The Canon Experience Center in Costa Mesa, California and Canon Information Technology Services in Albuquerque, New Mexico Celebrate Grand Openings

MELVILLE, N.Y. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — November 7, 2014 — Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the grand openings of two new Customer Service and Support Operation Centers – the Canon Experience Center in Costa Mesa, California and the Western expansion of Canon Information Technologies Services, Inc. (CITS), a customer call center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The openings of these centers symbolize Canon’s commitment to providing customers with top-quality service, support and education from coast to coast.

The Canon Experience Center, a new branch of the Canon Americas Marketing Engineering Technology Center (METC), opened its doors on November 5 to celebrate the grand opening of the facility and the customer-focused features and offerings within the space. Following the opening of the Canon Experience Center, the Company celebrated the grand opening of the CITS customer call center on November 6. Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry marked the occasion, along with Canon executives and staff.

“The grand openings of the new Canon Experience Center and the additional CITS call center are a testament to Canon’s commitment to our customers,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “These facilities will allow us to connect with our customers on the west coast and further support the needs of all our customers, no matter where they are located in the U.S.”

The opening of the 38,000 square-foot Canon Experience Center in Costa Mesa signifies the completion of a renovation of an existing Canon owned facility, which now offers innovative, meaningful face-to-face service and support experiences to customers, clients and partners. The new facility features comprehensive and high-quality customer experiences, including an education center and 35-seat theater where Canon Live Learning, Explorers of Light (EOL) and Canon Professional Services (CPS) events will be held throughout the year. The Canon Experience Center also has a nearly 5,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art showroom that displays Canon products ranging from the Canon PowerShot family to the Cinema EOS lineup to large format imagePROGRAF printers. A CPS members-only lounge where members can relax while their equipment is being cleaned or repaired, as well as a photo studio providing even more onsite convenience to Canon customers are housed within the building.

Throughout the facility there are a number of image galleries that feature images taken by Canon EOLs, along with several images that were captured by Canon customers, including two Canon CPS members and four participants of a Canon Live Learning Destination Workshop.

“I feel honored to have my work recognized by Canon and showcased in the gallery at the Canon Experience Center,” said Chris Martin, photographer and Canon Live Learning participant. “The resources Canon provides to me as a photographer run the full spectrum, from video tutorials to instruction manuals, covering not only the nuts and bolts of the cameras, but also how to use these features to produce optimal results. Even more invaluable, though, was the hands-on instruction during the Live Learning event that brought out a creative side of me that I never knew I had.”

The Canon Experience Center will be home to approximately 75 experienced employees when fully staffed, and will host ongoing Canon employee training. In addition, the Canon Experience Center features repair and maintenance operations for Canon’s extensive lineup of consumer and professional products, including Cinema EOS and EOS Digital SLR cameras, PowerShot Cameras, high-definition camcorders, 4K reference displays and all of Canon’s lenses, including EF series photography lenses, Cinema lenses and broadcast lenses. Repair operations at the facility include 10 state-of-the-art camera body and lens adjustment rooms, Canon’s most advanced adjustment and calibration equipment, and a spare parts inventory.

The new 33,682 square-foot CITS call center in Albuquerque, which officially began operations in June 2014, provides support to Canon's growing professional photographic, cinema, printing and office solutions customers. By spring 2015, the center will also support customers using small office and consumer imaging products, including digital cameras, camcorders, large format printers and copiers. Canon’s customer focused investment in the new call center includes state-of-the-art data center technology that help ensure the Albuquerque, New Mexico and Chesapeake, Virginia locations are able to conduct uninterrupted operations 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The expansion of the CITS service and support footprint to the west coast demonstrates Canon’s dedication to providing high-quality customer service with 100 percent U.S.-based Canon employees. The Albuquerque location was specifically chosen because it will help better serve customers from coast to coast. The area has a stable climate, the ability to service multiple time zones and a well-educated largely bilingual workforce. It is anticipated that the support center will create at least 150 customer service, direct sales and technical support positions over a three-year period.

“We are thrilled to have Canon ITS here in Albuquerque,” said Mayor Richard J. Berry. “By selecting Albuquerque, Canon capitalized on a qualified and culturally diverse workforce and a location with a stable climate for business operations. They have made a strong commitment to our community and have proven to be a great fit in our growing business sector. We thank them for their many contributions to our community.”