Driven by its unique philosophy of efficient, compact and precise innovation, Epson has long cemented itself as a pioneer of high-quality products to serve the unique needs of customers and partners. Established in 1942, the Nagano, Japan-based company has refined its microdevice and other core technologies into a strong foundation in printers, projectors, robotics, scanners, and quartz watches, thus expanding its reach in various global markets.
Today, Epson boasts a vast network of 81 offices in several countries, including the U.S., and 79,906 employees under the consolidated group.
As it continues to expand, the company has also strived to build employee engagement and strong working relationships with its partners. Epson has achieved this objective at its U.S. corporate headquarters in Los Alamitos, Calif. where it brought together operations for home, office, commercial, and industrial printing, visual communications, wearables, robotics, microdevices and manufacturing to one singular location.
What’s more, Epson had been working on this initiative since before the pandemic as part of its commitment to ensure an environment in which employees can easily collaborate to envision and develop effective strategies for future business achievements.
Honoring a Legacy
According to Richard Miller, VP of North America commercial marketing, the establishment of the new 150,000-square-foot campus allows “employees to put their best foot forward every day.” To inspire them, the campus lobby in the main building features a timeline of the company’s milestones with flagship products such as the world’s first digital printer, world’s first quartz watch, market-leading SCARA robots, and SuperTank inkjet printers on display. “During the orientation for new hires, we take them first through the history of the company so that they can see where it all started, and how our philosophy of efficient, compact and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world,” Miller explains.
Image courtesy of Epson.
Next to this centerpiece is a massive two-sided 20-foot videowall featuring renowned artist Refik Anadol’s data-generated paintings with the help of multiple Epson projectors. Miller then reveals, “No two [data-generated] images are the same, and the quality of the projectors only serve to enhance this unique feature.” Indeed, the result is a stunning display of artwork that welcomes visitors as they enter the lobby area. Moreover, the lobby walls feature a gallery of photographic prints captured by celebrated photographers and printed using Epson professional photo printers, ink and media.
Indeed, the interactive and vibrant lobby aptly demonstrates Epson’s longstanding legacy and mission toward augmenting technology innovation.
Executive Briefing Center: The Crown Jewel
The state-of-the-art executive briefing center features some of the most prominent Epson technologies and is the crown jewel of the modern campus. The center incorporates Epson’s latest solutions to emphasize the company’s product innovation and philosophy at all levels of business and operations. As Miller explains, “Potential customers and partners can experience a first-hand demonstration of all of our technologies which increases our company’s overall value proposition for them.” For instance, the briefing center includes a custom designed Display Technology Room that transforms into an immersive experience where Epson projectors display dazzling images across every inch of the room.
This is only part of the experience. The projection space has also integrated different models of Epson’s business and education projectors where customers can compare and determine exactly which models suit their business or classroom needs. “With this demonstration, we can guide clients on the best applicable display size, brightness and resolution of projectors for their various installations,” says Miller. ” We strive to be a leader, innovator and partner for our customers across all verticals, and this briefing center allows us to do exactly that.”
A True Operations Center
Taking this initiative further, Epson has thus consolidated all its headquarters for the Americas at the Los Alamitos campus. In essence, the company now has all employees working across all businesses under one roof. “In addition to projection, we have our consumer printing, business printing, large-format printing, industrial printing, microdevices and robotics businesses all on display and available to demonstrate to customers on the campus. It’s powerful,” notes Miller.
By bringing all operations under one roof, Miller remarks that the company aims to truly enhance its offerings to partners and potential customers. “We often have partners coming in for one business, such as our high-brightness projectors, and walking away with ideas and actions for another business, such as our large-format printers,” he reveals. For integrators, this is a highly beneficial opportunity as they can avail integrated products and services from a single manufacturer for different projects; thus making collaborations and installations a lot more feasible and ensuring a streamlined process.
Image courtesy of Epson.
Another benefit of the operations consolidation is that customers gain a more in-depth view into Epson’s PrecisionCore printing technology, a highly scalable technology suited for products ranging from desktop printers to industrial systems such as large-scale label presses. “We like to think about it as simple, smart and clean. Simple by replacing complex parts with an all-in-one chip design, smart by being highly scalable and clean via heat-free technology for low power consumption,” adds Miller.
For employees too, the campus supports an innovative hybrid program for more than 80% of its workforce. As a result, the company retains remote working flexibility for employees with a six-day per month in the office program. It also features a hoteling workspace system, greatly reducing the required physical footprint for staff.
Emphasis on Sustainability
Image courtesy of Epson.
As part of its commitment to the environment that started more than 80 years ago, Epson continues its focus on sustainability. “Our philosophy of developing efficient, compact and precise technologies — or ‘Sho-Sho-Sei’ as it is known in Japanese — has been infused into every Epson product since the beginning. Designing for low energy consumption, minimized waste, small footprints, high reliability and minimal moving parts results in outstanding solutions for our customers,” Miller underscores.
As mentioned earlier, the PrecisionCore technology is one such example of Epson’s efforts in sustainability. Additionally, the company launched EcoTank printers, replacing cartridges with high-capacity bottles with enough ink to print thousands of pages.
Epson’s sustainability initiative also extends to the campus itself. The buildings have rooftop solar panels providing the company’s energy needs. What’s more, in the aforementioned lobby area, Epson’s sustainability strategies are mapped out on a wall, serving as an emblem of encouragement to employees and partners to also strive for creating a better world for future generations.
Focus on Education, Corporate and Fixed-Installation Markets
In the education market, Epson remains at the forefront of innovation with its latest lineup and newly launched extreme short throw projectors with 4K Enhancement Technology. According to Yanni Wang, product manager, the latest refresh of 12 projector models suits different kinds of teaching needs and installation requirements, ranging from interactive to non-interactive displays, and extreme short throw to standard throw displays. “All 12 new models come with built-in WiFi and casting, making it easier for teachers and professors to connect and seamlessly integrate with various devices,” Wang explains. “BrightLink interactive displays also ensure that students can engage in multi-user collaboration by providing two interactive pens and up to 6 points of touch on a large 100-inch canvas.”
Image courtesy of Epson.
She then adds that with more options for aspect ratio, including ultra-wide 21:9 and 16:6, educators can enjoy split-screen at large image sizes and have a better experience with remote lesson participants, thus expanding the scope of learning for students.
According to Ramzi Shakra, senior product manager, due to fast-paced advancements in projection technology, Epson’s large-venue projectors, featuring advanced 3-chip 3LCD projection technology, interchangeable lenses, enhanced image quality and brightness, have seen a massive shift in engineering, offering more features in much smaller chassis and more energy efficient solutions.
Shakra notes, “Our smallest and lightest 10,000 lumens projector has helped reduce the labor and delivery costs while simultaneously providing enhanced brightness and installation flexibility.” Moreover, these projectors come with Epson Projector Management Connected application which allows end users or IT managers to remotely monitor, control and manage the projectors inventory from any device with a compatible web browser. “This feature allows smooth management and monitoring from any location at any time,” he adds.
Concluding Thoughts
In summation, Epson continues to uphold its legacy and drive the industry forward through its unique values and philosophy, driven by efficient, compact and precise innovation. The robust campus aligns with Epson’s purpose, representing its commitment to deliver innovative products and solutions that enrich people’s lives and bring together employees and partners to create a better planet for all.
