Cannon history

The replacement project was authorized by the NH legislation in 1977 after a study by consulting engineer Robert Heron proved the project feasible.

In July 1978, a contract for the replacement project was awarded to Nuova Agudio.

Established in 1979, Canon Singapore Pte.

In February 1980, the tramway successfully passed a series of stringent operational tests conducted by Nuova Agudio and was approved for passenger traffic by the State of NH.

In 1982 Canon introduced the first personal copier, so called because all the essential reproduction components were contained in a cartridge that users could replace themselves.

Later in the decade, the company’s optical chip efforts paid off when former Apple chief Steven Jobs chose Canon’s chips for his new NeXT computer. It began a research push aimed at developing optical integrated circuits for personal computers of the future, and in 1984 Canon Sales started marketing the Apple Macintosh in Japan.

In the meantime, Canon began a long-running partnership with Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) in 1985 when the two companies teamed up to develop HP's top-selling line of LaserJet printers.

Then, in 1988, the 51st anniversary of the company's founding, Canon announced its second inauguration and unveiled its corporate philosophy of kyosei, an unfamiliar term at the time.

In 1989 Canon acquired a 16.7 percent interest in NeXT Incorporated, along with the exclusive right to market the NeXT in Asia, for $100 million.

Following an exceptional year in 1990 that saw a 27.9 percent increase in sales (to $12.73 billion) and a near doubling in profits (to $452 million), succeeding years featured slower growth and reduced profits.

In the meantime, however, Fuji had passed Canon as the world’s top camera maker by 1992.

In 1993 the founder's eldest son, Hajime Mitarai, succeeded Kaku as president of Canon, but the new leader died suddenly of pneumonia only two years later.

One big change on the manufacturing side came in 1998, when Canon began replacing the ubiquitous production line centered on a conveyor belt with an assembly process revolving around small groups called "cells," the members of which huddled together to perform multiple tasks.

In 1999 Canon introduced the digital ImageRunner copiers, which were smarter, more reliable, and faster than the comparable machines of its competitors.

At the same time, Mitarai did not skimp on research and development, investing about 7.5 percent of net sales each year, or ¥218.62 billion ($1.66 billion) in 2001, for example, to keep churning out new products and improving existing ones.

Koyama, Takashi, "Strong Leadership, Top Tech Mean Healthy Canon Inc.," Nikkei Weekly, March 18, 2002.

After merging with the local sales and marketing company (Canon Marketing (Singapore) Pte Ltd) on 1st January 2004 it now oversees both regional and domestic activities in Singapore.

Because of the time commitment involved in this prestigious post, Mitarai announced that he would step down as president in mid-2006, while remaining chairman.