Canon 2004 Annual Report Download - page 13

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 13 of the 2004 Canon annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 86

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86

1111
Headquarters in Shimomaruko, Tokyo in
2005. In 2004, we built a new inkjet
printer development laboratory in Japan.
We plan to open a production engineering
technology research center with the aim
of accelerating the development of
production engineering technologies and
moving toward even higher levels of
automation and fully unmanned facilities.
In Europe, building on its advanced
technology development, Canon has
achieved solid results in developing
solutions, including the creation of
sophisticated customized tools for digital
MFDs. In the United States, in addition to
advanced development using Extensible
Markup Language (XML) in the area of
basic research, we have worked to
develop solutions that facilitate the
linkage of XML digital products with
networks. In Australia, we have estab-
lished a strong track record in the devel-
opment of digital image processing
technologies, while in Asia we have
focused on developing technologies and
software that address user needs in each
country and region in terms of language,
our top-of-the-line copying machine
manufacturing operations. All aspects of
these operations, from design through
prototypes, full production, quality
assurance, and delivery functions are
scheduled to be located in the same new
building at the Toride Plant.
In addition, Canon takes a proactive
stance toward cooperating with other
companies rather than relying exclusively
on internal development to boost
research and development efficiency.
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Organization
IBM
Matsushita Electric
Canon
Hewlett-Packard
Micron Technology
Samsung
Electronics
Intel
Hitachi
Toshiba
Sony
Number of Patents
3,248
1,9 3 4
1, 8 05
1,775
1,760
1,604
1,601
1,514
1,310
1,305
Top 10 Corporations Receiving U.S. Patents in 2004
(Preliminary count)
(Source:United States Patent and Trademark Office)
Canon’s Worldwide R&D Centers
Our prototype-less design is made possible by our 3D-CAD infrastructure.
ethnicity, and culture. Canon also
engages in cooperative research world-
wide with industry, academia,
and government.
Research and Development
Focal Points and Future Steps
Canon is centering its production and
development reforms on prototype-less
designs and common platforms. In our
prototype-less design, which is based on
a cutting-edge 3D-CAD infrastructure,
we are drawing fully on simulation,
analysis, and measurement technologies
to shorten product development lead
times and reduce costs. All the process
improvements we develop in this area
will then be employed throughout
Canon’s business domains.
Another of our activities to speed up
development is concurrent engineering.
Our Toride Plant in Japan, which is due
for completion in 2005, will house
CMOS sensors sustain Canon’s strong competitive position
in digital SLR cameras.