marKET Canon Middle East FZ LLC (CME), a subsidiary of Canon Europe, is the Regional headquarters for Canon in the Middle East and North Africa and is based in Dubai, UAE. Canon has been represented in the Middle East for more than 40 years through distributors and partners which has successfully built a solid customer base and significant market share in the region.

In 1998 Canon set up a representative office in Dubai to help partners deliver even more with additional on-the-ground support. By 2001 Canon Middle East had transformed into a full subsidiary with extensive logistics facilities, and in 2002 moved into its spacious new head office at Dubai Internet City, with a rapidly growing staff.

In 2011, Canon Middle East took over responsibility for the markets of East Africa and, in 2013, Canon Middle East set up a subsidiary company in Kenya aimed at reinforcing its ‘closer to customer’ strategy, bringing the brand nearer to both new and existing clients across Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia, Eritrea, Rwanda and Burundi.

Today Canon Middle East manages sales, marketing and technical support activities across 45 countries activities in the Middle East including GCC, Egypt as well as North and East African countries.

achiEvEmEnTSCanon, a global multimedia corporation with more than 75 years of technological expertise, is no stranger to innovation. It consistently ranks among the top five multinational companies in terms of the total number of patents granted annually. The company was recently ranked first among Japanese companies and third overall for the number of US patents awarded by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services in 2012.

Among Canon’s historic contributions to

business technology are the first Japanese-made 10-key calculator which significantly improved on the first fully electronic calculator two years after its invention, and the world’s first inkjet printer using bubble jet technology which the company introduced in 1985.

In recent years Canon has won many accolades, such as the 30th position in Interbrand’s 100 Best Global Brands 2012 after its brand value increased to USD$12,029 million. The company was also ranked third in Interbrand’s ‘Japan’s Best Global Brands 2012’, which is an annual ranking of the 30 most successful Japanese brands and 29th in Interbrand’s Best Global Green Brands. Canon was recognised as Europe’s most trusted camera brand for the twelfth consecutive year by Reader’s Digest in March 2012.

hiSToryIn 1933 a small laboratory dedicated to making high-quality cameras was set up in a simple apartment room in the Roppongi area of Tokyo. At the time, all high-quality cameras were European with the majority coming from Germany. Through hard work and with an enterprising spirit, they eventually succeeded in building a prototype. The following year, in 1935, Japan’s first-ever 35mm focal-planeshutter camera, the Hansa Canon, was born, along with the Canon brand.

In 1950 Canon’s first president, Takeshi Mitarai, went to America for the first time to attend an international trade fair. Having seen modern factories and a high standard of living first hand, upon his return, he built a fireproof factory of steel-reinforced concrete in the Shimomaruko area of Tokyo, which he saw as essential for Canon to succeed in doing business with the world at large. Mitarai also made clear his respect for humanity by

stressing the importance of the San-ji, or Three Selfs spirit, the guiding principle for Canon employees.

In 1955, Canon made its first step into the global market with the opening of a U.S. office in New York City. In 1957, Canon set up its sole European distributor, Canon Europa, inGeneva, Switzerland. By 1967

exports already topped 50% of the company’s total sales.

ProducTThe Canon Group is now one

of the world’s most admired, successful and trusted companies. With more than

75 years of technological expertise, Canon has come a

long way in achieving that vision. Canon has been delivering pioneering

imaging technologies to their customers in Middle East for over 40 years, our product portfolio has become a diverse range of image-based solutions from professional

and personal cameras, broadcast equipment, projectors, scanners, printers, binoculars and calculators, to complex document management software, multi-functional print production devices and cutting edge medical equipment – all supported by a range of consultative and value added services.

Following the success of the first APS-H-size CMOS image sensor and the world’s largest CMOS image sensor, in 2012, Canon launched the world’s smallest and lightest full frame DSLR, the EOS 6D featuring a 20.2 Megapixel Full-Frame CMOS sensor, a wide ISO range of 100-25600, expandable to L: 50, H1: 51200, and H2: 102400, for incredible image quality even in low light, and a DIGIC 5+ Image Processor delivers enhanced noise reduction and exceptional processing speed.

The Cinema EOS System now features four cameras and nine EF Cinema Lenses offering the benefits of Canon technologies and knowhow to the motion picture, television and high-resolution production industries. In 2012, Canon launched the world’s first 4K DSLR - the EOS-1DC expanding the Cinema EOS range into the world of 4K with the European arrival of the EOS C500.

On the business imaging front, the company launched a new compact desktop scanner aimed at small offices and corporate departments who need a reliable cost-effective scanning solution. The Canon imageFORMULA DR-C120 offers fast and easy scanning, and features a suite of powerful software that helps businesses to reliably scan and convert documents into existing workflows and to the cloud.

18

Superbrands - Saudi Arabia Vol 1 - Book.indb 18 28/05/2014 07:57

Canon unveiled the Canon imagePROGRAF MFP M40 Solution ideal for large format printing, scanning, archiving and sharing of colour and black and white documents.

Themed around the Power to Inspire, the XEED installation models, the XEED SX6000 and the WX6000 projectors offer high brightness (6000 and 5700 lumens respectively), a range of lens options – including a new Ultra Long Zoom lens.

Such is Canon’s reputation as a trustworthy innovator that many customers will insist on the brand for a whole range of items. Clearly this puts the company in a very strong market position.

rEcEnT dEvEloPmEnTSFor a company that enjoys over 2,000 patents granted each year, innovation undoubtedly will be at its core.

Canon will continue to lead the future of photography, with the development of the revolutionary Cinema EOS system and innovative DSC and DSLR technologies, delivering a complete range of high quality products from image capture to image output, for consumers and professionals.

Canon is leading the way by offering a range of solution that go right from input through cameras, to output through printers. Canon’s integrated cross media imaging solutions enable connectivity across different technology components including Canon’s own devices as well as other devices such as smart phones and tablets, Wi-Fi and cloud enabled devices.

The recently launched second generation imageRUNNER ADVANCE C5200 series represents an example of cloud connectivity at Canon. The series provides a unique set of capabilities from improved access control, personalisation, service efficiency, print publishing and mobile and cloud connectivity.

In the medical imaging segment, Canon will focus on two areas – radiography and eye care. With the ‘Power of Image’ embedded at the heart of the brand, the digital imaging excellence developed in Canon EOS cameras has been incorporated into digital retinal cameras.

In the wide format printing segment, Canon will offer customers the right set of tools, processes and services to provide their customers with flexible wide format solutions.

Canon has recently ventured into the network security camera business and launched a full range of IP (internet protocol) cameras at Intersec 2013, the Middle East’s largest and most comprehensive

exhibition and conference for security, safety and fire protection in the Middle East.

Other innovations from Canon include the introduction of the Interactive Mixed Reality, a visual experience that combines the real and virtual worlds in real-time in which the user not only ‘sees’ images in a visual space, but also controls and creates them.

Canon in fact invests more than 9% of annual sales in R&D, which is being conducted in its facilities worldwide. Canon’s R&D program has helped it develop and introduce a wide array of technology solutions, incorporating new product features and specifications that meet customer’s changing needs.

PromoTionCanon believes in the power of image: the power to communicate quickly and easily, to convey the slightest of subtleties, to elicit the strongest emotions and to simplify the most complex of tasks.

Canon has aligned itself with a wide range of high-profile activities, from advertising campaigns to key cultural and sporting sponsorships, and events and exhibitions such as the London Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week. Canon is also the Official Imaging Partner of British Fashion Council and is a Principal Partner of the Berlinale Talent Campus and a Worldwide Partner of World Press Photo and also an active sponsor of Visa Pour L’Image – photojournalism festival

In the Middle East, Canon Middle East has partnered with the region’s leading photographic event, Gulf Photo Plus to provide local talent with the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s most internationally acclaimed photographers.

Canon Middle East supports initiatives developed to encourage talented photographers and film makers across schools in the region such as the Shutter Campaign, an annual photography competition, to offer young photographers an opportunity to learn from industry leaders and showcase their work and Youth Film Makers, a non-profit organisation in Kenya, establish film clubs at high schools across Africa by donating its state-of-the-art film making equipment.

brand valuESToday, Canon are as passionate as ever about helping customers to realise their own passion for the power of image

Their brand platform ‘You Can’ captures the

essence of the brand and is designed to inspire customers to explore their creativity and be empowered by their technologies. With Canon – You Can.

The corporate philosophy of Canon is kyosei. A concise definition of this word would be “Living and working together for the common good”. It governs the way they treat and respect the environment through more efficient design, energy saving, effective recycling and sustainable thinking.

Canon’s goal is to contribute to the prosperity of the world and the happiness of humanity which will lead to continuing growth and bring the world closer to achieving kyosei.

The company supports youth orientated projects run by the Red Cross in the EMEA across sixteen European countries since 2006.

Canon has tied up with key environmental agencies such as Emirates Wildlife Society and launched campaigns such as the Toner Recycling Programme to contribute to environmental awareness and sustainable business practices.

Canon Middle East supplied the Emirates Environmental Group a total of 80 kilos of used paper materials from its Gulf Print participation in March 2011 to help in EEG’s ‘Plant a Tree’ campaign, which required 200 kilos of paper to plant a tree

www.canon-me.com

Things you didn’t know aboutcanon

Canon was the first Japanese company to set up at Dubai Internet City.

Over 80 high profile international figures including Angelina Jolie, Kate Moss, Nicole Kidman, Moby, Eric Cantona and David Coulthard contributed images of ‘what inspires them’ taken on the Canon Digital IXUS camera.

Ink jet printing technology was discovered by a Canon researcher who noticed that heat, rather than pressure, could be used to shoot ink from a cartridge after a hot soldering iron accidentally touched the needle of an ink-filled syringe and ink sprayed out.

Canon spends more than 8% of its total annual sales worldwide in Research and Development annually.

Canon develops all the technologies and the designs it applies in their products internally except for their LV projectors

In 1986 Canon became the world’s first company to introduce still video camera and video system

In 1995 Canon introduced the world’s first fully solar-powered camera

In 2008 Canon launched the first camera ever to incorporate full HD video, EOS 5D Mark II

Superbrands - Saudi Arabia Vol 1 - Book.indb 19 28/05/2014 07:57