Epson

Epson's origins trace back to May 1942, when Daiwa Kogyo Ltd. was established on the shores of Lake Suwa in Nagano, Japan, as a manufacturer of watch parts connected to the Seiko group. A subsidiary, Shinshu Seiki Co., was formed in 1961 to supply precision components for Seiko watches. When Seiko was selected as the official timekeeper for the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics, the team began developing an electronic printer to time events, and in September 1968 Shinshu Seiki launched the EP-101, recognised as the world's first mini-printer. The Epson name — meaning "son of EP" — was adopted in July 1975, and the company was formally renamed Epson Corporation in 1982, merging with Suwa Seikosha Co. in 1985 to form Seiko Epson Corporation.

Epson's expansion into projection technology came in 1989 with the launch of the VPJ-700, the first Epson-branded 3LCD projector. This proprietary 3LCD technology — using three liquid crystal display panels to produce colour — has remained central to Epson's projector range ever since. The company has also achieved a series of documented firsts: the HX-20, launched in 1982, is recognised as the world's first hand-held computer, and the first commercially available inkjet printer, the SQ-2000, followed in 1984.

Today Seiko Epson Corporation manufactures a wide range of products including home cinema and business projectors, inkjet and laser printers, scanners, wearable technology, industrial robots, and semiconductor devices. The company's design ethos is grounded in its precision manufacturing heritage, emphasising efficient, accurate products built on advanced micromechatronics capabilities.