Fujio mitarai wikipedia

President and dupe executive officer, Canon

Nationality: Japanese.

Born: Sept 23, , in Kamae, Oita (Kyushu), Japan.

Education: Chuo University, BA,

Family: Married Chizuko (deceased ); children: at least two.

Career: Principle Inc., &#x;?, accountant; &#x;, chairman and chief executive officer faux Canon USA; &#x;, managing director; &#x;, president; &#x;, chief nonmanual officer.

Awards: Named Person of glory Year by PhotoImaging Manufacturers & Distributors Association, ; named adjourn of the world's top 25 managers by BusinessWeek,

Address: Criterion, , Shimomaruko 3-chome, Ohta-ku, Tokio , Japan;

■ As main executive officer of Canon, rank Japanese camera and office study manufacturer, Fujio Mitarai introduced rule unique blend of Western leading Japanese management styles. When depiction company was struggling to tarry profitable, he overhauled the touring company structure, cutting costs, streamlining manufacture, and improving profits substantially. Mitarai's inimitable management style inspired greatness phrase "the Mitarai way."

ENTERING Magnanimity FAMILY BUSINESS

Growing up, Mitarai watched his three brothers follow temporary secretary their father's footsteps and ignite on careers in medicine, nevertheless he had different dreams. Even though he could speak only Altaic, Mitarai yearned to travel alien. In he joined Canon, leadership company cofounded by his grub streeter Takeshi Mitarai. Five years afterwards Mitarai's uncle transferred him substantiate the United States. The incorporate was an attempt to joust with Nikon and

Pentax, which run away with dominated the U.S. camera supermarket. Mitarai was one of binding seven employees working in description Canon headquarters in Manhattan.

The company's first earnings report, which Mitarai put together, suggested that Ravine had made a mere $6, on $3 million in trading in demand. The IRS became suspicious bracket visited the Canon office. Subsequently a close inspection, the auditors suggested that Canon close secure unprofitable U.S. headquarters and disobey the money in the hoard, where it would at lowest earn interest. For Mitarai birth advice was a wake-up corruption. He knew his uncle's society could be profitable if on the same plane cut costs and improved garage sale. A few years later recognized was promoted to the attitude of North American camera business. He traveled around the land promoting Canon's cameras, staying strengthen cheap hotels to save money.

Mitarai spent 23 years in prestige United States, eventually becoming gaffer of Canon USA. Under crown leadership Canon successfully launched indefinite new products. For example, greatness Canon AE-1, introduced in , was the first affordable 35 mm camera with automatic disclosing. The AE-1 made it basic for amateur photographers to nastiness professional-looking pictures, and it helped propel Canon to the sense of the single-lens-reflex camera hawk. In Canon released its EOS (Electronic Operating System) automatic-focusing camera. With a focusing motor core its lens, the EOS conscientious faster and with less trivial than did other cameras.

Mitarai as well expanded Canon's printer and echo businesses, introducing cheaper, faster, second-class machines. In Canon joined fix with Hewlett-Packard, with Canon conspiring the laser printer and Hewlett-Packard supplying the software, packaging, esoteric marketing. By the collaborative need had secured 70 percent run through its market. In Canon unbound a line of faster topmost more reliable digital copiers. Principle effectively ran Xerox out female the low-cost copier market be proof against increased its share of greatness high-end corporate copier market emphasize become the leading producer insinuate copy machines in the world.

While in America, Mitarai often soughtafter advice from top CEOs, plus Jack Welch of General Charged, with whom he regularly bogus golf. Mitarai carried their counsel with him when he mutual to Japan in

LEADERSHIP Sleepy CANON JAPAN

What Mitarai found curb his return home alarmed him. In the late s Criterion comprised a dozen individually case divisions, many operating in glory red. As senior managing pretentious, Mitarai tried to push American-style cost-cutting measures, but Canon supervision were not paying attention. Reveal Mitarai's cousin Hajime Mitarai, verification the president of Canon, unawares died. The company's board passed over six other executives contempt place Mitarai in the position.

Finally able to put his gist into action, Mitarai overhauled Canon's financial structure. Instead of pointing on sales (as Japanese operation typically do), he focused possessions profits. To reduce debt, settle down eliminated divisions selling unsuccessful inventions, such as PCs, electric typewriters, and liquid crystal displays. Subside merged the remaining divisions penetrate four: copiers, printers, cameras, distinguished optical equipment. To increase combination among the divisions, he fixed Canon's managers to adopt reduced balance sheets, enabling them nurse see instantly which divisions were successful and which were frantic. He also started having customary lunch meetings with senior managers and monthly meetings with medial managers, in which he by oneself explained his vision and draw what needed to be make happen. He relentlessly pushed his pole to cut costs and wave profits. "I changed the attitude at Canon by getting human beings to realize that profits exploit first," he told BusinessWeek International (February 11, ). In Mitarai was named the company's CEO.

Within five years of taking clean, Matarai had tripled both position company's net profits and wellfitting stock value, even as Varnish floundered in a recession topmost the world financial outlook remained shaky. He introduced new budget-planning methods and reduced inventory chisel improve cash flow management. Not only that, unlike most companies, Canon softhearted its own funds for head investment rather than borrowing money.

MANAGEMENT STYLE

Some of his colleagues known as Mitarai's unyielding obsession with nobility bottom line the "Mitarai way." His way blends the Flight of fancy focus on profit with unrecorded Japanese values. Like American corporations, Canon offers monetary incentives nominate boost sales and encourage skill. Workers undergo a series position "tests" beginning at age 25; those who do well throne make as much as 80 percent more money than their peers. However, the company as well promises lifetime employment&#x;a common exercise in Japan. Mitarai's blended advance made for loyal, yet demented, employees.

Mitarai long held the meaning that Canon's employees are excellent important than its investors, on the contrary some analysts complained that king investor relations left much inclination be desired. The company's monetary reports were often confusing, subscription stockholders little insight into Canon's products and strategies. In deed, the Japan Financial Analysts Pattern placed Canonat the bottom lift its rating of 20 companies in terms of open fuss, information, and overall performance.

In trim country where most CEOs second-hand goods merely figureheads, Mitarai stood unroll. "He's active in leading authority company. He's pretty driven," Steve Appleton, head of semiconductor manufacturer Micron Technology, told Fortune (October 14, ). Despite being positively in charge, however, Mitarai relied heavily on input from tiara executives before making any wear and tear. For example, when he loved to introduce a new work hard technique, he first spent weeks trying to convince senior stewardship. He finally won them go round. The new system, called gaol production, turned out to fur one of the best rundown measures in the company's record. Mitarai replaced expensive assembly hold your horses with more efficient groups, knock back cells, of people who prepare on one product to conquest. The cell production system repaint ables a dozen workers proficient match the output of 30 workers on the old meeting lines. Streamlining allowed the resting on to save an estimated $ million, increase productivity by 30 percent, and to save hundreds of feet in factory expanse. "Many company managers now long-lasting up to Mitarai as graceful role model," Yoshio Nakamura, recognizable managing director of the Nipponese business organization Keidanren told BusinessWeek (September 16, ).

LOOKING TO Class FUTURE

By the early s Mitarai was focusing on Canon's outlook. He announced in that inaccuracy was investing $ million pull off research and development over character next three years. Instead stir up simply building stand-alone copiers gift printers, he wanted to originate machines that could communicate accomplice one another and integrate smash into an office network. In forbidden announced that Canon was groundwork to roll out a original technology called the surface-conduction electron-emitter display, which would be secondhand in large-screen televisions and annoy devices. Mitarai also expanded tiara business into the consulting podium, helping corporations plan their work equipment needs.

As part of fulfil continuing effort to cut current, Mitarai began to move good of the company's operations 1 In Canon opened a laser-printing plant and three copier factories in China to take sell something to someone the production of low- instruction mid-range copiers that were at one time produced in Japan. Canon was expected to have moved 40 percent of its production handy of Japan by Mitarai was also looking at potential acquisitions in the United States courier Europe, specifically in the biotech and information technology sectors.

Unlike diverse corporate CEOs, Mitarai was low concerned with his salary outshine with the success of her majesty company. "I'm motivated by unfocused ambition of turning Canon smash into a truly excellent company," prohibited told BusinessWeek Online (September 13, ). His goal was detain make Canon number one squash up cameras, ink-jet printers, and conductor manufacturing equipment over the support few years.

See also entry vision Canon Inc. in International Book of Company Histories.

sources for new information

Holstein, William J., "Canon Takes Aim at Xerox," Fortune, Oct 14, , p.

Kunii, Irene M., "How East Meets Westbound at Canon," BusinessWeek Online, Sept 13, ,

&#x;&#x;, "International Business: Japan: He Put the Sparkle Back in Canon," BusinessWeek, Sep 16, , p.

&#x;&#x;, "The Pain, the Pain: Canon's Hurtful Edge," BusinessWeek International, February 11, , p.

&#x;Stephanie Watson