Canon

Our Business

Canon (UK) Ltd is the UK marketing and sales operation for the global company – Canon Inc – based in Tokyo, Japan.  In the UK and Ireland Canon currently employs around 2,000 people in various locations including the head office in Surrey, London, Birmingham, Livingston (Scotland) and Belfast.

The main business focus for Canon (UK) Ltd is in two clearly defined market segments:

• Business Imaging covering both the office and professional printing environments including: multifunctional printers, IT consultation, photocopiers, printers, large format printers, fax machines, document management hardware and software, solutions and services.
• Consumer Imaging – input solutions such as;film and digital SLR cameras, digital still compact cameras, camcorders, binoculars, calculators and scanners; and output solutions -inkjet and laser printers, faxes, desktop all-in-ones and multimedia projectors.

In addition to our business and consumer operations, Canon’s Broadcast Division is an extension of our product portfolio covering the supply and servicing of professional lenses and their accessories to the Television Broadcasting industry.

Heritage

Canon’s success story began in Japan in the 1930s, when a small group of enthusiastic scientists set out to establish their presence in camera technology. The company first established a presence in the UK in 1976. At that time its activities were confined to the sale of calculators, micrographic equipment, copiers and similar products for the business market.

In 1982 a separate camera sales operation was merged to form Canon (UK) Ltd, and since then the company has grown to become a world-leading provider of market-driven digital imaging solutions for the office and home environments.

Company philosophy – “Kyosei”

In 1988, one year after celebrating its 50th anniversary, Canon first adopted  “kyosei” meaning “living and working together for the common good” as the corporate philosophy. Nowhere is this better reflected than at Canon’s UK headquarters at Woodhatch near Reigate in Surrey where the emphasis is strongly on achieving greater harmony between individuals and their working environment.

Our Headquarters

Canon invested more than £21 million in the construction of its UK Headquarters at Woodhatch, Surrey, and the building was officially opened by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in April 2000. The purpose-built head office fuses visually stunning architecture with the latest in business solutions technology. The environmentally friendly building is landscaped to blend into the natural slope of a hill, preserving existing meadowland and tree areas.

The concept of energy conservation was adopted from the outset, with the recycling of demolition material and the preservation of the original site. Solar panels generate up to 35kw of power, and energy is further conserved through various features, including a natural air conditioning system and the use of special heat-absorbing concrete.

Designed to showcase the company’s cutting edge products, the building is not only a landmark but also a symbol that represents everything Canon values – a “living showroom”.

Awards
Woodhatch is the recipient of nine awards including the Royal Fine Art Commission Trust 2001 Building of the Year Award, and the project also achieved the highest rating by BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) for its energy saving initiatives.   This impressive building made such an impact in its own community that it won The Reigate Society Award 2000.

Other awards received were:

• The Civic Trust Award 2001
• British Council for Offices (Best Corporate Workplace 2000)
• British Institute of Facility Managers (Green Office of the Year Award 1999)
• Institution of Structural Engineers (Structural Award 2000)
• Brick Awards 2000 (encompassing Best Commercial Building and Landscape Project)
• Times/Gestetner Digital Office Collection 2000