Nikon is a Japanese multinational corporation specialising in optical and imaging products, precision equipment, and industrial material processing solutions.
Corporate Vice President and Officer in charge of Next Generation Project Division
Yuichi serves as corporate vice president and executive fellow at Nikon, alongside roles leading the advanced manufacturing business unit and co-leading Nikon Advanced Manufacturing. He previously worked as a mechanical designer at Yamaha Motor Co.
The London software firm has secured backing from IQ Capital and Nikon to expand its automated manufacturing platform globally.
"Despite its clear economic and environmental benefits, manufacturers have difficulty implementing additive manufacturing at an industrial scale. This is due to concerns about its reliability and ease of adoption. We believe that automation and smart use of data is the solution to this problem. By partnering with Nikon as a leading technology provider who has a grand vision for the future of manufacturing, and IQ Capital as a deep-tech investor with proven track record of supporting global businesses, we are well positioned to achieve our goal for automating the factories of the future."
M&G Investments contributed £35m to the £195m private transaction alongside Temasek, Wellington Management, and Nikon.
"The technology developed by Oxford Nanopore is being used in a broad range of scientific research applications, including to further biomedical science, to characterise pathogens in microbiology and public health. This is an example of how institutional investors can play an important role in accelerating growth in companies that provide a wider benefit to society."
