Olympus Corp. history, profile and history video
Olympus Corp. is engaged in the manufacture and sale of precision machineries and instruments. It operates through the following segments: Medical Systems, Life Science and Industrial, Imaging Systems, Information and Communication, and Others. The Medical Systems segment covers endoscopes, and endoscopic surgery and therapy. The Life Science and Industrial segment manufactures and sells biological and industrial microscopes, industrial endoscopes, non-destructive testing equipment, and printers. The Imaging Systems segment deals with digital cameras and recording devices. The Information and Communication segment sells mobile terminals such as mobile phones. The Others segment includes biomaterial manufacturing and sales, and system development. The company was founded by Takeshi Yamashita on October 12, 1919 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.“
“Olympus Name and logo
- 1919: The company was founded as Takachiho Seisakusho. In Japanese mythology, deities live on Takamagahara, the peak of Mt. Takachiho. The first corporate logo was 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.
- 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 used this logo. The OLYMPUS TOKYO logo is still in use today. 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.
- 1942: The company was renamed to Takachiho Optical Co., Ltd., when optical products became the mainstay of the company.
- 1949: The name changed to Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. It was named after Mount Olympus, which like Mt. Takachiho is the home of gods, this time of Greek mythology. In the words of the company, they chose the name to “reflect its strong aspiration to create high-quality, world-famous products”.
- 1970: The new logo was designed to give impressions of quality and sophistication.
- 2001: The yellow line underneath the new 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.
- 2003: Renamed Olympus Corporation.”
*Information from Forbes.com and Wikipedia.org
**Video published on YouTube by “Olympus“