Canon essential capabilities

MiM/MITB

Strategic Management

Fernando Flores Bas

ESCUELA SUPERIOR DE GESTION COMERCIAL Y MARKETING

Canon essential capabilities
Canon offers a group of final products that are apparently not related: laser printer, filming
cameras, fax machines, photocopiers and even semiconductor manufacturing equipment. But
the reality is quite different. Behind these dispersed products categories, lies a logic of essential
capabilities.

Canon does not see itself as a manufacturer of cameras, photocopiers or printers through
different business units. If this would have been the case, innovation would be limited to
manufacturing more cameras, more photocopiers or more printers and its future opportunities
would be limited. If canon would have continued making cameras it would be suffering a decline
today. But Canon knows that its competitive advantage comes from controlling essential
capabilities (core competences): fine optics, precision mechanics, microelectronics and, more
recently, image digitalisation, capabilities that continuously open up new opportunities.

Canon’s final products are the result of these capabilities, as well as essential products (core
products), intermediate products integrated in the final product range, such as, for example, laser
printer engines.

FINAL PRODUCTS
Ion Laser
Electronic Camera Printer
cameras
8mm Colour video Bubble
Autofocus Camcor printer Printer
cameras der Laser

Eos Fax
Cameras
Fax
Laser
Photocopiers
Colour
Ultrasonic annular engine
Colour Laser
Laser printer engine
KEY PRODUCTS
Laser technology

Precision
Mechanics BASIC
Fine Optics Microelectronics
COMPETENCES

Canon’s Family Tree

ESCUELA SUPERIOR DE GESTION COMERCIAL Y MARKETING