees were given temporary leave until November 28. Currently, the factory is settling matters with employees and suppliers.
Image source: IC photo
Canon (Zhongshan) Office Equipment Co., Ltd., which owns the Canon printer factory in Zhongshan, issued a notice to all employees on November 24, stating that in recent years, due to drastic changes in the market environment, the LBP (laser printer) market has continued to shrink, domestic LBP brands in China have rapidly emerged, and the company's operating difficulties have intensified, the company has decided to cease production and operations on November 21.
According to IDC data, in the first half of 2025, China's A4 laser printer shipments reached 3.177 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 5%; A3 laser printer shipments reached 272,000 units, a year-on-year decrease of 10%. At the same time, competition in China's laser printer market has intensified, and domestic brands have expanded their market share. IDC and third-party data show that the market share of domestic A4 laser printers in China has surged from 16% in 2010 to 42% in 2024. Canon's global market share of laser printers reached 22.9% in 2024, but its market share in China was only 6.4%.
Canon (Zhongshan) Office Equipment Co., Ltd. is a company invested in by Japan's Canon Inc. in June 2001 in the Zhongshan Torch Development Zone. It produces a wide range of laser printers and is one of Canon's main laser printer manufacturing companies. By April 2022, it had produced a cumulative total of 110 million laser printers, achieving an industrial output value of nearly 3.2 billion yuan in 2022, with leased industrial plant space totaling 125,000 square meters.
Data shows that the number of employees at the Zhongshan Canon factory has continuously decreased in recent years, with 3,372 employees in 2022, 1,979 in 2023, and 1,656 in 2024. Public data shows that by the end of September 2025, the factory had about 1,400 employees, and Canon will provide support for reemployment and other measures.
Canon Group's 2024 annual financial report, released in February this year, stated in its outlook that for inkjet and laser printers, the slowdown in the Chinese and European markets is expected to continue, and sales may contract slightly. According to the Canon China official website, the new printers launched by Canon in the Chinese market this year are mainly inkjet printers suitable for photo printing.
A representative of a small appliance company in Zhongshan told reporters that the Canon printer factory in Zhongshan has a history of more than 20 years. Around 2009 or 2010, it used to be a large factory with over 10,000 employees, and many workers once lined up to work there. Zhongshan Canon's current shutdown is mainly due to the intense competition in the laser printer market, with some orders diverted to Southeast Asian factories in Vietnam, Thailand, and other areas, and Canon's strategic focus shifting to higher-profit industries such as medical imaging and semiconductor equipment.
"Zhongshan Canon had already considered ceasing production, and part of its printer capacity has been transferred to Canon's Vietnam factory," said a representative of a Zhongshan plastic parts company. Compared to more than 20 years ago, labor costs in Zhongshan have significantly increased.
On the other hand, printing demand has gradually declined with the rapid development of paperless office work. The widespread use and adoption of third-party office software platforms like WeCom, DingTalk, and Feishu have left most corporate approval materials on these platforms. Paperless contracts are also very common, posing challenges to the printer market.
