Callaway

Canon started out in 1933 as a company with a handful of employees and a burning passion. That company soon became a world-renowned camera maker and is now a global multimedia corporation. However, the origins of our success remain unchanged: the passion of our early years and technological expertise amassed over more than 60 years.

Canon began its operations out of a third-floor apartment in Tokyo under the name of Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory. Its main objective was to produce high-grade cameras that could compete with the German models that were considered the most advanced of the day. Takeshi Mitarai took over as president in 1942 and began laying the foundation for the company's subsequent growth into a global corporation by formulating management policies that became the foundations of the modern Canon. In 1947, President Mitarai changed the company name to Canon Camera Co., Inc. in order to clarify the corporate image by unifying the company and its brand names.

As Canon continued to grow, it realized the need for worldwide locations, which led to the establishment of Canon U.S.A in 1966. Canon U.S.A specializes in office and consumer imaging equipment and now operates in more than 30 offices across North, South, and Central America and in the Caribbean. By the late 1980's, Canon was setting new industry standards for black and white, color, and fax technology. It was at this time that Canon U.S.A. purchased four independent sales companies and formed its subsidiary, Canon Business Solutions, which specializes in the sales, service, and support of Canon's document management technology. The continuous innovation and consistently high quality products produced by Canon, combined with the superior service and support provided by Canon Business Solutions have allowed Canon U.S.A to become one of the "Most Admired Companies in America" (Fortune Magazine, 2004).