Canon - Taking Hits

Canon of Japan, the world's largest digital camera maker, reported a sharp fall in quarterly profit Wednesday and predicted a two-thirds decline this year, hit by slumping demand for cameras and office equipment and a stronger yen.

"A substantial recovery in the economy is unlikely in 2009. Our operating environment will be even harder this year than it was last year," Masahiro Osawa, Canon's senior managing director in charge of accounting, said at a news conference.

Canon is under attack by a "triple threat" - low demand for camera's, the yen, and Ricoh. The first two, low demand and the yen, effect everyone. Ricoh, because of the acquisition of IKON, has the ability to bend the bullet right at Canon's copier segment.

Lyra Symposium 2009 - Quick Follow Up

The drive down was unexceptional; snow after an hour, still clinging to the roof of the Rover. "You have snow on your car..." says the valet-girl, "yeah, I thought it would melt by now," I respond. 

A quick walk to the registration desk - "Good morning." she greets, "Greg Walters...", I reply. "oh...you're The Death of the Copier guy!" she says. "yes, I am that guy..." Jennifer and Irene greet me and make me feel right at home - right then and there, I decide this is going to be a good show. 

I was not disappointed. 

Walkthrough the door, grab a coffee (coffee flavored coffee) and some fruit and collect my thoughts for the day. This is a show, a symposium, a collection of people with the same interests, here to learn and connect. 

A most human characteristic. 

First, I meet Brian from Lexmark - 13 years with the company, an engineer. A great guy. We talk about the weather here in Palm Springs versus Kentucky - they get ice, we get sun. 

Two gentlemen from WE Soft, Johnson Cheng, General Manager, and Victor Poon, Vice President come in and share a corner of our table. We all chat about this and that and then they ask me what I do...I simply hand them my card, "The Death Of The Copier...I know you, I've been to your site." I must admit, I am flattered and a bit embarrassed every time somebody recognizes my site. 

Cary Kimmel, from WE Soft, joins us while I am handing out cards. He reads, and then gives me "the look" -

"Hey, I am trying to get people into this market, not scare them away. What the heck are you talking about, the death of the copier?" - Cary Kimmel

So it's official, I am in the room for less than 30 minutes, and already defending the name of my blog.

Honestly, I never did "defend" the name, I simply explain - and when a "copier" person thinks about it, I know they get it. I am, after all, a copier guy. Since 1988, I have been to so many shows, symposiums, conventions, I have forgotten more than I remember - the Lyra Symposium kept me awake and attentive during every single presentation. The presentations were engaging and moved along - Lyra is a research company, compiling data on all things printing - statistics (the word still gives me the willie's - delayed stress from my days in college). 

Yet, I understood and "kept up" with the "pasta-charts" and financial diction. I met some great people in our industry and had some really good conversations. Over the next few days, I will re-digest my notes and put together hopefully some interesting articles. 

Jim Lyons was clicking away during the presentations - so he has some really good posts right now. Matt Zimmer VP of Sales from Photizo has a good update, here as well.

Canon to Employees - "Go Home - Make babies..."

"We can go home early and not feel ashamed." - Canon employee, Miwa Iwasaki.

Canon headquarters, along with 1,300 other Japanese companies, are forcing employees to go home early and work on improving the current national birth rate of 1.34. A birth rate of 2.0 is considered "passing".

With an average 12 hour work day going home at 5:30 is going home early for most Japanese workers. On it's own, forcibly being sent home early, is indeed a treat, but being told to go home and make babies - huh?

"Canon has a very strong birth planning program," says the company's spokesman Hiroshi Yoshinaga. "Sending workers home early to be with their families is a part of it."