LBPs: Growing Applications for Minolta Imaging Technologies
The most important characteristics of LBPs are image quality, printing speed, and
quietness of
operation. LBPs use laser beams to transfer data input from a computer onto a
photoconductor
drum. LBPs are generally superior to products using other printing methods with regard to
image
quality and are also speedier and quieter. Using many of the technologies it had
accumulated in
the course of its copier business, Minolta introduced its first LBP in 1984. We are
continually
developing faster and increasingly compact models that are easy to use.
Personalized Attention to Market Needs on a Global Scale
Complementing its objectives of creating dependable products and providing
high-quality,
customer-oriented services, Minolta has steadily worked to strengthen and upgrade its
marketing network.
In Japan, Minolta Sales Co., Ltd. and the many regional Minolta Techno Service
companies
have expanded their marketing networks for business equipment, while Minolta Camera
Sales Co., Ltd., has broadened its marketing network for optical products. All these
companies have striven to supply conscientious and prompt after-sales services.
We were among the first Japanese manufacturers to establish marketing subsidiaries
overseas,
creating U.S.-based Minolta Corporation in 1959 and Germany-based Minolta GmbH in 1965.
These companies have directly marketed Minolta products, primarily image information and
optical products, and offered rapid-response services in line with customer needs.
Minolta's marketing network has subsequently grown to include subsidiaries based in
many
countries around the world.
Minolta is expanding its presence in China, where demand for cameras and business
equipment
is rising quickly, and is the first Japanese manufacturer of cameras or business equipment
to
establish local joint ventures with marketing operations, in Shanghai and Wuhan. We are
now
conducting a full range of operations in China, from product planning through
manufacturing,
marketing, and the provision of after-sales services.
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Since its establishment in 1928, Minolta Co.,
Ltd., has acquired a wide range of technological strengths, particularly related to light, which the Company has used to steadily increase the scale of its operations. Minolta's domestic and overseas operating environments are changing rapidly, however, and the future success of the Company will depend on its ability to anticipate and rapidly respond to important new trends and needs. |
| For some time now, the Company has
been responding to the dawning of the information age by using combinations of optical, electronics, and precision machinery technologies to develop diverse types of office automation (OA) equipment. In July 1994, to reflect the broadening range of the Company's operations, the corporate name was changed from Minolta Camera Co., Ltd., to Minolta Co., Ltd. While continuing to build on our traditional strengths, we have entered a second major developmental phase in which we are creating numerous new traditions. The corporate name change reflects this transition. Minolta's product development strengths are based on an array of special expertise in leading-edge optical, sensing, mechatronic, and imaging technologies, which are extensively used in image information products, optical products, and radiometric instruments. As a result, Minolta products-including copiers, laser beam printers (LBPs), facsimile units, micrographic equipment, and digital image inputting devices as well as cameras-have earned a worldwide reputation for superior performance and dependability. To further expand its operations in the future, the Company will continue making the most of its accumulated technologies as it works to develop new types of products with a strong emphasis on customers'perspectives. In addition to broadening the range of products it supplies, Minolta is progressively globalizing its operations. With approximately 75% of its sales in markets outside Japan, the Company has established an overseas network of about 70 manufacturing facilities and sales offices. All the components of this network are working to strengthen their local roots and contribute to the development of surrounding regions. We intend to utilize our overseas network to augment our interactive communications and our cultural integration with local communities. Furthermore, standards of corporate citizenship for leading international companies are becoming higher, and Minolta has kept abreast of these standards by making numerous social contributions. The Company has energetically taken the initiative with regard to the global environment by introducing environmental protection measures at each stage of its operations, including development, manufacturing, and marketing. Our environmental protection initiatives have been highly praised in Japan and overseas, as reflected in the 1992 receipt by one of our copiers of the German Blue Angel Mark, one of the strictest standards for judging environment friendliness. Looking to the future, Minolta has adopted a new articulation of its corporate mission. First, the Company aims to contribute to the global community by creating ever greater value and excellence. Responding to the demands of the coming decade, we plan to help build a more enriched society by offering superior products and services and complementing them with additional benefits. Second, Minolta is dedicating itself to creating and implementing vision-oriented management strategies designed to ensure the Company's ability to maintain the stable development of the Minolta Group while fulfilling its responsibilities to employees, shareholders, and associated companies. We are aiming to structure our R&D, manufacturing, and marketing activities in a way that is conducive to our goal of satisfying customers' desires for attractive and dependable products. Accordingly, we are stepping up our emphasis on understanding customers' needs and redoubling efforts to provide the requisite kind of innovative products and diligent service. We believe our dedication in this regard will prove to be the key to our corporate brilliance throughout the coming century.
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