Minebea Company (Tokyo, Japan) will move an important measurement device production factory from Singapore to an existing factory in Shanghai, China, according to a Monday report in The Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

Minebea, the world's largest manufacturer of miniature and small ball bearings, says it needs to make the move to both take advantage of China's lower cost structure and to be closer to its customers.

Many of Minebea's measuring device customers have been moving to China and the Shanghai area, and Minebea's competitors have also been moving there. Minebea customers have also been moving to Taiwan, which can easily be serviced from Shanghai.

The Shanghai plant will be built as an ¥1.8 billion (USD $14 million) expansion to an existing facility there, while the displaced workers in Singapore will be given jobs at two of Minebea's other bearing plants there.