Above: Canon Chairman and CEO Fujio Mitarai delivers the keynote address.
Canon EXPO 2023, October 18–20, took place at Pacifico Yokohama North with the theme of “Future Focused. Always.”
Canon EXPO was first held in 2000 as an exhibition to showcase the Canon Group’s vision for the 21st century, aiming to be a leading company of the century. Since then, Canon EXPO has been held every five years. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Tokyo Olympics (with Canon as a sponsor), there was a gap, making this the fifth event and the first since 2015.
Before the exhibition, Canon Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Fujio Mitarai delivered a keynote speech on October 17 at the Tokyo International Forum, inviting approximately 5,000 executives representing customers and partners. He spoke about the significance of holding the Canon EXPO in 2023, the challenges the world and Japan are facing, and how Canon can provide value to society. Mitarai stated that the year 2023 is one of big global transformation, and explained Canon’s business vision, direction of business, products, and technology with the following four principals:
- Maintenance of World Peace: Changes by force are never permissible.
- Reconstruction of Globalization: The world economy has been increasingly divided since the 2008 Lehman shock. The biggest division is the conflict between the U.S. and China. However, global economic development goes hand in hand with globalization. Eventually, there will be a need to reconstruct globalization.
- The Way of Capitalism: The top priority for companies is to produce profit by offering new value to society and solving societal issues through their business. While it’s essential to value stakeholders, it’s also crucial to cherish the employees working in the company. Canon respects humanity and honors the management policies of acquired companies after M&A.
- Realization of Well-being: This refers to a state of complete physical and mental happiness. Mitari explained that while we live in an era often termed the “100-year life,” it’s vital to prioritize healthy longevity. From this perspective, the fields of medicine and health care have infinite growth potential in the 21st century. Canon aims to contribute to global well-being by introducing cutting-edge technology in the medical field.
Pacifico Yokohama site of Canon EXPO 2023.
Canon EXPO 2023 was held at Pacifico Yokohama North, located on the waterfront of Yokohama Minato Mirai. On October 18, a special preview was held for the press and some stakeholders, and an opening ceremony ribbon-cutting event took place.
Left to right, Canon USA President Kazuto Ogawa; Canon China President Hideki Ozawa; Canon Representative Director and Vice President CTO Toshio Homma; Canon Representative Director and Chairman & CEO Fujio Mitarai; Canon Representative Director and Vice President CFO Toshizo Tanaka; Canon Marketing Japan Representative Director and President Masachika Adachi; and Canon Europe President Yuichi Ishizuka.
The exhibition area was divided into the following five thematic areas:
Hill of Core Competence at Canon EXPO 2023
The Canon Group showcased its latest products boasting the competitiveness it has cultivated over the years, arranged by four industry-specific groups: printing, imaging, medical, and industrial. In the printing area, Canon introduced cutting-edge printing technology for home, office, commercial, and industrial applications. This new technology incorporates a recently developed ink circulation mechanism with a high-definition printhead and high-concentration latex ink, achieving high-quality printing at up to 40 meters per minute. It comes standard with white ink, allowing it to print on low-heat-resistant films, and it meets food safety standards, responding to a wide range of label printing needs.
Canon showcased its latest printing, imaging, industrial, and medical products at the Hill of Core Competence.
Canon’s first industrial inkjet label printer for industrial printing, the LabelStream LS2000, will be launched in Japan in August 2024. This machine, capable of printing 170 sheets per minute in A4 size, and 73 sheets per minute in B3 size, achieves high productivity and high-quality printing that rivals offset printing via a newly developed high-definition printhead and high-concentration latex ink.
A compact desktop label printer was also on display. These include two models, a 4-inch and an 8-inch device, both capable of high-definition 1200 dpi output. According to Canon, the 4-inch model is the fastest in the industry. Both are scheduled to be released in 2024.
The next-generation color multifunction device is equipped with a versatile printer that can be used not only for producing internal business documents but also for producing high-quality leaflets and business cards using thick and glossy papers. Traditional multifunction devices with dual-functionality used to be one size larger than office multifunction devices, but the new generation color multifunction device has achieved dual-functionality in the same footprint as Canon’s office-oriented imageRUNNER ADVANCE series. This, too, is planned to be released in 2024.
Solution Square at Canon EXPO 2023
Solution Square where Canon demonstrated its solutions for new styles of work.
Products and services from the four industry-specific groups and their practical applications in society and daily life were introduced. There were also displays of solutions for accelerating workflow, digital transformation, and maintenance services for office multifunction machines and printers. This solution involves embedding remote sensing edge integrated circuits in the bodies of devices such as office multifunction devices, which allows usage status and sensor values to be sent to a control center. This system can predict failures in advance, allowing for proactive service and part replacements. This solution is expected to be practical by 2024.
Holistic Forest at Canon EXPO 2023
Much like individual trees come together to form a forest, the exhibit introduced Canon Group’s unique holistic development environment, where core imaging technologies and product-creating technologies are intricately combined with each other.
Environment at Canon EXPO 2023
Canon’s green platform was introduced with a focus on decarbonization and resource recycling. For example, used Canon multifunction devices are recycled to recover parts made from new recycled plastic (PET raw material), which are then reused in Canon’s own products in a resource circulation that is under development. Techniques that Canon exhibited for its multifunction devices and printers that contribute to the environment include minimizing the heat necessary for toner fixation and reusing toner bottles by suppressing toner contamination.
Spring of Synergy at Canon EXPO 2023
The technology of the Canon Group has a high potential that can be used beyond the boundaries of its four industry-specific groups. In the Spring of Synergy exhibit, examples from areas such as space and advanced medical fields were introduced, as well as technology samples that reorganized the diverse technologies of the Canon Group.
