Spotlight Seiko Epson: Deep Roots in Electronic Printing
February 14, 2022Seiko Epson makes printers and printing solutions for everywhere from the home to office to large industrial settings, projectors and smart glasses, manufacturing robots, sensors, powders and films for semiconductor and automotive factories, and, last but not least, classic Seiko watches.
Founded in 1941 in Japan, the firm’s first mass market breakthrough came with the launch of the EP-101, an electric printer that opened up a new world of printing for users and sales for the company. It was in the hope of sending future “sons” of the EP out into the world on which the Epson brand was coined in 1975. Since then, the firm has been introducing next generation “sons” to Japan and every country in the world. Seiko Epson’s innovation strategy is based on the idea of co-creation with partners and customers. Using digital tools like artificial intelligence, the firm has built a robust digital innovation platform that connects people, things, and information to co-create solutions that satisfy customer needs.
In the future, the firm is focused on the growth areas of printing, sensing technology (with built-in algorithms that analyze personal information), and implementing sustainable business. Seiko Epson aims to be carbon negative and underground-resource-free by 2050. To this end, it is leading the charge toward sustainability in its inkjet technology line, for example, by reusing, recycling, and implementing distributed offices. The firm is at work innovating the paper on which documents are printed too, replacing raw materials from below-the-ground with new, above-ground sources like grain and recycled paper.
As of 12/31/21, Seiko Epson was not held in the Knowledge Leaders Strategy.