Talk about warm welcome… when our press coach rolled up outside the Panasonic factory in Yokohama, Japan, a big group of employees were standing in the car park smiling and waving flags.
Now I’m not saying it would be totally impossible to arrange this kind of thing at a UK factory unless it was Her Majesty, but genuine smiles? You’d probably have to give a day off in lieu.
Our small group of security journalists, representing the UK, Scandinavia, Germany and Italy, were guests of Panasonic System Solutions Europe on a trip to Tokyo.
The reason for the visit was a press conference on Panasonic’s new flagship i-Pro technology – a megapixel camera range – and a visit to the Security Show 2008 where it was being previewed.
The flag waving made us feel very ‘umble indeed and was a pointer to the politeness with which the Japanese go about their business.
Our Panasonic host, Rob Healey, European head of marketing, did explain to us that the way to present and receive business cards was a tad more respectful than the quick-look-and-straight-in-the-pocket way most of us trade our cards.
In Japanese business dealings the card means everything and really does represent the person. (Tip: Give your card and receive theirs with both hands. Look at it for some time and read back the name before you put it in your wallet, not a trouser pocket).
This refreshingly polite approach is not limited to business. On the crowded monorail on the way back from the exhibition another passenger bowed three times after accidentally treading on my toe. I can’t see that happening on the Northern Line.
And I quote the PA announcement on the coach from Narita Airport: “Portable telephones should not be used on the bus as they annoy the neighbours”. No one did.
Thriving exhibition
Japan is the home of electronics and, arguably, electronic security. But when you think of the number of world-renowned companies that have their roots there, it’s surprising how little public CCTV there seems to be compared to the UK. Then again, I suppose you could say that about most places.
Despite its size, Tokyo is said to be relatively safe with a, generally, law abiding citizenship. But if Tokyo’s bid for the 2016 Olympics is successful, no doubt the floodgates for CCTV will be opened up for more localised surveillance.
Certainly the Tokyo exhibition seemed to be thriving. Most of the big names in Japanese security manufacturing were there with some European companies also putting in an appearance. I’m not complaining, but it was also full of beautiful young ladies competing to give out brochures and get you to visit their stand.
As a veteran of many years IFSEC attendance, it seemed to me that there was much more of a presentational style from the exhibitors. Many more head-mic talkers selling their wares and gathering an audience as well as some comedy skits – lost on me, I have to say.
Megapixel launch
As far as the UK security industry is concerned, Panasonic is a CCTV manufacturer (with a little bit of access control via its biometric iris reader). So it was quite revealing to see the many different security sectors it covers in the local market – much more domestic kit like intruder alarms and even earthquake warning equipment.
(In truth, Panasonic is huge … the security business just one part of the systems solutions business which is just one part of the … but let’s not go there. Enough to say that from Mr Matsushita’s one-man (and his wife and brother-in-law) business in 1918 making electrical sockets and bicycle lamps, it’s now ranked 59th in the world in Forbes Global ’07).
The centrepiece of the Panasonic stand at the security show was a kind of mini play where a busy security manager is told what the i-Pro range is capable of.
Earlier at the press conference we were given details of this “second generation” of i-Pro … a megapixel range of two cameras, a network disk recorder and a decoder (click here for more details).
It seemed to confirm what I’ve been hearing … that the megapixel market will grow strongly in the next year or so.
A recent market prediction from IMS was that this market would open up as the cost of storage came down and the major CCTV manufacturers got on board … and here was a degree of proof.
Panasonic certainly seemed to be putting their strength behind megapixel technology with a massed line-up of executives and a large and full hall of international journalists including many representatives of the Asian security press.
UK opinion carries weight
Our small group were given front seats at the conference and I was led to believe that this was not only a courtesy, but in recognition of the importance of the European market. There is a real feeling that, as major consumers of CCTV, the opinions of the UK installation base carry a lot of weight with Japanese manufacturers.
CCTV in the UK has come in for a bashing over the last year. Apart from the “surveillance society” issue politically whipped up by the national media there has been the criticism (from police and even from within the industry) that image quality is just not good enough, especially in identifying individuals. Even if, like me, you don’t agree with this blanket criticism, the issue should be addressed.
Megapixel technology seems to answer those criticisms if the examples we were shown from the new Panasonic products are anything to go by … heightened image quality making faces more easily identifiable and much better colour reproduction,
A quiet word with Rob and I managed to line up the world’s first independent review on the megapixel dome cam … so watch out for our Bench Test later this year.
And having Bench Tested Panasonic’s NS202 network PTZ dome last year (you can still read the test report here) I was wondering if there were any plans for a megapixel version? There are, confirmed Panasonic. So watch out for that.
Manufacturing base
If you’ve just clicked through to that Bench Test you’ll see our testers were impressed with this distinctive little number and I was interested to visit the Yokohama factory line that makes them.
I say “line” but really the factory runs on the much more flexible and popular “cell” production principle bringing a quicker response to orders with small, dedicated teams turning their hand to what is needed and, I reckon, making the factory floor job that much more interesting.
Certainly the factory staff seemed happy (especially the young lady testing out the PA systems being produced by singing into them!) and they didn’t seem to mind the CCTV dome cameras that were mounted on the ceiling.
It was later explained in the monitoring room that the assembly process was overseen by cameras as part of “kaizen” which, loosely, means continual improvement.
At various, unspecified times supervisors would closely watch each assembly process to see how it could be improved. The workers knew that sometimes their work would be observed but they never knew when, so they were not self conscious about the cameras.
Seems fair enough – and also conforms to what should be a universal rule (to be observed by installers, manufacturers and even security journalists) that those who earn their living from CCTV should not overly object when they’re the subject of it.
Lucky us, we were staying at the luxurious Royal Park Shiodome Tower with night time city views straight out of a sci-fi movie. The imposing hotel complex was in a multi-level part of the city and seemed to start on floor 24!
Blessed with the sense of direction of a determined but blind pigeon, I found if not only difficult to keep tabs on where I was but what level I was on. When I went out by myself I made sure I travelled in a straight line only.
However, after dark our hosts, Rob, Claire Millington (European PR executive), the ever-genial Masato “Cliff” Nakamura (overseas sales GM) and the Panasonic executives led the way to a number of impressive restaurants and watering places – and even the obligatory “Lost in Translation” karaoke episode.
Altogether a great mix of business and pleasure so my thanks to the Panasonic team for a truly memorable trip.
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