Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein

"The other reasons we moved to Hamburg are the sales subsidiaries have been here for years, and we have been working with other countries from here as a distributor," said Hiroshi Nakamura, director for European operations. Nakamura served as director of the company's former London-based European headquarters, and was chosen to continue the task at the Norderstedt office as its responsibilities had expanded. Along with location, Casio is shifting its product strategy as well.

"The digital camera business has doubled since last year, and will double and double again in the coming years," Nakamura predicted. Casio released the first consumer digital camera, the QV10, in 1995 with a resolution of just 250,000 pixels. The company's latest model has already evolved to 4.13-million pixel resolution. Casio's is also the first and (so far) only digital camera-cum-wristwatch on the market, an innovation that Casio attributes to a strategy of 'micro-sizing' products.
Hiroshi Nakamura, Casio Computer's director for European operations

Casio's mini product line is simply phenomenal. The company leads the way in the concept of "wrist technology," adapting network solutions and products to hardware that can be worn on the wrist, including personal digital assistants, cameras and cellular phones.

In addition to the revolutionary digital camera watch, which features downloadable full color shots, Casio has also come up with innovations such as label printers built into a computer mouse and a printer the size (and shape) of an egg. With the help of its technology partners, the company aims to become a "large company built on small products".

The company is currently working with other European multinationals to best integrate their microtechnology. Casio is working with the Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia to include its digital cameras into mobile phones, giving them data transmission capabilities.

In Germany, Casio also collaborates with Siemens and Deutsche Post. The partnership with Siemens involves PDA technology as well as the further development of GPS and GSM mobile technologies. Casio has also obtained a market-leading position in Germany (one it has had in Japan for years) through a handheld package-tracking device that it developed alongside Deutsche Post.

Casio is re-launching one of its best known product lines this year, the G-Shock and Baby G sports watches. Following its "wrist technology" concept, Casio plans on retaking the lead in sports watches. This new start will be based on new models to be released this month, paired with a major promotional campaign starting this summer. "We lost some market position, but this year we are fighting back," said Nakamura, addressing the new challenge for Casio in Europe.

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