Panasonic Russia and broadliner Merlion have officially launched production of Panasonic IP-cameras through iRU capacities. At the initial stage, it is planned to produce three popular models of video surveillance cameras, while in the future the range can be expanded. The partners do not announce the amount of investments in the project, but emphasise that the line will be able to provide prompt production for profile projects of almost any scale.
The decision to launch the joint line was taken at the initiative of Panasonic in response to the wishes of the company's Russian customers, for whom the use of local products is becoming increasingly important, in big part because of the local legislation taken in response to international sanctions for the annexation of Crimea and the war waged in Eastern Ukraine. Production of iRU has been certified for compliance with global technological standards of Panasonic Corporation.
The IP-cameras intended for production in Russia include the following models: WV-S2131LRF (inner dome), WV-X6531NRF (street PTZ) and WV-S1132RF (cabinet). Today, this type of cameras are in the highest demand and provide up to 30% of sales of all cameras of the Japanese company in Russia. Their popularity is due to the unique features of artificial intelligence iA (intelligent Auto) and ROI (self-learning coding technology), which automatically detects areas with moving people or vehicles. Smart, self-learning devices allow you to provide the highest image quality quickly, without operator intervention, even in poor visibility conditions. With a dynamic range of 144 dB, Panasonic cameras are considered to be one of the industry leaders, allowing you to find a balanced exposure in fast-changing lighting and strong illumination of part of the frame. The use of the latest i-Pro sensors ensures that the color night vision mode is activated. The advanced h.265 codec with Smart Coding reduces the load on the channel by up to 75% compared to the h.264 standard, making it easier to store and transmit video data. Panasonic IP cameras are now used in many industries, energy, transportation and public sector applications. The above-mentioned camera models were successfully used at the 2018 FIFA World Cup facilities, and previous models were installed in the run-up to the 2014 Winter Olympics at infrastructure and sports facilities in Sochi.
"The joint production of ultramodern cameras in Russia is becoming a new stage in the long-term cooperation between Panasonic and Merlion", said Dmitry Vinogradov, CEO of Merlion. "For global manufacturers, the localisation of the production is becoming one of the key requirements for obtaining and strengthening leading positions in its segment in a particular region. We are proud to say that our cooperation with Panasonic in this respect starts with advanced devices. IP-cameras, security, receiving and analysing video images are the segments that are becoming one of the main drivers of the global security market. The fact that we are going in this direction together with one of the world's leaders testifies to the importance of the Russian market for Panasonic Corporation. We are glad that our production has been chosen as the site where Russian specialists will assemble innovative gadgets to the most advanced standards."
"Russia has become the first country outside Asia where Panasonic launches local production of its security cameras. This is due to many reasons, but above all the needs of customers from the three priority areas of the economy - public sector, energy and transport", said Panasonic Russia Vice President Yoichi Takaki. "When choosing a partner for this strategically important initiative, we wanted to be absolutely sure that all the necessary standards will be fully complied with at a particular enterprise. The fact that we are launching a project to produce IP cameras together with our long-term strategic partner, Merlion, shows, on the one hand, the level of trust that we have developed. In addition, Merlion is one of the oldest computer manufacturers in Russia. This company has come a long way both as a distributor and as an assembler. All this is very important for Panasonic, which values its reputation based on our own standards and the work of our partners."