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OKI and the Changing Times

Part 20: Moving beyond the 130th anniversary as part of OKI's second founding

In 2011, OKI marked its 130th anniversary since its birth in 1881 as Japan's first electronic telecommunications device manufacturer. Since the company's founding, OKI's services and products have supported society's vital infrastructures, contributed to industrial and economic development, and enriched society.

OKI Celebrates 130th Anniversary

OKI marks 130th anniversary since its birth as Japan's
first electronic telecommunication device manufacturer.

Moving forward, OKI will contribute to society with the continuing "Enterprising Spirit"


130th anniversary
commemorative logo

The OKI lineage constitutes none other than founder Kibataro Oki's enterprising spirit: to take the initiative in absorbing new ideas on a constant basis. In its Corporate Philosophy, OKI builds on this idea by calling for products that contribute to the development of an information-based society and help establish comfortable, enriching modes of life for people throughout the world. Based on this enterprising spirit, alongside more than 16,000 colleagues worldwide, OKI is working to create the next generation of business.

A crossroads: The 130th anniversary of OKI's founding

On November 1, 2011, the anniversary of OKI's founding, President Hideichi Kawasaki declared that OKI's 130th anniversary would represent more than just an occasion to expand on history and tradition. Instead, it would serve as a new start—nothing less than OKI's second founding. This rededication means OKI will create products useful to society by strengthening its market orientation in a time of dramatic change. The company has singled out the importance of returning to the enterprising spirit that marks OKI's starting point, with each individual in the organization examining what can be done to make customers' dreams reality and taking action on that basis, unbound by the fetters and ideas of conventions and received tradition.

Growth strategies that respond to advancing globalization

OKI's embrace of the next generation is symbolically expressed by the OKI Premium Fair, held November 17-18, 2011, at the Westin Hotel Tokyo. Here, OKI exhibited a wide range of industrial solutions that attracted the keen interest of attendees, including solutions targeting telecommunication carriers, financial institutions, distribution businesses, and manufacturing and diverse office solutions. In the last category, OKI exhibited its EXaaS™ cloud-computing service, positioned as a pillar of the solutions and service business.

In addition, the Premium Fair keynote speech announced various efforts related to growth strategies.

One is the company's movement into global markets. OKI plans to move more aggressively into global markets by developing reliable products that reflect the OKI essence, based on the reliability and technological capabilities for which OKI is known.

Reflecting a rapid increase in the country's installed base of ATMs and growth in the volume of circulating banknotes, financial institutions in China are increasingly moving to automate banknote sorting. To optimize efficiency at Chinese financial institutions, OKI has developed the CX330 banknote sorter, which allows sorting and strapping (binding) of banknotes in a single unit.

To address expanding sales of business printers and multifunction printers, OKI entered into a sales partnership with IMA, a sales agent for information technology devices in Italy. IMA offers more than 1,100 sales partners, including IT retailers, value-added resellers (VARs), and mass merchandisers. Based on this partnership, OKI targets sales of roughly 33,000 printers and multifunction devices in Italy by fiscal 2013.

Mechatronics,Printers: Provide ideal business environment globally with world No.1 products

Management that meets the needs of customers and society

The keynote speech at the Premium Fair focused on initiatives to build a smart society and efforts to help customers achieve management unencumbered by assets as key points of OKI's growth strategies.

A mode of management unencumbered by assets refers to support that helps customers transition from modes of management based on ownership of assets to modes based on use of services, as exemplified in cloud computing services. Many firms are now calling to remove certain assets from their balance sheets. Reducing assets improves management soundness, cuts risk, and allows companies to navigate change effectively and flexibly. OKI plans to meet customer needs by supporting efforts to achieve such management from the ground up, based on specific, real-world services that embody the OKI Group's strengths and expertise.

EXaaS: Support customers' "converging management resources" with EXaaS – as a Service -

  • *BPO: Business Process Outsourcing
  • *LCM: Life Cycle Management

Initiatives to establish a smart society address energy and environmental issues. Due in part to the emergence of major energy issues following the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, the entire nation of Japan has accelerated its transition toward a smart society. Shortly thereafter, OKI began working on a wireless multi-hop communication system that wirelessly links the smart meters used to measure electricity consumption and the power conditioner equipment used for solar power generation. These technologies represent the components of a smart community fusing information systems, energy systems, and transport systems. OKI has already begun testing this communication system. By integrating its extensive store of accumulated technologies required to build a smart society, OKI will strive to help establish the next-generation infrastructures.

Smart society: Provide safe, secure and comfortable business/life environments that are friendly to the environment and humans

These three initiatives constitute the major growth strategies at the core of OKI's second founding. Over the next decade, OKI will achieve rapid progress by achieving innovation and applying this innovation to generate solutions.

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