Friction dynamometer : E. H. Hull. Rev. Sci. Inst., 29 (1958) 1050; 1 fig

Abstract

With printing technology as its core business, Toppan grew quickly through the application of electronics and other technologies, to become a $90bn company. From its establishments in 1900, Toppan grew rapidly and by 1922, it was the largest printing company in Asia, able to offer all three major types of printing: letterpress, gravure, and offset. After the war, Toppan continued to grow. With the growth of the Japanese economy, and by continually introducing new technologies, the company has expanded its core technology, and broadened the scope of its activities. Toppan now serves a wide range of customers' needs supported by the efforts of a Technical Research Institute and through its marketing and customer-support centres. The Research Institute employs 630 technicians at 10 research centres. The marketing and customer-support centres have about 600 marketing personnel and designers. In addition, to respond to customer needs and to demands for technological transfer, the company has 10 plants and 19 offices overseas employing a total of 2200 people in the United States, Asia, and Europe. Toppan's diversification has not been achieved by collecting different industries under one banner, as in the style of Western conglomerates. Rather, the printing business is the company's core business and various technological developments, driven by customer needs, have enabled the company to expand both vertically and horizontally.