Printer and scanner manufacturer Epson America Inc. says it’s making room for a hefty increase in growth and employee numbers when the company’s headquarters moves from Long Beach to Orange County a year from now.
Chief Executive Keith Kratzberg said 600 employees will move to the new facilities in Los Alamitos, which will be able to accommodate more than 700 workers.
“There is no specific date for adding employees, however, based on our Epson25 strategic plan, we expect growth in the business,” Kratzberg told the Business Journal.
The company said in early March that it would move its Americas headquarters from Long Beach a few miles down the road to a larger site in Los Alamitos next summer. Kratzberg said the plans remain on track.
Epson will rank No. 2 among top employers in the city, trailing only the Los Alamitos Medical Center, according to city records.
Lincoln Redo
The company is moving into more than 150,000 square feet of space at 3131 Katella Ave. in a two-building, recently rede-veloped campus owned by Lincoln Property Co. that will also include a showroom for customers to “interface” with the company’s product offerings.
“The new campus in Los Alamitos will broadly incorporate Epson’s latest business solutions, including digital signage, laser projection, enterprise workgroup, and large format printers,” Kratzberg said.
“We’re also focusing on employee wellness through spaces dedicated to employee collaboration, rest, focus, and fitness.”
Epson’s relocation will add another large printer maker with ties to Japan to OC’s base of companies with substantial operations here; others include Ricoh USA and Toshiba.
Japan-based Seiko Epson Corp. owns the company, which produces watches, industrial robots, and 3LCD projectors, but is best known domestically for their printers.
The worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than $10 billion.
The company is planning to use some local star power to get its name out more.
The company announced a partnership earlier this month with NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, to show the benefits of Epson’s advanced printing solutions.
The company will roll out a series of original campaigns featuring Shaq as its ambassador across TV, digital, in-store, social media, appearances, and more as part of the multi-year partnership.
Epson will also launch the “Epson and Shaq Give Back’’ to support schools across the country with technology products.
