Photo/Illutration The new Instax Square Link model is shown in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. (Ayumi Sugiyama)

Fujifilm Corp. is pumping 4.5 billion yen ($30.5 million) into a film production plant to meet growing demand for its Instax brand instant cameras, the company said.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of its release in November, Instax has been sold in more than 100 countries, and sales remain strong despite the shift to digital.

A new production line will be added to a factory in Minami-Ashigara, Kanagawa Prefecture, outside Tokyo. Its operations will start in phases from autumn 2024 to raise film output by 20 percent, the company said Sept. 6.

Along with Fujifilm’s spending of 2 billion yen to ramp up production in 2022, output is expected to increase by 40 percent from fiscal 2021 levels.

Instax cameras were first sold in 1998. Annual sales once plunged to 100,000 units due in part to the spread of their digital counterparts.

But Instax has won over a wide range of fans through the introduction of a specialized device that prints images taken by smartphones on its dedicated film.

“Instax is increasing in popularity as a communication tool,” a Fujifilm public relations official said.

Instax currently comes with augmented reality technology and other enhanced digital features, and it is used for business objectives by companies and sports teams.

The brand’s sales topped 10 million units in fiscal 2018.

Sales of cameras, film and other products in Fujifilm’s imaging section for fiscal 2022 grew 23.1 percent year-on-year, while its operating profits soared by 97.1 percent.

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