Olympus Corporation Information
Olympus Corporation (オリンパス株式会社, Orinpasu Kabushiki-gaisha?) is a Japan-based company that manufactures optics and Reprography products. Olympus was established on October 12, 1919, initially specialized in microscope and thermometer businesses[2]. It is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, while its United States' operations are based in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, and European operations are based in Hamburg, Germany.
Contents |
Company name
The company is named after Mount Olympus, the home of the 12 supreme gods and goddesses in Greek mythology[1]. In the words of the company, they chose the name to "reflect its strong aspiration to create high quality, world famous products".
In Japanese mythology, eight million gods and goddesses live in Takamagahara, the peak of Mt. Takachiho. (Takachiho is the name of the predecessor of Olympus Corporation.) The company selected the name "Olympus" as the trademark because Mt. Olympus, like Mt. Takachiho, was the home of gods and goddesses. This trademark also represents what Olympus says is their aspiration to illuminate the world with its optical devices, just like Takamagahara brought light to the world.
Takachiho Seisakusho changed to Takachiho Optical Co., Ltd. in 1942 when optical products became the mainstay of the company. In 1949, the name changed again, to Olympus Optical Co., Ltd., in an attempt to enhance its corporate image. In 2003, the company changed again, to Olympus Corporation, to unify the corporate name and the well-known brand.
Since its foundation in 1919, the company has gone through a few name changes. "Olympus" has been used as a trademark since the time of Takachiho Seisakusho, the predecessor of Olympus Corporation. Below is a table of corporate names Olympus has used.[1]
| Date | Notes |
|---|---|
| October 12, 1919 | Established as Takachiho Seisakusho |
| May 28, 1942 | Renamed Takachiho Optical Co., Ltd |
| January 1, 1949 | Renamed Olympus Optical Co., Ltd |
| October 1, 2003 | Renamed Olympus Corporation |
History of the logo
The company has had five different logos.
Logo created in 1919. The first corporate logo was "TOKIWA", not "OLYMPUS". "TOKIWA" derived from Tokiwa Shokai, the company that the founder, Takeshi Yamashita, had worked for. Tokiwa Shokai held an equity stake in Takachiho Seisakusho and was responsible for marketing Takachiho products. The logo reads "TOKIWA TOKYO." The "G" and "M" marks above are believed to be the initials of, Goro Matsukata, the president of Tokiwa Shokai.
){kind=link}
Logo created in 1921. The Olympus brand was introduced in February 1921. This logo was used for microscopes and other products. Brochures and newspaper ads for cameras also sported this logo. The "OLYMPUS TOKYO" logo is still in use today.
){kind=link}
Second logo created in 1921. There was a period in which OIC was used instead of TOKYO in the logo. OIC stood for Optical Industrial Company, which was a translation of Olympus' Japanese corporate name at that time. This logo was used for the GT-I and GT-II endoscopes, among others.
){kind=link}
Logo created in 1970. This logo, used from 1970 to 2000, was designed to give impressions of quality and sophistication.
){kind=link}
Logo created in 2001. The yellow line underneath the logo is called the "Opto-Digital Pattern" and it represents light and boundless possibilities of digital technology. It symbolizes dynamic and innovative nature of Opto-Digital Technology and Olympus Corporation. This logo is called the Communication Symbol of Olympus and it represents Olympus' brand image.
){kind=link}
Products
Olympus has a long history in camera and lens design. In 1936, Olympus introduced its first camera, the Semi-Olympus I. The first truly innovative camera series from Olympus was the PEN models, launched in 1959. Half-frame format, allowing 72 pictures of 18 × 24 mm format on a standard 36 exposure roll of film, made PEN cameras compact and portable for their time.
Olympus OM LensesThe PEN system design team, led by Yoshihisa Maitani, later created the OM system, a full frame professional 35 mm SLR system designed to compete with Nikon and Canon's bestsellers. The OM system introduced a new trend towards more compact cameras and lenses, being much smaller than its competitors and presenting innovative design features such as off-the-film (OTF) metering and OTF flash automation. Eventually the system included 14 different bodies, approximately 60 Zuiko-branded lenses, and numerous camera accessories.
Olympus Quick Flash cameraHowever, Olympus did not move into the autofocus market in the way their competitors did, ultimately leading to their decline as a maker of professional film camera systems[citation needed].
The company is a leading manufacturer of digital cameras, with a large range of compact digital cameras. Olympus is the designer of the Four-Thirds System standard for digital single-lens reflex camera design and development. The Four-Thirds system includes the first consumer-grade digital SLRs to feature live preview, a feature now adopted by all major DSLR makers. Olympus' flagship DSLR camera is the E-5 released in 2010. Olympus is also the largest manufacturer of Four-Thirds lenses under the Zuiko brand; these lenses are known for their good optical quality and compactness. Olympus cameras originally only took the xD-Picture Card proprietary format (which it shares with Fujifilm), which has driven away some consumers. Recent cameras have included compatibility with the Secure Digital (SD) card format with their compact range and Compact Flash with their dSLR's in hopes of winning back customers. The most recent development is Olympus' focus on the Micro Four Thirds system.
In 1983, Olympus, along with Canon, branded a range of video recording equipment manufactured by JVC[citation needed], and called it "Olympus Video Photography", even employing renowned photographer Terance Donovan to promote the range[citation needed]. A second version of the system was available the year after, but this was Olympus' last foray into the world of consumer video equipment until digital cameras became popular[citation needed].
Since the beginning, the company has also been a manufacturer of microscopes and optics for specialised needs, such as medical use. The first microscope manufactured at Olympus was called the Asahi[3]. Nowadays Olympus is a worldwide renowned manufacturer of microscopes. Olympus offers a complete range of microscopes, which covers applications from education and routine studies up to state of the art research imaging systems both in life science and materials science.
Olympus also invented the Microcassette[citation needed]. The Olympus Pearlcorder L400, released in the 1980s, was the smallest and lightest Microcassette Voice recorder ever offered for sale, 2.9 (L) × 0.8 (H) × 2.0 in. (W) / 73 (L) × 20 (H) × 52 (W) 3.2 oz[4].
Olympus Diagnostics
Olympus also manufactures and provides client support for its fully automated random access automated analysers for clinical chemistry, immuno chemistry, and blood grouping. Prominent clinical chemistry analyzers are models AU400, AU640/680, AU2700 and AU5400. The newest model is AU5800 that may analyze up to 2000 samples per hour. These analyzers are used in medical laboratories by medical technologists. Other Olympus products used in the clinical laboratory are microscopes utilized by the microbiology and hematology departments (Note: Microscopie was not sold). Many Olympus imaging products are used in hospital endoscopy departments. The whole diagnostic business was sold to Beckman Coulter in August 2009.[5]
See also
| Companies portal |
- Laboratory equipment
- List of Olympus products
- Olympus OM system
- Four Thirds System
- Micro Four Thirds System
- xD-Picture Card and SmartMedia
- List of digital camera brands
- List of photographic equipment makers
Notes
- ^ a b c "Olympus History: Origin of Our Name". http://www.olympus-global.com/en/corc/history/about/. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
- ^ "History of Olympus: Founding". http://www.olympus-global.com/en/corc/history/found/. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
- ^ "Olympus History: The Asahi Microscope". Olympus Corporation. Archived from the original on 2006-12-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20061227010326/http://www.olympus-global.com/en/corc/history/micro/asahi.cfm. Retrieved 2007-02-21.
- ^ Thomas, Ralph D. (2006). "Ultra Compact Pearlcorder L400 Micro, 1980s". Thomas Investigative Publications, Inc. http://www.pimall.com/nais/pivintage/pearlcorder.html. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
- ^ http://www.beckmancoulter.com/hr/pressroom/oc_pressReleases_detail.asp?Key=8864
External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Olympus Corporation |
- Olympus Global Official Web Site.
- Olympus Corporation at the Open Directory Project
- Olympus at Camerapedia.org
|
|||||
Categories: Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange | Companies based in Tokyo | Companies established in 1919 | Electronics companies | Electronics companies of Japan | Lehigh County, Pennsylvania | Lens manufacturers | Olympus products | Optics manufacturing companies | Photography companies of Japan
|