Seiko Epson Corporation, parent company of Epson Philippines Corporation, is celebrating its 80th year in business by opening the Epson Museum Suwa at its corporate Head Office in Suwa, Nagano, in Japan. The two-part museum, which consists of the renovated Monozukuri Museum and new Memorial Hall will give visitors a chance to learn about Epson’s history and products from the past. Memorial Hall is housed in what was the original administrative building, construction of which was completed in October 1945. This recently renovated historic building is now open to the public.
Epson’s predecessor, Daiwa Kogyo, Ltd., was founded in May 1942. Over the ensuing eight decades, the company evolved while passing on its DNA as an innovator and manufacturer. Refining the micromachining and precision processing technologies Epson developed for watches and deploying them in other areas are what fueled the company’s growth.
Construction of the administrative office for Factory 1 of Daiwa Kogyo was completed in 1945. (The picture was taken in 1949)
Epson renovated the original administrative building from the founding era and will reopen it as Memorial Hall to allow visitors to step back in time to experience the history and stories of products from a bygone era.
Exhibits in Memorial Hall cover the period to the 1970s, the time during which the building was actually used. From the technology and skills that go into mechanical watches, to the world’s first quartz watch, to the compact EP-101 digital printer from which the Epson brand name is derived, visitors will be given a retrospective look at the efficient, compact, and precision technologies that Epson has developed since its founding.
Exhibition of original mechanical watch and manufacturing equipment
Exhibition of quartz timepiece reduced to a compact, portable size
Visitors to Epson Museum Suwa can tour both the renovated Monozukuri Museum and Memorial Hall.
Epson has ticked off eight decades by ceaselessly pursuing creativity and challenge. The company is committed to solving societal issues by working to achieve sustainability and enrich communities.
