Canon Inc. facts for kids
Logo since 1956
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Headquarters in Ōta, Tokyo
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Native name
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キヤノン株式会社
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Romanized name
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Kyanon kabushiki gaisha |
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| Traded as |
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| Industry | Electronics |
| Founded | 10 August 1937 (as Precision Optical Industry Co. Ltd. [精機光學研究所, Seikikōgaku kenkyūsho]) Tokyo, Japan |
| Founder |
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| Headquarters | Shimomaruko,
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Japan
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Fujio Mitarai (Chairman & CEO) |
| Products |
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| Revenue | ¥4.03 trillion (US$30.31 billion) (2022) |
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Operating income
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¥353.4 billion (US$2.66 billion) (2022) |
| ¥352.4 billion (US$2.65 billion) (2022) | |
| Total assets | ¥5.1 trillion (US$38.31 billion) (2022) |
| Total equity | ¥3.11 trillion (US$23.41 billion) (2022) |
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Number of employees
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184,034 (2021) |
| Divisions | Office Business Unit, Consumer Business Unit, Industry and Others Business Unit |
| Subsidiaries |
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Canon Inc. is a big Japanese company based in Ōta, Tokyo. They are famous for making awesome cameras, printers, and other cool electronic gadgets. You've probably seen their cameras or used their printers at school or home!
Canon is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. This means you can buy shares of the company there.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The company started with a different name: Seikikōgaku kenkyūsho. This means "Precision Optical Laboratory" in Japanese.
In 1934, they made a special camera called the Kwanon. It was a test model for Japan's first 35mm camera. Later, in 1947, the company changed its name to Canon Camera Co., Inc.. Then, in 1969, it became simply Canon Inc..
The name Canon comes from Kannon, a Buddhist goddess. She is known for her kindness and mercy.
Canon's Journey Through Time
The Early Years (1933–1970)
Canon began in 1933 as the Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory'. It was founded by Takeshi Mitarai, Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida, and Takeo Maeda. In 1937, it became a company called Precision Optical Instruments, Co., Ltd..
In the beginning, Canon didn't make its own camera lenses. They used lenses from another company, Nippon Kogaku K.K., which later became Nikon.
- Between 1933 and 1936, they created the 'Kwanon' camera. It was Japan's first 35mm camera with a special shutter.
- In 1940, Canon made Japan's first X-ray camera.
- They introduced a zoom lens for TV broadcasting in 1958.
- In 1959, they launched the Reflex Zoom 8 and the Canon Canonflex camera.
- The Canon 7 camera and a very fast lens came out in 1961.
- In 1964, Canon made the 'Canola 130'. This was the first Japanese 10-key calculator.
- The Canon Pellix SLR camera was introduced in 1965. It had a special mirror that let you take pictures right through it!
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A logo from 1934 depicting Bodhisattva Kwan'on
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Kwanon camera (replica) with the Kasyapa lens
Kwanon camera (replica) with the Kasyapa lens
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Hansa Canon with the Nikkor 50mm f/3.5 lens
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Canon 7 with the Canon 50mm f/0.95 lens
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Canon Canonet QL G-III 17
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Canon Pellix
Growing Bigger (1970–2009)
- In 1971, Canon released the Canon F-1, a high-quality SLR camera.
- The Canon AE-1 came out in 1976. It was the first camera with a tiny computer inside!
- Canon started making Inkjet printers in 1985.
- In 1987, they launched the Canon EOS camera system. EOS stands for "Electro-Optical System." It was named after the Greek goddess of the dawn.
- The Canon Foundation was also started in 1987 to support good causes.
- In 1992, Canon launched the Canon EOS 5. This was the first camera where you could control the focus with your eye! They also made their first digital camera, the PowerShot 600.
- In 1995, Canon introduced the first camera lens with built-in image stabilization. This helps keep your photos from looking blurry.
- They entered the digital video camcorder market in 1997.
- In 2005, Canon released its first high-definition camcorder.
- In 2009, Canon bought a Dutch printer company called Océ. This helped them become even bigger in the printing world.
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A Canon F1
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A Canon AE-1
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A Canon AV-1
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A Canon EOS 650
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An original Canon Digital IXUS
Modern Times (2010–Present)
- In 2010, Canon bought Tereck Office Solutions, Inc.
- Canon got its own internet address, .canon, in 2015.
- By 2012, Canon had a big share of the market for printers and copiers.
- In 2013, Canon USA moved into a huge new headquarters in New York.
- Canon bought Milestone Systems in 2014, a company that makes software for video surveillance.
- In 2015, Canon bought Axis Communications, a Swedish company known for security cameras.
- They also acquired Lifecake, a photo-sharing app, in 2015.
- In 2016, Canon bought Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation for a lot of money. This helped them grow in medical equipment.
- In 2020, Canon had its first quarterly loss ever because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In 2023, Canon introduced new manufacturing systems. They claim these systems can make tiny computer circuits, similar to 5 nanometer scale.
Canon's Products
Canon makes many different products. Here are some of the main ones:
- Cameras: This includes small digital cameras, video cameras, and advanced DSLR cameras.
- Camcorders: For recording videos.
- Lenses: Special glass parts that attach to cameras to take different kinds of pictures.
- Printers: From small home printers to big ones for businesses.
- Scanners: To turn paper documents or photos into digital files.
- Photocopiers: Machines that make copies of documents.
- Binoculars: For seeing things far away.
- Medical Equipment: Like X-ray machines and ultrasound scanners for hospitals.
- Calculators: For doing math.
Digital Cameras
Canon has been making digital cameras since 1984. Their first was the RC-701. Later, they created the popular PowerShot and Digital IXUS series. They also have the EOS series, which includes professional DSLR cameras.
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Canon EOS R5
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Canon EOS-1D X Mark II
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Canon PowerShot G15
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Canon Ixus 240 HS
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Printers
For many years, Canon made the important parts inside laser printers for other companies like Apple and HP.
After buying Océ in 2010, Canon continued to make printing systems. The company Océ was officially renamed Canon Production Printing in 2020.
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A Canon wide-format printer
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A Canon large-format printer
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Canon i-Sensys MF237w
Scanners
Canon makes many types of scanners. These include flatbed scanners for documents and photos. Some Canon scanners can even be powered just by a USB cable!
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A Canon CanoScan 9950F scanner
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A Canon CanoScan LiDE40
Calculators
Canon has made many calculators over the years. This includes handheld, desktop, and scientific calculators. One famous model was the 1964 Canola 130. It had 13 digits, which was important for banks in Japan.
Manufacturing Equipment
Canon is also a top maker of equipment used to create semiconductors and displays. These are tiny parts found in almost all electronic devices.
How Canon Works
As of 2020, Canon has four main business groups:
- Office Business Unit: This group makes copying machines, big printers, and laser printers.
- Imaging System Business Unit: This group creates cameras, camcorders, lenses, and image scanners.
- Medical System Business Unit: This group focuses on medical equipment like X-ray and ultrasound scanners.
- Industry and Others Business Unit: This group makes things like computer parts, special screens, and network cameras.
Canon's main headquarters is in Tokyo, Japan. They also have offices all over the world, including in America, Europe, and Asia.
Canon spends a lot of money on research and development. This helps them invent new and better products. In 2011, Canon received many patents in the United States, showing how much they invent.
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Canon world headquarters in Tokyo
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The Canon Marketing building in Makuhari, Japan
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The Canon S Tower in Konan, Minato, Tokyo
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Canonhuset in Frösunda, Sweden
Caring for the Environment
Canon is known for being a climate-friendly company. They try to make products that are better for the environment. For example, they have "Green Calculators" made from recycled Canon copiers.
Canon also has an environmental plan. It focuses on making products that use fewer resources. They also work to avoid activities that could harm people or the environment.
Helping Others
Canon also does good deeds! In 2008, they gave money to help people affected by an earthquake in China. They have also partnered with the Red Cross to support youth projects in Europe.
Sponsorships
Canon has sponsored many sports teams and events:
- From 1983 to 1986, they sponsored the English football league, which was called The Canon League.
- They sponsored the Italian football club Hellas Verona FC from 1982 to 1986.
- From 1967 to 2003, Canon sponsored the Greater Hartford Open golf tournament.
- In Formula One racing, Canon sponsored the Williams team from 1985 to 1993. During this time, Williams won many championships!
- They also sponsored the South Sydney Rabbitohs rugby team from 1994 to 1997.
- Since 2006, Canon has helped the Red Cross by giving money and equipment.
- Canon Europe has worked with World Press Photo for many years. This group helps promote great photography.
- Canon Asia has sponsored photo competitions and a TV show called Photo Face-Off.
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AE-1 Film Camera. AE stood for Automatic Exposure.
See also
In Spanish: Canon Inc. para niños
- Canon Open
- Nikon
