Company Overview

• Precision Optical Industry, Co., Ltd., the predecessor of Canon Inc., was founded in 1937. The Canon Group now employs over 190,000 people globally and is made up of 256 subsidiaries and affiliated companies.
• Canon’s corporate philosophy is Kyosei – ‘living and working together for the common good’.
• Canon Europe was established in 1957 and employs over 18,000 people,and serves customers in more than 110 countries across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Company Milestones

2011 - Canon enters the motion picture production industry with the launch of the Cinema EOS System. Canon also enters the production photo printing market with the launch of the DreamLabo 5000 production inkjet printer.
2010 - Canon Europe hosts Canon EXPO 2010 Paris, an exclusive showcase of innovative solutions for today and for the future
2009 - Canon celebrates 50year anniversary of the SLR
2007 - Canon Europe celebrates 50 years in Europe at Grimaldi Forum in Monaco
2005 - Canon EXPO in Paris showcases Canon technology innovation which is shaping the way we do business and empowering imaging communication
2004 - Canon Europe is the largest sales revenue earner in the Canon Group delivering about a third of the global revenue
2001 - Canon Europe Ltd. is established in London as the strategic headquarters for Europe, working alongside the operational headquarters in Canon Europa N.V. in the Netherlands
1990 - Canon Information Systems R&D Europe Ltd. (Today, Canon Research France S.A.S) is established
1987 - Canon Foundation is established to provide assistance for research in mutual understanding between Japan and Europe
1983 - Canon Bretagne S.A. is established in France
1972 - Canon Giessen GmbH, Canon’s first European manufacturing site, is established in Germany
1968 - Canon Business Machines Sales, Inc. and Canon Amsterdam N.V. (Today, Canon Europa N.V.) is established
1957 - Canon Europa, a sole European distributor, is established in Geneva.

Discover more about the Canon global group

Brand Values

• Canon’s Brand Promise is to help people realise the Power of Image.
• Canon's European Brand Strapline, You Can, is designed to inspire and encourage our customers to realise the Power of Image.
• The name Canon was derived from ‘Kwanon’, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.

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Industry Recognition

• Canon has been awarded Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Camera Brand in Europe for 11 consecutive years.
• Canon was ranked 33rd in Business Week's Best Global Brands.
• Canon was ranked 3rd in Interbrand's Japan’s Best Global Brands.
• Canon was ranked 5th in the Fortune World’s Most Admired Companies 2011 Industry ranking (‘Computers’ category).

Financial strength

• Shares of Canon Inc. are listed at the following stock exchanges: Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sapporo and New York.
• Canon Europe contributes approximately a third of the company’s global revenue.
• For Canon’s latest financial results, please click here.

Research & Development

• In 2010, the company invested approximately 8.5% of sales in R&D annually worldwide.
• Canon is ranked 4th for number of patents granted in the United States.
• Canon has ranked among the top 10 U.S patent recipients since 1984 (a 27-year period).
• Canon has ranked among the top 5 U.S patent recipients from 1992 to 2010 (a 19-year period).
• Canon has ranked among the top 3 U.S patent recipients in 21 of last 24 years.

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Sustainability and Canon

*Sustainability

- For Canon, sustainability covers the three pillars of environment, society and economy
- Canon has achieved global ISO 14001 certification since 2007, recognising our commitment to rigorous environmental management
- Canon has a global, closed loop toner cartridge recycling programme, covering 16 countries in Europe
- We use recycled Canon materials in products such as calculators and our imageRUNNER ADVANCE multifunctionals
- We developed a bioplastic (with Toray Industries) that has achieved the highest flame retardance rating
- The majority of Canon’s products in scope qualify for ENERGY STAR®
- Canon Europe has a long-standing partnership with WWF and the Red Cross, with whom Canon national sales organisations are encouraged to work locally
- Canon requires employees to comply with the Canon Group Code of Conduct and with policies such as anti-bribery and corruption; social media; and gifts and entertainment policies
- Canon Europe supports employee career development with regular appraisals and learning and development opportunities
- Canon protects our brand and reputation through initiatives such as filing patents; removing fake articles from the market through anti-counterfeiting initiatives; and monitoring suppliers to ensure they comply with our green procurement programme

* Sponsorship

- Canon Europe’s ongoing conservation partnership with WWF began in 1998. We continue to support initiatives such as the WWF-Canon Photo Gallery and flagship conservation projects in the Arctic region. Our partnership allows us to use the power of imagery to raise awareness of environment issues and climate change.

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Gender Pay Gap

As of April 6th 2018, companies with more than 250 employees are required by law to publish figures showing the difference between the average earnings of men and women employees.

Canon UK’s Gender Pay Gap Report