Thomson opens Camera Design and Manufacture Centre of Excellence in The Netherlands

Extending a nearly 40-year legacy of award-winning broadcast and professional acquisition technology innovation, Thomson has formally opened its Camera Design and Manufacture Centre of Excellence in Breda, The Netherlands.
Thomson is the number-two manufacturer in the broadcast and electronic media industries with six technical and engineering Emmy awards for camera-related technologies to its credit. The company has one of the best known imaging design teams in the world and offers a full line of Grass Valley brand products for broadcasters and TV and film production professionals.
The Grass Valley camera range includes some of the world’s most innovative and ground-breaking products, from entry-level models for broadcasters and professional and industrial users to the world’s most innovative standard-definition (SD), high-definition (HD), and digital cinematography cameras. Each Grass Valley camera includes a rich range of options that enable customer to configure it precisely to their needs.
One of five Thomson broadcast manufacturing plants worldwide, the upgraded Breda facility is distinguished by a workflow that keeps design and manufacturing functions close together both physically and operationally. This proximity fosters an ideal environment for creating and manufacturing complex optical and electronic products.
The result of this approach is that Thomson has cut manufacturing time by 20% per camera and boosted its output capacity by 30% in anticipation of the continued growth of the popular Grass Valley camera lines. Yet the new workflow still enables the company to package its cameras with a wide range options.
“We are committed to providing the right product for the customer, and getting that product to the customer as quickly as possible,” said Marc Valentin, president of Thomson Broadcast & Media Solutions. “Our Breda plant is now an excellent example of how we are streamlining our manufacturing processes and leveraging the latest in manufacturing techniques to do just that.”
(GB)