Canon 2008 Annual Report Download - page 7

5
s
ophisticated actions that will enable them to per
f
orm more
comp
l
ex assem
bl
y wor
k.
Canon
p
romotes the in-house
p
roduction of
p
arts as a
s
trate
gy
for innovation and increasin
g
profi tabilit
y
. In-house
p
roduction leads to the accumulation of technolo
g
ical know
-
how as well as hi
g
her qualit
y
and lower costs. In 2008, the
Compan
y
raised the ratio of in-house production of ke
y
p
arts, suc
h
as e
l
ectrop
h
otograp
h
ic an
d
optica
l
parts, as we
ll
as meta
l
mo
ld
s.
Canon’s g
l
o
b
a
ll
y optimize
d
pro
d
uction system is a new
p
ro
d
uction strategy t
h
at compre
h
ensive
l
y consi
d
ers suc
h
factors as consumer markets, emplo
y
ment conditions and
transportation costs. Canon Vir
g
inia, Inc. in the United States
has initiated the construction of a new
p
lant in which we will
b
uild an inte
g
rated s
y
stem that manufactures, sells, recovers
and rec
y
cles toner cartrid
g
es.
In or
d
er to
l
aunc
h
b
usinesses in a time
l
y manner a
h
ea
d
o
f
the market, it is essential that Canon possess the techno-
l
ogica
l
capacity to
d
eve
l
op tec
h
no
l
ogies t
h
at wi
ll
serve as
s
eeds
f
or promising
f
uture businesses. As a measure to
s
tren
g
then the R&D s
y
stem, in 2009 Canon established its
Corporate R&D Headquarters. Alon
g
with the appointment
o
f Dr. T
os
hi
a
ki Ik
o
m
a
as
Ex
ecut
iv
e
Vi
ce
Pr
es
i
de
n
t
a
n
d
C
hi
e
f
T
echnical Offi cer, Canon has taken ste
p
s to consolidate its
R
&D Divisions and will
f
orti
f
y upstream technological re-
s
earch and speed up the promotion o
f
new domains. As a
r
esult, we will achieve greater e
ffi
ciency through the selec-
tion and concentration o
f
research themes, and investments
in R&D wi
ll
a
l
so contri
b
ute.
In addition, Canon is stren
g
thenin
g
and increasin
g
the
b
usiness autonom
y
of Group companies while fortif
y
in
g
its
g
lobal sales s
y
stem
.
T
owar
d
a Tru
l
y Exce
ll
ent G
l
o
b
a
l
Compan
y
Fina
ll
y, in or
d
er to
b
ecome a tru
l
y exce
ll
ent g
l
o
b
a
l
company
that sustains growth and continues to thrive
f
or 100 or even
2
00 years, it is essentia
l
t
h
at we
d
eve
l
op our management
r
esources. Canon will pass on its DNA—respect
f
or human
d
i
g
nit
y
, an emphasis on technolo
gy
, and an enterprisin
g
s
pirit—to the next
g
eneration of mana
g
ers and implement
p
ractical human resource development trainin
g
that will also
apply to its executive o
ffi
cer system. Canon will also redouble
i
ts e
ff
orts to contribute to society. The presence o
f
a truly
excellent
g
lobal compan
y
must be welcome—even in fi elds
outside of its direct business activities. Therefore, we will
f
ulfi ll our social responsibilities as a
g
ood corporate citizen
.
One of those responsibilities is that of strikin
g
an opti-
m
al balance between business o
p
erations and environmental
conservation. W
h
i
l
e Canon reexamines its
b
usiness processes
and thoroughly eliminates waste that a
ff
ects the environment,
the Company will enhance the environmental per
f
ormance
o
f
its products and continuously innovate in a wide range o
f
fi
elds, includin
g
materials and desi
g
n. In addition, as a
g
lobal
compan
y
, Canon established the Canon Institute for Global
S
tudies and the Canon Foundation in 2008 with the
g
oal of
contributin
g
to the
g
lobal communit
y
. These institutions
anal
y
ze important issues pertainin
g
to the world’s future,
disseminate in
f
ormation, and broadly support groups and
i
n
d
ivi
d
ua
l
s invo
l
ve
d
in aca
d
emic researc
h
, inc
l
u
d
ing in science
an
d
tec
h
no
l
ogy areas, as we
ll
as cu
l
tura
l
researc
h
,
b
usiness
and education in the areas o
f
technology.
T
he economic crisis has had a ma
j
or impact throu
g
hout the
world and a
g
reat man
y
uncertainties lie ahead. Neverthe
-
l
ess,
g
uided b
y
the strate
g
ies of Phase III of our Excellent
Global Corporation Plan, Canon will make a shi
f
t back to
achieving increased revenue and earnings, speci
fi
cally, net
s
ales o
f
¥3
,
700 billion or more and net income o
f
¥150
b
illion or more by
fi
scal 2010, the
fi
nal year o
f
Phase III.
T
herea
f
ter in the three-year period to
fi
scal 2012, the
C
ompan
y
will work dili
g
entl
y
toward buildin
g
a corporate
s
tructure that is capable of achievin
g
the level of sales and
p
rofi ts necessar
y
to surpass its fi scal 2008 performance
b
ased on current forei
g
n currenc
y
exchan
g
e rates
.
I would like to thank ever
y
one
f
or their continued
u
n
d
erstan
d
ing an
d
support.
Chairman
and
CEO
Ca
n
o
n In
c.