A tiny factory is handcrafting RM51,000 mics for Justin Bieber, Dr. Dre

Sony, once a consumer electronics titan with globally recognised brands like Trinitron, Walkman and VAIO, lost momentum in the smartphone age and has narrowed its hardware lineup to more specialised equipment. — AFP

Eiko Higuchi took a job in an audio factory employing people with disabilities after an accident left her needing to use a wheelchair. Thirty-five years later, she’s become a master craftswoman, making microphones for recording industry stars like Dr. Dre.

Higuchi works for a Sony Group Corp subsidiary, in a plant designed to give people with disabilities a fair chance in the workplace. It’s the passion project of co-founder Masaru Ibuka, who created the unit Sony Taiyo to disprove widespread prejudice about disabled people in Japan.