Wacom 2006 Annual Report Download - page 10

W acom Co., Ltd. Annual Report 2006
9
Electronic Systems and Devices (ESD) Business
D an Casey is one of the world's leading texture
artists and he has a real gift for creating photo-
realistic characters and environments. H e has been
involved in many cutting-edge projects in his career
including major motion pictures such as Final Fantasy
and numerous international award-winning
commercials. He says, “My W acom Cintiq is a vital
part of my workflow. It lets me get into a creative
groove and stay there. I can work right on the pixels
to get exactly the look I want.”
The ESD business segment is primarily dedicated to
the development, manufacture, and sales of pen
tablets, pen sensor components, and related
software. Pen tablets are computer data entry
devices consisting of an electronic pen and a tablet.
Pen sensor components include products such as
electronic pens, sensor boards, and pen sensor
controller ICs. Pen tablets are used in a variety of
fields including illustration, photo editing printing,
film production, medical care, education, and
presentation. As of March 31, 2006, we hold over
490 registered and pending patents worldwide. W e
are the leading company in the tablet market,
commanding 86% of the global market (W acom
estimate) and 96.5% of the domestic market
(Business Computer N ews 2006). W e provide pen
sensor components to nearly every Tablet PC
manufacturer in the world.
By product line, pen tablets are segmented into the
following three categories: professional pen tablets,
consumer pen tablets, and interactive pen displays.
Including pen sensor components, we maintain four
product lines.
W e sell products in four major regions: Japan, N orth
and Latin America, Europe/Middle East/Africa, and
Asia/O ceania. W ith our head office in Japan,
subsidiaries in the United States, Germany, United
Kingdom, China, Korea, Australia, and Singapore
(established in May 2006) and sales offices in cities
such as Taipei and Moscow, we are developing new
markets across the world while expanding our sales
channels. As a result of these efforts, the share of
our overseas sales has continued to grow, reaching
67.9% (on a consolidated basis) for the fiscal year
under review. W e are also developing a supply chain
management (SCM) system on a global basis (refer
to pages 7–8 on our globalization efforts). O ur
commitment to R&D and the enhancement of our
mass production capabilities are strategic responses
to Internet advances and the approaching era of
ubiquitous computing.
D an Casey
texture artist
Information by Segment