I trade stock and I tend to be a little bit of a corporate history geek. I like to know something about the background and history of the companies I am trading. To me, Epson Corp is one of the companies with the most interesting background out there. Nowadays Epson makes some of the top of the line printers and copiers, as well as other fine electronics such as projectors, computer devices and so forth. However, it was not always the case. Epson has come a long way in the last century.
The first thing I love about Epson is that it is a true “mom and pop” success story. Epson started off as Seiko. One skilled Japanese watch maker started his business and decided to expand to the repair and manufacture of clock pieces as soon as he had the funds to do so. This is what separates a true visionary from the typical business owner: he went outside his comfort zone and expanded into a new, but related, line of business. The result is he had more control over every stage of his product and Seiko watches are still a leading product line today.
Another thing I find interesting is that Epson is actually a Japanese company. The name Epson does not sound Japanese, but remember that in the post-war years Japan did not have a high reputation with Americans. If products came to America with a Japanese sounding name on them, they might not be well received, but a name like Epson had no problems.
It is this kind of long term savvy that makes me like Epson.