Epson 2005 Annual Report Download - page 20

21Seiko Epson Annual Report 2005
Conceptual image of the Epson Innovation
Center (provisional name)
Patent applications, establishment of issued patents
Intellectual Property Division
Advanced R&D (themes aimed at creating a competitive advantage for Epson
in the medium-to-long term) and R&D support for operating segments
Corporate Research and
Development Division
(U.S., U.K., Spain)
Overseas Research Institutes
Research and development of software
Software Technology
Management Center
Product planning, surveys and design, and packaging design
Design Management Center
Development of next-generation display technologies including OLED materials
and processing technologies, and LTPS (low-temperature polysilicon TFTs)
OLED Technological
Development Division
Print head development projects
P Project
Ferroelectric Random Access Memory (FeRAM) incubation project
NV Project
Development of products and devices, breakdown and
analysis of production processes
Material Analysis &
Research Center
• Research and Design Organizations of Operations Divisions
• Corporate Head Office Research and Development
R&D Organization
Development of new products, R&D for the
enhancement of product functions and performance,
and development of production technologies
R&D Structure
Research and development divisions
at the corporate Head Office and the
operating divisions form the nucleus of
Epson’s R&D structure. This arrange-
ment heightens inter-organizational
synergies, accelerates R&D and
enables Epson to develop technolo-
gies and products of real value. In line
with its policy of optimizing R&D loca-
tions, Epson has three R&D sites in its
global R&D infrastructure: Epson
Research and Development, Inc. in
San Jose, California, U.S.A., which
researches image processing and next-
generation semiconductor technologies;
Cambridge Research Laboratory of
Epson in Cambridge, U.K., which
researches fundamental materials; and
the Barcelona R&D Laboratory in Spain,
established to research wireless, high-
frequency and microelectromechanical
(MEMS) technologies.
Establishment of
New R&D Site
Epson has finalized plans to build a
new R&D site at its Hirooka Office
located in Nagano, Japan. Provision-
ally called the Epson Innovation Center,
the site will reinforce Epson’s devel-
opment framework for next-generation
information-related equipment. To
maintain its competitive edge, Epson
concluded that three actions will be
vital to enhance its ability to develop
the next wave of information-related
equipment for the medium to long
term. Epson must:
1. Improve flexibility by bringing
together the R&D organizations of
the information-related equipment
divisions, corporate R&D, and cor-
porate R&D support departments;
2. Support new product development
and nurture new businesses near
the operations divisions; and
3. Encourage face-to-face inter-
organizational communication
among R&D teams to aid the fusion
of ideas and technologies.
Plans will see the consolidation of a
host of different divisions at the Epson
Innovation Center. These will include
the corporate R&D organizations,
specifically the Corporate Research &
Development Division and the Produc-
tion Engineering & Development Divi-
sion; the Intellectual Property Division
and other corporate R&D support
organizations; R&D organizations
within the Imaging and Information
Products Operations Division and the
Visual Instruments Operations Division;
and software development departments
and other organizations involved in the
development of information-related
equipment. The center will be used to
encourage interaction between engi-
neers and specialists from a range of
fields; Epson is hoping to spark the
kind of multifaceted cross-fertilization
that will lead to major developmental
breakthroughs and convergence prod-
ucts that transcend traditional finished
product categories.