Canon Inc. and its subsidiary, Canon Ecology Industry Inc., have announced they received the METI Minister's Prize at the FY2024 3Rs (which stands for Reuse, Reduce and Recycle) Promotion Merit Awards, hosted by the 3Rs Promotion Council, in recognition for their joint efforts to expand the remanufacturing of multifunction devices (MFDs).

Since 1992, Canon has conducted an MFD remanufacturing business that collects used MFDs and restores them with Canon's proprietary technology to sell them as commercial products whose performance is equivalent to new ones. In Japan, Canon Ecology was established in 2004 as an environmental base to consolidate the reuse and recycling businesses of the Canon Group. Since 2005, it has conducted the Japanese side of the multifunction device remanufacturing business, for which Canon Ecology received the 3Rs Promotion Council President's Prize in 2008.

This time, Canon received marks for achieving a high level of "environmental performance (rate of reused parts)," "quality and performance equivalent to new products" and "low cost" in remanufactured MFDs, which are all crucial to continuing the MFD remanufacturing business for many years to come.

The achievement of these three goals is supported by two specific initiatives: "utilization of operational records" and "introduction of platform-based development."

"Utilization of operational records" involves using a system to automatically determine whether or not certain parts can be reused based on data during the equipment's operational use such as number of years in operation, part replacement history and number of prints. The system generates a chart listing parts that need to be replaced. This chart is then used as a reference point when refurbishing the devices and contributes to maximizing the number of reused parts.

Under the "introduction of platform-based development," Canon has fundamentally reformed its product development system to standardize the framework of the main units according to product class. This standardization applies not only to parts and units but also to processes such as disassembly and assembly, thereby realizing a product structure that can easily be remanufactured after collection.

These two initiatives integrally help to maintain the quality of remanufactured MFDs and improve the efficiency of the remanufacturing process, and have helped to raise the rate of reused parts to a maximum of roughly 95.5%1 in 2024.

Going forward, Canon will continue and expand its MFD remanufacturing business in order to help improve resource circulation.

In other news, Canon U.S.A. Inc. has announced Senior Vice President Amy Newman's inclusion in the HERALD 2024 Top Chief Officers Awards.

The HERALD Top Chief Officers of Long Island Awards recognizes and honors deserving top executives, including: chief executive officers, chief operating officers, chief technology officers, chief human resources officers, chief sales officers and regional presidents — among others — who have significantly shaped business on Long Island.

Recognizing Long Island's business leaders is about acknowledging their successes and celebrating the driving force behind the local economy and the innovation that shapes our community's future. The honorees were presented with awards at a special dinner at The Heritage Club at Bethpage in Farmingdale, New York, on Nov. 20.

"I am honored to be included among Long Island's most respected and successful leaders," Newman said. "It is a great privilege to receive this recognition, and I would like to extend my congratulations to my fellow honorees."

During her 25-year career at Canon U.S.A. Inc., Newman continues to contribute to the company's success in a wide variety of roles and has been a key member of a number of high-profile projects, including the planning and construction of the Canon Americas Headquarters in Melville, New York, critical real-estate transactions, and partnering with the company's internal and external communication teams. She was recently promoted to senior vice president of the Administration Group, which oversees general affairs, procurement, human resources, logistics, legal, intellectual property, and audit, credit & risk.

Newman serves on Canon's Women in Leadership Levels (WiLL) Steering Committee and is co-chair of the WiLL Mentor Program. She is on the board of directors for the YMCA Long Island Chapter and the board of managers for Woodbury Greens Association. Newman has also served for many years as a member of the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network and participated in The Lend a Hand Project as a sponsor.