Case Studies

  • H&H Color Lab Case Study: Using Photo Applications to Drive Revenues and Create a "Buzz" with New Products

    Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 02/06/2012 - 20:12

    H&HChallenge
    Like other photographic labs serving professional photographers, H&H Color Lab has seen a shift in its customer base—from large studio storefronts to more and more single-person businesses. With that shift has come a marked decline in the number of transactions for each customer—as well as the dollar value for each of those transactions.

    “The reality is that a customer today is worth half as much in sales as they were five years ago,” says David Drum, business development manager at H&H.

    With professional studios buying fewer photographic prints, H&H realized it needed to offer  new products and attract new customers if it wanted to continue to grow and thrive. The key, though, was to do so while staying true to the company’s core values of customer service and uncompromising quality.

    Solution
    H&H needed a way to accommodate short-run printing—such as to output one photo book or  24 greeting cards—using lots of variable data. “A digital press was the only way we’d get a press,”
    says Drum.

    But Drum and his colleagues had looked at digital presses in the past and felt that the quality  they delivered for photo applications wouldn’t live up to the quality H&H had become known for. Then they looked at Xerox.

  • Canon Aids Relief Activities Following Philippines Typhoon

    Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/27/2011 - 23:00

    Dec 27, 2011 Typhoon Washi, which swept through the southern Philippines in December, has caused extensive damage due to record-setting heavy rainfall and landslides across the region.

    We at Canon extend our heartfelt condolences to all those affected by this disaster and our thoughts go out to the victims and their families.

  • Scan Directly To FTP Server With Canon imageFORMULA Document Scanner Products And Nocson EasyScanToFTP Software

    Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 12/23/2011 - 22:58

    LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. – Canon U.S.A., a leader in digital imaging solutions, recently announced a new software solution from Nocson Collaborations, Inc. called EasyScanToFTP - a utility designed specifically for Canon imageFORMULA scanners that allows users to upload images directly to FTP servers. The EasyScanToFTP utility - available as a download from the Nocson website, was developed to make imageFORMULA scanners even more flexible in the office environment, where FTP servers are becoming increasingly prevalent. The EasyScanToFTP utility is optimized for quick and convenient operation, allowing users to store frequently visited FTP sites and connecting information.

    Since the utility has been specifically designed for use with Canon imageFORMULA products, it integrates with Canon-developed technologies such as CapturePerfect and CaptureOnTouch, allowing users to quickly and efficiently scan documents and distribute them. This suite of options - in addition to other Nocson software such as EasyConnect, which sends image scans to a Microsoft SharePoint Server - integrates the imageFORMULA scanners to any workplace storage environments, including FTP sites, email distribution, local servers, and more.

  • HP LaserJet Firmware Update Now Available

    Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 12/23/2011 - 22:53

    On Nov. 29, HP announced that the potential existed for a certain type of unauthorized access to some HP LaserJet printers and confirmed it has received no customer reports of unauthorized access. HP today issued the following statement:

    HP has built a firmware update to mitigate this issue and is communicating this proactively to customers and partners. No customer has reported unauthorized access to HP. HP reiterates its recommendation to follow best practices for securing devices by placing printers behind a firewall and, where possible, disabling remote firmware upload on exposed printers.

  • Epson.com Grows Without Growing Pains

    Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 11/28/2011 - 22:01

    CaptureExecutive Summary
    Epson.com is the main web site for Epson North America and is designed to perform as both a corporate and a major e-commerce site. As online business expanded, Epson.com began to experience inconsistent site response. Understandably, a uniform user experience was a high priority in order to meet demand and stay competitive. With the installation of WebAccelerator™, the company now supports over 1 million page views per day. Epson.com has realized a dramatic and consistent increase in response time, from an average of 75 seconds to less than one second, regardless of traffic.

    The Company
    Epson is at the forefront of technological invention, manufacture and sales for information-related equipment (computers and peripherals). Founded in 1942, Epson follows the principle that corporations must be able to respond to any situation and that employees must recognize the need for innovation,  speed and change. With a vast product line available for purchase online, Epson.com was in danger of becoming a victim of its own success and needed to aggressively pursue a solution to their impending growing pains.

    The Problem
    Server utilization was increasing, resulting in inconsistent site response. Web requests would time out at peak traffic times. The IT group had to regularly power-cycle the servers as they repeatedly locked up under load. Making matters worse, a decision was made to standardize on a single technology base for all areas of the web site. This meant the server application now had to deal with 600,000 page views per day instead of the previous 200,000.

  • Epson Case Study

    Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 20:54

    Capture1Epson Telford Requirements

    The 42,000 m2 plant in Shropshire is Epson’s sole European manufacturing site and employs 1,100 staff involved in plastic injection moulding and ink cartridge assembly, in clean rooms where continuous system operation requires a 24/7 precise cooling capability that is both efficient and reliable.

    Air conditioning plays a major role in the Epson manufacturing facility. Computers and machinery in the clean rooms need to be kept at 22°C to remain in optimum working condition. Keeping them at this precise temperature is difficult to maintain in a room filled with people and machinery. Air quality is also a major priority making it imperative that all the components and equipment are free from dust and debris from the air.

    Design Criteria

    Two standard Airedale chillers have been supplying cooling to all indoor units at Epson, with close control units providing reliable and precisely-controlled air conditioning in Epson’s two clean rooms. Ceiling cassettes have also been installed in other areas for staff comfort.

    Now, with the cooling load on site increasing and new free-cooling technology available from Airedale, forward-thinking management at Epson has superseded the two existing Airedale chillers with three Ultima FreeCool chillers that will expand system capability at the same time as significantly cutting energy costs.

  • Canon Information Technology Services, Inc. Consona Knowledge Management

    Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 10/24/2011 - 20:48

    CaptureA rapidly increasing family of millions of U.S. consumers with Canon digital cameras, copiers, printers, fax machines, camcorders, calculators and binoculars all call the same place with their questions and problems— Canon ITS (CITS) in Chesapeake, Va.—at the current rate of 200,000 calls, 50,000 e-mails, and 1,000 letters per month.

    It’s All About Customer Support

    CITS was formed in 1998 by combining the customer call centers for Canon USA and Canon Computer Systems, Inc. into a single business unit that provides support to all customers who contact Canon. A wholly owned subsidiary of Canon USA, the Chesapeake facility is now the single call center for the entire United States and provides support services for all small office and consumer products. The mission of CITS is to maximize customer satisfaction and loyalty to the Canon brand by providing industry leading support.

    More than 550 people occupy the CITS 60,000 square foot facility. CITS support representatives field over 200,000 calls per month on almost 500 inbound telephone lines along with 50,000 e-mails and as many as 1,000 letters per month. In all, they handle about 3 million customer phone and e-mail contacts per year. Support provided to Canon customers includes technical support, e-mail and web-based support, service dispatch and other repair referrals, dealer referrals, accessory and supply sales, and customer relations. If a customer living in the United States purchases one of Canon’s  digital cameras, printers, or other consumer products and needs help, he or she calls CITS for assistance, where over 250 call support analysts are dedicated to providing the very best in technical support.

  • Toward A New Theory of Innovation Management: A Case Study Comparing Canon, Inc. and Apple Computer, Inc.

    Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 09/12/2011 - 18:44

    Capture1Abstract
    This paper argues that innovation can be best understood as an information process which is then concretized as a product that meets demand. Two very different firms, Canon Inc. and Apple Computer Inc., are used as case study illustrations. Innovation does not proceed through logical deduction, but rather is furthered by the use of metaphors and analogies. The bureaucratic and staid structures of the firm can be challenged and broken up to provide the space for innovations to emerge. The leader’s role in the innovating firm is as a catalyst and facilitator, not as an allknowing despot. The importance of innovations is not merely in the new product, but also the “ripple” effects of innovations which can propel the firm into a self-renewal process.

    Keywords: Innovation management, High-technology, Case study.

    1. Introduction
    Increasingly, corporate competitive success is hinging upon the effective management of innovation. Innovation has been the object of considerable academic study from a variety of perspectives. However, innovations are usually considered as objects. We choose to look at innovation differently. For us, innovation is a process by which new information is created, and it is this information that is embodied in the product. To understand this process we conceptualize human beings not merely as information processors (Galbraith, 1973), but more importantly as information creators. Inherently, innovation is the process by which new information emerges and is concretized in a product that meets human needs1. The healthy firm is a negative-entropy system which constantly creates new structure in its struggle to survive and grow.

  • Success Story Lexmark at Work

    Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 08/22/2011 - 19:28

    Capture1The Company
    Lexmark is a global technology leader making it easier for businesses and consumers to move information between the digital and paper worlds. Lexmark is the only major player in our industry exclusively focused on distributed output and developing specialized expertise in different industries. Our products include laser printers, inkjet printers, multifunction devices and associated supplies, services and solutions.

    The Solution

    When developing an optimization plan, whether for our own print environment or a customer’s, Lexmark emphasized consistent global processes and a common set of deployment principles.

    The optimization plan that we developed and implemented for our own workplaces unites our Print Less approach with universal deployment of several of our leading solution applications and managed print services.

    After taking an hones appraisal of our current state, we developed an output strategy for optimizing, managing and continuously improving our global output environment.

    The Results

    We’re printing less – and saving more.

    a 48% reduction in pages printed.

    We’re reducing our output costs by 38% while slashing the use of natural resources.

  • Transatlantic Copying

    Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 08/01/2011 - 17:42

    Capture1Xerox Limited produces new-generation printers, copiers, multifunction devices and document centres. 350 engineers develop design solutions for manufacturing relating to the paper system such as paper trays, feeder parts, access handles for jam clearance areas, moulding with clip features, and draw fronts.

    The Xerox design team looked to the Dimension 3D Printer to help improve their efficiency at producing prototype parts by moving away from the traditional ‘machining’ function and moving more cuttingedge 3D printing equipment in house. With the cost and functionality of the Dimension 3D Printer, the design team no longer needed external agents in the prototype design process of moulded components – a change that has subsequently shown significant time as well as cost savings.

    The Dimension Solution
    In a potentially challenging situation, the Xerox team in the UK became the integration site for a partner company in Toronto, Canada. The Dimension 3D Printer had just arrived at Xerox in the UK. In this scenario, parts needed to be refined quickly, and with Dimension technology at the ready, the UK team came to the rescue. Toronto simply sent files over to the UK on Friday where all the prototypes were generated as fast as the following Monday morning.

    According to Peter Keilty, facility manager at Xerox headquarters in Welwyn Garden City, England, “capitalizing on dead time gave us a significant advantage, and having the ability to produce the parts overnight when everyone was asleep saved the day. Thinking bigger picture – time to market has been reduced and Dimension has played a significant part in that.”