Canon Hongkong and C&C Joint Printing announce a strategic partnership for the purchase of the first Canon ProStream 1000 series color inkjet press in the China market

HONG KONG, Dec. 14, 2020 — Canon Hongkong Co., Ltd. (Canon HK) and C&C Joint Printing Co., (HK) Ltd. (C&C) co-organized a signing ceremony on 10 Dec 2020, to celebrate the purchase of the first Canon ProStream 1000 series color inkjet press in the China market. The series breaks down boundaries of traditional printing that relies heavily on manual operation and experience. By employing intelligent and automation technologies, it enables the printing industry to advance towards smart manufacturing in the context of industry 4.0 and lead the trend for digital printing.

Canon HK and C&C have long been engaging in strategic partnership. Mr. Jackson Leung, CEO of C&C Joint Printing Co., (H.K.) Ltd., said, "Being an industry game-changer, ‘inheritance’ and ‘innovation’ are always fundamental to our business. Canon’s achievements on optical, imaging and color aspects are highly recognized in the industry. We believe they will provide excellent product and service to us." As early as 2012, C&C has started to combine digital printing and traditional printing workshops. They have conducted a thorough investigation on the development of digital printing in terms of inkjet technology, quality, speed, automated workflows and the compatibility with their business. On the occasion of their 40^th Anniversary, they finally met the most suitable printing system — ProStream 1000 series color inkjet press at this perfect timing to make their objective possible.

Industry 4.0 implementation is the only way for the printing industry. A large part of it is the use of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence and big data in merging the virtual and the physical worlds. After integrating intelligent components in print workflow, most procedures will be automated. ProStream 1000 series can complete end-to-end workflow independently with plan-ahead production. This will eliminate a large volume of manual processing and allow human resources to be shifted to more valuable tasks. Staff can monitor progress of each print job and the completion time of each procedure through the system dashboard to increase transparency. Mr. Shunichi Morinaga, President and CEO of Canon Hongkong Co., Ltd. and Chairman of Canon Business Solutions (Guangdong) Co., Ltd., said, "ProStream 1000 series adopted a variety of automation elements. With the endeavors of Canon HK and our solely owned subsidiary in this collaboration, C&C must be able to unleash the potential of the series to further develop in the printing market in Greater Bay Area and across China. Furthermore, we are sure that the maturity of digital printing and the series can assist C&C to further transit to Industry 4.0, empowering them to a greater extent in the midst of digital transformation."

To fulfill the needs of the rapidly changing market conditions, C&C has been striving to transform digitally through the "connect and smart" concept. The ultimate goal is to enhance customer experience with a digital operating model. As inkjet technology has become more mature and well established, our flagship product — ProStream 1000 series delivers high speed and outstanding productivity. Its monthly duty cycle is up to 35 million A4 impressions. It also produces lines and text that are sharp and crisp on both coated and uncoated papers. Together with the native 1,200 dpi level, the print quality is comparable to offset printers and is able to meet the requirements of high-end customers on photo album and artwork printing. Furthermore, it offers print-on-demand (POD) service that allows flexible print amount based on actual needs. This will help businesses to reduce the cost of inventory and free up the space on storage. Personalization is another benefit of POD technology, which elevates product uniqueness and business competitiveness by customizing designs for different target segments. Hence, companies can expand to new markets and create new business opportunities for sustainable growth.

Canon HK and C&C both attach great importance to innovation and adopt a similar business philosophy. Not merely are they adhere to continual improvement on aspects including product R&D, service quality, and marketing, but also optimize customer experience through innovation whilst maintain performance superiority. "Canon HK believes that the cooperation will lead to unlimited possibilities and contribution to the printing industry and development of business in the Greater Bay Area in the coming future," Mr. Shunichi Morinaga said.

About Canon Hongkong Company Limited

Canon Inc. (TSE:7751 / NYSE:CAJ) was founded in 1937 in Japan. Its predecessor, Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory, produced Japan’s first 35 mm focal-plane-shutter camera "Kwanon" in 1934. Canon Inc. eventually expanded into the photocopying and printing industries, launching Japan’s first plain-paper copier NP-1100 in 1970 and the world’s first inkjet printer BJ-80 in 1985. Through the years, Canon Inc. has acquired in-depth experience in digital imaging product manufacturing, and research and development. It is a leader in the development of innovative products and holds the most technology patents in the imaging industry. Canon Inc. also makes a significant contribution to the promotion of photography. Today, Canon Inc. has a strong global presence and is one of the most important market players in the imaging, office and industrial product categories. As of 31 December 2019, Canon’s global revenue was US$32.7 billion.

One of the company’s first offices in Asia, Canon Hongkong Co., Ltd. (Canon HK) was established in 1971. It is responsible for the sales, marketing and after-sales services for all Canon product lines in Hong Kong and Macau. With the solely owned subsidiary Canon Business Solutions (Guangdong) Co., Ltd. established in 2018, the company can also provide intelligent total business solutions and professional services to companies in the Greater Bay Area. Canon HK adheres to Canon’s corporate philosophy of "kyosei", which encourages the company and its staff to participate in social, charitable and environmental activities in the community. Canon HK implements internationally-recognized management systems and has achieved ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 (Canon Digital Production Center) and OHSAS 18001 certification.