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Fujifilm South Africa has turned the first sod of a development that will see the construction of a new head office in Sandton, South Africa. This forms part of Fujifilm’s ongoing commitment to the country, following not only the opening of a new office and repair centre in Cape Town last year, but also in celebrating Fujifilm South Africa’s ten year anniversary in South Africa.

Fujifilm’s new head office will be located at 18 Holt Street, Sandton, Johannesburg, with construction expected to be completed in December of this year. Once finished the five-story, 999m² building will incorporate office space, a Fujifilm repair centre, and importantly, also the Fujifilm Technology Centre Africa.

Fujifilm South Africa Managing Director Taro Kawano turning the first sod of the new head office development.

The Fujifilm Technology Centre Africa is the only one of its kind on the continent, providing a demo and training centre for the company’s different departments. This includes innovative solutions from Graphic Communication (wide format printing, packaging, commercial digital and commercial offset), Medical Systems (radiography, mammography, pathology, X-ray diagnostics), as well as Imaging Solutions (Instax instant cameras and printers, Fujifilm X-series and GFX mirrorless cameras). At the Technology Centre Africa, Fujifilm customers will be able to see the latest equipment in action, receive up-to-date training, and go hands-on with a range of products and solutions.

Designed by Empowered Space Architects, the new Fujifilm head office will be constructed to fall in line with FUJIFILM Holdings’ climate action targets: to produce net zero CO2 emissions by the fiscal year ending March 2041. Initial energy efficient solutions for the new building include the use of motion sensor and day/night lighting, energy efficient plumbing that consumes less water, the harvesting of rainwater, and the installation of solar panels on the roof.

Fujifilm South Africa is working alongside green energy consultants to further investigate solutions to greenify the building, with, for example, the possibility of incorporating a vegetable patch on the roof of the building. The offices are being constructed by Bantry Construction, with whom Fujifilm has a working relationship after the construction of the Fujifilm warehouse in Roodepoort in 2017.   

During the sod turning ceremony, Fujifilm South Africa’s Managing Director, Taro Kawano noted the significance of the new building. “This year marks the tenth anniversary of Fujifilm establishing a subsidiary in South Africa, and what better way to reaffirm our commitment to the country than with the construction of this new head office in Sandton,” he stated.

“What I’m most excited about is further serving our local customers through the Fujifilm Technology Centre Africa, where there will be a training and demo centre available to help showcase the latest Fujifilm products and services. I would like to thank all our partners involved in the construction of this significant new office space in Johannesburg,” he concluded.