Only laptop factory in Europe: A look into the Panasonic Toughbook plant in Cardiff

Laptops are pretty much always made in an Asian country nowadays - be it China, India, Japan, Taiwan or Vietnam. Laptop factories in Europe have been practically wiped from the map. The last prominent plant in the German city of Augsburg, owned by Fujitsu, was closed in 2018. At the time, the German media titled "the last European laptop factory is closing its doors". But there still is a laptop factory in Europe. It is located in the Welsh Cardiff and owned by Panasonic.

Panasonic is not a large PC manufacturer. This OEM concentrates its business on their Japanese home-turf, as well as on rugged PC for institutional customers, especially large enterprise and the military. Current models, like the Panasonic Toughbook 55, cost at least €2,000 in Europe. The high pricing when combined with the utilitarian design makes Panasonic irrelevant for the wider laptop market.

While Panasonic probably does not matter for the average laptop buyer outside Japan, the focus on this small, expensive part of the market also makes Panasonic special. One of the advantages: Panasonic still has a European plant.

It has to be mentioned though that Panasonic does not completely assemble the Toughbooks in Europe. Much of the manufacturing is done in Asia, in factories in Japan and Taiwan. There, the Toughbooks are prepared and finished 75 percent. In Cardiff, the final 25 percent for machines meant for the European market are handled. Those 25 percent are very important though, as the laptops are configured according to customers wishes. Panasonic Toughbooks are not only very robust, but also modular. Accordingly, many customization options are available for customers.