Sony is making a significant shift in its production strategy by investing approximately $35 million (around Rp 629 billion) to repurpose its PlayStation disc manufacturing facility. This decision aligns with the company's plan to cease physical game production by 2028.
About the Thalgau Facility
Located in Thalgau, Austria, this factory has the capacity to produce about 600,000 discs daily, including PlayStation games, Blu-ray discs, and compact discs (CDs). However, with the impending move away from physical game formats, the production volume is expected to decline sharply.
Employee Impact and Future Plans
According to reports from the Austrian media outlet ORF, employees were informed on a Wednesday that the facility would undergo restructuring. Fortunately, Dietmar Tanzer, CEO of Sony DADC, assured that this transition would not lead to layoffs at this time. Currently, PlayStation products account for roughly 50% of the factory's production capacity, with new game orders making up around 20% of that volume.
Tanzer anticipates that by 2028, this figure will drop to about 10%, prompting the need for a shift in production focus.
Investment in New Technology
Rather than reducing its workforce, Sony is channeling hundreds of billions of rupiah into new equipment for the factory. This investment will enable the facility to pivot towards the production of micro-optic lenses instead of discs.
Micro-Optics Technology Explained
Markus Streibl, head of Micro Optics at Sony DADC, elaborated on the future applications of this technology. He described micro-optics as the miniaturization of optical systems and elements that focus and direct light in compact spaces. One practical example of micro-optics is the projected turn signals in vehicles.
On the day of the announcement, workers began transitioning from disc production to testing new equipment. Sony also plans to retrain its staff in preparation for mass production of micro-optic lenses, which is set to commence next year.
Source: https://inet.detik.com/games-news/d-8562615/alih-fungsikan-pabrik-cakram-playstation-sony-kucurkan-rp-629-m
