- Casio has developed environmental management systems at plants and practices green procurement based on standards for the environmental performance of purchased items, with the intention of ensuring that Casio products comply with laws and regulations in and outside Japan.
- In fiscal 2007, Casio achieved a 100% response rate (percent of parts covered by supplier surveys) for green parts in and outside Japan, one of its environmental action plan targets. The group will continue to promote this target, utilizing it to ensure the legal and regulatory compliance of the products it delivers in all places.
- Going forward, Casio will transition to the practice of “CSR procurement” by adding social responsibility as a procurement standard to its existing green procurement standards. In so doing, the group is pursuing mutual development and deeper relationships with suppliers, which ensures that Casio will keep furnishing safe and reliable products.
- Along with society’s growing concern over environmental problems in recent years, environmental performance requirements have become stricter with the introduction and strengthening of environmental laws and regulations.
- .Accordingly, Casio has started to use a GP-Web system and finished building a survey system covering 133 suppliers as of March 2007.
- The adoption of the GP-Web system has, from the perspective of suppliers, made it possible to send responses for individual parts in real time instead of the bulk responses provided in the past.
- In addition, the ability to input data directly to an online interface with an upload function has made it easier to respond to surveys.
- Casio is committed to green purchasing, or the proactive effort to purchase environmentally friendly indirect materials such as stationery, office supplies, and office equipment (excluding software).
- In fiscal 2007, one year ahead of schedule, Casio achieved its goal of a 60% green purchasing rate*1 in fiscal 2008 at sites that have adopted the CATS e-P System*2, a goal established in fiscal 2004.
- In fiscal 2008, Casio will reconsider its green purchasing rate goals and expand the number of sites committed to green purchasing in an effort to ensure that green purchasing is practiced by the entire group
- Casio held its first environmental exhibition in the United States at the CES 2007 held in Los Vegas in January 2007. Casio’s unique “breakdown exhibition,” which displayed how and which parts in Casio products are environmentally friendly, drew the attention of many visitors.
- During the press conference conducted at the Casio booth, the company promoted its environmental initiatives, including support of the Kids’ ISO 14000 program, which also drew a lot of attention.
- Casio has participated in the Ecoproducts Exhibition every year since it began (now eight times). The number of visitors grows steadily every year, and the exhibition has now become one of the biggest in Japan. In the future, we will continue to work with the Environment Center to communicate Casio’s environmental initiatives to the public.
Achievements attained in terms of Market Share..ect
Key Factors contributing to the success of the business.
IN ORDER FOR CASIO TO BE SUCCESS, THEY USED THE FOLLOWING FACTORS DURING THE BUSINESS:
SUCCESS FACTOR #1: SET REALISTIC GOALS
One of the habits of highly effective people is to “begin with the end in mind.”2 In this case, that means you must see the precise business problem(s) you’re trying to solve, and how your business will look once it’s solved. You must provide convincing answers to the questions: “Why do this? What is our fundamental problem? And how
can we measure any improvements?” Some common project goals include:
- Consolidated and more timely information to respond faster to changes or events Reduction of resources required to perform analysis
- Ability to compare decision alternatives against each other to understand what impact each alternative has on corporate metrics
- Higher inventory turns and lower inventory carrying costs
- Improved customer satisfaction.
SUCCESS FACTOR #2: MAKE AN EFFECTIVE PLAN
Time management experts like to say that every minute spent planning saves 10 minutes doing4. This 10:1 savings may even be multiplied by one or two orders of magnitude when applied to an IT project.
Once you know your goals, apply the discipline to develop a detailed plan for how to reach them. This plan must cover all the obvious details of hardware and software, transactions to be processed, data inputs and outputs, reports required, security provisions, and so on. Beyond that, an effective plan also grapples with less tangible but equally critical considerations, such as how to communicate the system benefits, how to manage
change, how to pull together an effective team, and how to manage the budget for best results.
SUCCESS FACTOR #3: ASSEMBLE GOOD RESOURCES
People with the right qualifications who are engaged in the challenge and committed to a positive outcome.
project will likely need to pull together all the following resources:
- An experienced project manager
- Subject matter experts (SMEs)
- Good cross-section of the user community
- Competent technical staff
- Responsive professional services people from your chosen system vendor.
SUCCESS FACTOR #4: ALLOW FOR TESTING
It almost goes without saying: Testing is critical to project success.
Never rush any new product system into production without extensive testing. Make sure to allow lots of time in your schedule for testing, debugging, and retesting. When it comes to testing, more is far better than less. Never scrimp on testing to save time or money.
SUCCESS FACTOR #5: PROMOTE USER BUY-IN
No system is worth anything if no one uses it... or if users are on the lookout for ways to work around it or revert to older methods. A final significant success factor is to work hard to ensure strong user adoption.
How can you encourage everyone to feel that the new system will solve their problems better? How can you promote user buy-in for a new way of doing things?
Some suggestions used by Casio :
- Set realistic expectations, for both users and managers, both local and remote.
- Do not over-promise and under-deliver.
- Plan how you will manage change.
- Do lots of training.
- Provide for quick support when new users have questions
Unique features
Casio's greatest responsibility as a manufacturer is to create products that have never existed before, thereby contributing to social progress. Casio develops products that offer new value and create new cultural phenomena. Casio's product development concept is simple: going from "0" to "1."
Innovative product planning and advanced technical capability
In order to create products that have never existed before, Casio believes that both product planning ability driven by revolutionary ideas and superior technologies are needed. Employing flexible thinking that goes beyond conventional concepts, Casio carries out product development by discovering latent demand for things that everyone needs, though they may not have noticed it yet. In order to realize unique product planning and create competitive products that cannot be imitated by others, it is necessary to have a high level of technical capability, which can overcome various obstacles. Casio is always working to develop advanced technologies, and continues to explore new frontiers.
Core technologies for realizing new ideas
Casio creates products based on revolutionary ideas by constantly developing its five core technologies.
5 core technologies
Digital technologies make the impossible possible
Casio's Exilim Engine 5.0 for digital cameras uses a multi-CPU design, in which two CPUs run in parallel, to achieve complex image processing in an instant. Using the latest image processing algorithms, the technology instantly analyzes photographic conditions, such as backlighting or a night scene, and performs the optimal processing. This results in beautiful images with reduced noise.
Easy for anyone to use
Casio's high-end calculator models have a special feature that ensures reliable key punching. The surfaces of the keys for 1 through 9 are concave, while the keys at the bottom such as "zero" have a gentle convex shape, making it easier to move the fingers across the keypad. Moreover, in order to enhance the sensation of a completed keystroke, a unique super-thin cushion has been incorporated beneath the keys. Even if the side of the key is hit, the input is still registered.
A sense of security anywhere, anytime
Digital technologies make the impossible possible
Casio's Exilim Engine 5.0 for digital cameras uses a multi-CPU design, in which two CPUs run in parallel, to achieve complex image processing in an instant. Using the latest image processing algorithms, the technology instantly analyzes photographic conditions, such as backlighting or a night scene, and performs the optimal processing. This results in beautiful images with reduced noise.
Compact, slim, lightweight
WLP*1 is a high performance, compact, highly reliable, low-cost, material-conserving semiconductor packaging technology. Applications of it are rapidly expanding, particularly for cellular phones. Casio has also developed a high-density packaging technology, EWLP,*2 in which the chip itself is embedded in the printed circuit board, and is expanding the applications for this cutting-edge technology. Casio is also working to realize solderless packaging, in order to help protect the global environment.
- *1 WLP (wafer level package): An LSI package that enables rerouting of copper traces, formation of electrode terminals, and encapsulation of chips in epoxy resin, all on an intact wafer.
- *2 EWLP (embedded wafer level package): By embedding WLPs on a system circuit board, this packaging technology maintains the high performance of electronic devices while making them even more compact, slim, and lightweight.
Smartly operating on little power
Casio has developed the industry's first all-band CMOS receiver LSI, which integrates the analog circuit that receives radio waves with the digital circuit that processes data. The LSI can be used for radio-controlled watches, enabling them to maintain operational stability with an ultra-low power level that is 1/1,000th of that required by ordinary communication devices. The technology has already been applied in Casio watches featuring Multiband 6 technology that can receive radio signals worldwide.
Digital design data shared on a network
Casio products are all designed in 3D using computer software, and are stored as digital data. These files are centrally managed along with circuit diagrams, component data, specifications, and production schedules, and are shared via network with production sites and logistics facilities. This system was established to enable Casio to flexibly adapt to changing conditions, such as changes in user needs and the economic environment.
By sharing this data throughout the company, Casio can ensure that circuits and parts that work the same way, even if used in different product areas, are standardized, achieving lower procurement costs and greater efficiency in assembly. If any problems arise in relation to quality or the environment, Casio can efficiently go through its past product lineup to determine if there is a need to replace a certain part, or can work across departmental lines to examine the total environmental impact, for instance, calculating the amount of designated chemical substances contained in products.
Design data is also used in the creation of catalogs and instruction manuals. Since design data can be used to create 3D diagrams and cross-section diagrams, there is no need to start drawing new diagrams from scratch. This accelerates the production process and keeps costs down.
Platform design for flexible production
Casio's electronic dictionaries come in a variety of models and in a wide array of colors to meet the needs of today's diverse users. To efficiently produce product lineups that span a wide range of configurations, Casio integrates all the common parts of each product to create a single "platform unit." This allows Casio to keep costs down by ordering parts in large quantities, and to improve manufacturing efficiency by standardizing production processes.
Casio determines how many of each product to ship by looking at the market conditions immediately before shipment, inserting different types of content into the platform units, assembling the exterior, and then packaging the products. This allows Casio to supply only the number of models necessary in the shortest period of time.
Use of platform unit in electronic dictionary
How the product / company got its name
From the name of its founder, Kashio who had set up the company Kashio Seisakujo as a subcontractor factory. The CASIO name stands for high-quality solutions and reliable product developments.
Business Philosophy
Casio’s two main businesses are electronics and electronic components. The company creates products that are compact, lightweight, slim, and energy efficient for the global market
Business Fields :
The Casio Group is comprised of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., 52 consolidated subsidiaries, and 3 equity-method affiliates (as of March 2007). Casio conducts its business in two main segments: Electronics, and Electronic Components and Others. The Electronics segment is divided into four categories: Consumer, Timepieces, Mobile Network Solutions (MNS), and System Equipment. The Electronic Components and Others segment is divided into two categories: Electronic Components, and Others. In all of these categories, Casio’s business activities range from development and production to sales and service. Casio’s two main businesses are electronics and electronic components. The company creates products that are compact, lightweight, slim, and energy efficient for the global market. Consumer 36.9% Timepieces Consumer Category
Casio offers a wide array of products to make everyday life more convenient and enjoyable. They include everything from calculators for a myriad of business and educational applications, to electronic musical instruments that even beginners can easily master. Casio has also introduced many nonindustrial-leading digital cameras and electronic dictionaries.
EXILIM EX-V7
digital camera
digital camera
With an optical 7x inner-zoom lens in a slim, stylish body that fits in the palm of the hand, the EX-V7 is the high-power zoom model in the EXILIM series. It makes it easy for any user to take virtually perfect pictures even at maximum zoom range, thanks to the CCD shift anti-shake mechanism and the auto-tracking AF system. For movie lovers, the camera boasts next generation H.264 encoding technology.
EX-word XD-SW4800
electronic dictionary
electronic dictionary
This electronic dictionary for Japanese high school students has a handwriting interface panel for learning both English and Japanese characters. It contains native pronunciation recordings of 85,000 English words, making it very useful for students who want to improve both their pronunciation and English listening skills
EN-100S/EN-200S
electronic calculators
electronic calculators
These are hyaku masu keisan (“one hundred calculations drill”) training calculators, developed with the assistance of Professor Hideo Kageyama of Ritsumeikan University. By repeating each of the basic arithmetic functions one hundred times, children are able to strengthen their basic calculation ability, and develop active learning habits. With the same device, adults are able to keep their minds sharp by exercising their gray matter with arithmetic drills.
G-SHOCK MRG-7500
This is the ultimate G-SHOCK model, featuring even tougher wear resistance and Multi-Band 5 technology. It has five motors that drive six hands, and boasts a plethora of display functions including a world time zone clock and day of the week display. Beside all this, the design is dynamic enough for any scene.
OCEANUS OCW-S1000J
The OCEANUS Manta series adds slim, sporty styling to the lineup of full-metal case, solar powered radio-controlled OCEANUS watches. Even retaining the built-in chronograph and Multi-Band 5, the OCW-S1000J boasts a slim profile of only 10.2 millimeters.