CHICAGO--April 10, 2003-- Canon Business Solutions-Central, Inc., a subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc. and a regional leader in document imaging systems, has opened a regional branch office in the Twin City area of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The new office, which was established about a year ago recently held its official grand opening. The office is located at 4801 West 81st Street, Suite 112, Victoria Pond Center in nearby Bloomington. Canon U.S.A., Inc. is a subsidiary of Canon Inc. "We are very excited about Canon's expansion to Minnesota, and the initial success we've achieved in providing the business solutions that are demanded by business, government and non-profit organizations in the Twin City area," said Emily Reynolds, president, Canon Business Solutions-Central, Inc. "With our focus on the customer, we continue to find ways to enhance a company's critical success factors by providing the right combination of products, people and services. With Canon technology and our customized approach to providing solutions, we will strengthen Canon's position in this marketplace." Canon occupied the overall number one market share position for copiers sold in the U.S. in 2002, for the fifth consecutive year, according to market studies completed this month by Gartner Dataquest, a unit of Gartner Inc. and one of the world's leading research and advisory firms. (U.S Printer, Copier, Fax and MFP Market, 1999-2002, March 2003.) In 2002, for the first time, Canon achieved the number one position in every black-and-white copier speed segment from desktop PC models to production level devices. Canon has held the total number one position in the U.S. 20 times over the last 21 years. For the last 16 consecutive years, Canon Color Laser Copiers (CLC) held the top spot in color. "Twin Cities business moves at a fast pace and Canon Business Solutions is focused on supplying the technology solutions the business community requires," said Laurie Weed, general manger for Canon's Twin Cities region. "Our emphasis is on complete document management, from creation to distribution. Our sales professionals, service department, and systems group are committed to providing Canon technology to enable customers to gain productivity while lowering operational costs." The opening of the Twin Cities office is part of the expansion of Canon Business Solutions-Central, Inc., which is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois. It has sales and service locations throughout the Chicago metropolitan area along with regional branch offices in Denver, Houston, San Antonio/Austin and Minneapolis. It provides clients with digital network printing, color and black and white copying, duplicating, faxing and large format printing along with business services consultation and outsourcing.