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CANON ANNUAL REPORT 2010 7
service. These IT reforms will have a substantial, positive
impact on Canon’s business management.
Continuous Enhancements of Product Quality
Product quality is the lifeline of all manufacturers. Even a
single minor product defect could potentially undermine
the credibility—indeed, the very foundations—of a corpora-
tion. Therefore, we must remain committed to maintaining
and improving the quality of our products across the Canon
Group. Canon has established a comprehensive quality-
information management system spanning all processes,
from design to mass-production. Based on this system, and
by strengthening cooperation throughout the Company, we
will continue to reinforce our structure to prevent critical
product quality problems.
Toward Becoming a Truly Excellent Corporation
In the fi rst year of Phase IV, we will work to further solidify
our business foundation. Meanwhile, we will bolster efforts
to develop human resources to ensure that Canon employ-
ees will be able to function as key players in the global
market. We will train employees entrusted with the future
of Canon by making use of practical settings, including local
sales and production operations worldwide, particularly in
rapidly growing Asian markets.
We will further expand our fi eld of corporate activities.
Accordingly, the need for us to fulfi ll our social responsibilities
will become more important than ever. Under our corporate
philosophy of kyosei, we will continue to promote activities to
reduce the environmental burden of our corporate activities
and products. At the same time, we aim to further bolster our
compliance and internal controls.
Toward the achievement of our 2015 net sales target of
more than ¥5 trillion, we are amassing our Groupwide
strengths. Capitalizing on the sound fi nancial constitution
that we have realized to date, with the courage and convic-
tion to change, we will continue to implement initiatives that
will empower us to realize additional, sustainable growth. We
ask for your continued support and understanding.
effective use of the cameras in photo studios and other
settings. Also, in response to wide-ranging needs for image
output through electrophotographic and inkjet printers, we
will enhance and strengthen our product lineups, from
personal-use to commercial-use models, by promoting a
total printing strategy. Under this strategy, we will target
imaging demand associated with the Internet and a wide
array of input devices. As a fi rst step, anticipating further
growth in the retail photo-fi nishing and commercial printing
markets along with the spread of digital cameras, Canon
will enter the commercial photo printer market.
Aggressive Business Expansion in Emerging Markets
Emerging markets in China, India, ASEAN nations and other
regions are expected to realize further expansion. The
Company is carrying out fi ne-tuned initiatives designed to
accommodate needs specifi c to individual markets and cus-
tomers, from R&D to sales and service. For example, we will
launch products exclusively designed for specifi c markets and
customers, executing sales strategies tailored to the character-
istics of each market.
Targeting Improved Productivity
We are working to establish an optimal global production
structure. Under this structure, we will manufacture prod-
ucts worldwide at the most rational locations as deter-
mined by such factors as cost, logistics, procurement,
quality and workforce. Our focus on improving productivity
through the promotion of automated and in-house produc-
tion also plays an important role within our strategy to
realize optimal global production.
We have signifi cantly enhanced productivity for laser
printer toner cartridges through the automation of several
hundred processes, from parts molding and assembly to
inspection and packaging. We are now working to further
improve the reliability of these automated machines and
realize complete automation, thereby reinforcing our prod-
uct competitiveness.
Through our IT reforms targeting total optimization, we
have carried out a range of initiatives, including the stan-
dardization of 3D-CAD systems and the integration of 3D-
CAD with our product data management (PDM) system.
Such system integration has enabled us to share and use
information throughout the entire product lifecycle, from
procurement, development and production to sales and
Tsuneji Uchida
President and COO
Canon Inc.