Canon 2012 Annual Report Download - page 26

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Strategy Business Units MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Financial Section
24
UPGRADING OUR GLOBAL R&D STRUCTURE
Canon’s growth to date has been attributable to employing strong technolo-
gies to develop competitive products, mainly in Japan, and then disseminating
those offerings around the world. Going forward, the Company will expand
and upgrade its R&D organizations in Europe and the; United States, laying the
foundation for the Three Regional Headquarters system that Canon envisions.
In the United States, Canon will set up centers to pursue activities ranging
from research into fundamental technologies in healthcare and other new
business fields to the application of cutting-edge technologies. In Europe, we
will step up R&D in new business fields, spearheaded by existing R&D facilities.
R&D EXPENSES AND PATENTS
Canon is bolstering R&D activities to enable the ongoing development of inno-
vative products and services. In the year under review, R&D expenses amounted
to ¥296.5 billion, down 3.7%, or ¥11.3 billion, from the previous year. The ratio
of R&D expenses to net sales was 8.5%. By segment, the Company allocated ¥99.5
billion (33.6% of total R&D expenses) to the Office Business Unit, ¥84.0 billion
Seeking new possibilities, Canon is establishing an R&D structure spanning Japan, the United

time, Canon will develop the medical and industrial fields into new business pillars.

Terahertz radiation, which lies between radio waves and visible light on the electromagnetic spectrum, make it possible to see the interior of opaque
objects and evaluate their properties. Canon aims to contribute to a diverse array of fields where this technology can be applied, starting with
healthcare, by forging ahead with terahertz imaging research.
2012 Top Ten U.S. Patent Holders
by Company
Sony
CANON
Panasonic
Microsoft
Toshiba
Hon Hai
Precision
Industry
General
Electric
LG
Electronics
IBM*
Samsung
Electronics
3,033
3,179
2,781
2,618
2,448
2,016
1,650
1,631
6,453
5,080
* IBM is an abbreviation for International Business
Machines Corporation.
Note: Number of patents for 2012 based on preliminary
figures released by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services.