Canon U.S.A. Awarded for Highest Number of Employees Certified in Sales Training Program.

Business & High Tech Editors

AIIM 2000

Booth No. 2413

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 2000

Computing Technology Industry Association Recognizes

Company for Industry Leadership

Canon U.S.A., Inc., the company whose imaging solutions give people Know How, announced today that the Canon Imaging Systems Group (ISG) has been honored with the "Certification Achievement Award" for demonstrating excellence in the utilization of the Certified Document Imaging Architech (CDIA) certification, an internationally recognized competency standard for sales and marketing professionals in document imaging developed by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

With 120 employees currently certified, Canon was presented with the award for its commitment to the profession and for having the highest number of CDIA-certified employees in the industry worldwide. Over 425 Canon employees and Canon dealer employees are currently pursuing the program that teaches professionals a high level of knowledge and expertise to plan, design and specify an imaging document management solution in the corporate environment.

"We are pleased to receive recognition for our efforts to ensure the largest possible number of Canon sales and technical professionals meet the highest performance standards in the industry," said Mitch Bardwell, director, Canon ISG Sales Training. "By certifying our sales force, we are giving our customers the best sales and marketing expertise in the imaging marketplace."

The awards were presented at the second annual CDIA Awards and Recognition Reception in New York on Sunday, April 9, 2000. Eleven awards recognizing innovation and leadership in document imaging were presented in ten categories, representing the wide reach of the CDIA certification program. A panel of industry professionals was appointed by the CDIA advisory committee to judge the entries, which were submitted by CDIA-certified individuals and by organizations implementing system integration projects.

"In celebrating individuals and organizations at the forefront of imaging technology, it was obvious Canon has gone the distance to make the training a true part of their sales training curriculum," said Melissa Tuite, CDIA certification program manager. "We are pleased to recognize Canon for its dedication to - and success with - our program."

Canon ISG Sales Training is the source of product, sales, and marketing knowledge for the Imaging Systems Group sales channel. The division is a conduit, providing quality information, courseware, expert skills development and coaching. With a mission to facilitate improvements in sales competency through the use of human performance standards, education, and training, Canon ISG Sales Training reached over nearly 7,000 Canon ISG sales professionals in 1998. The Canon ISG Sales Training delivered nearly 600 courses exceeding 95,000 hours of total class training time.

About the Computing Technology Industry Association

CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association, is a not-for-profit trade association, founded in 1982. Today it represents over 8,000 computer hardware and software manufacturers, distributors, retailers, resellers, VARs, system integrators, e-businesses and training, service, and telecommunications companies in 52 countries worldwide. An additional 750 members are represented in the association's new individual membership category.

In addition to providing a unified voice for the industry in the areas of public policy, workforce development and electronic commerce standards, CompTIA certifies information technology and service professionals (over 200,000 to date worldwide) with its widely adopted and vendor-neutral A+, Certified Document Imaging Architech (CDIA), Network+ and i-Net+ certification programs. Headquartered in Lombard, Ill., the association's Web address is www.comptia.org.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. is an industry leader in professional and consumer imaging solutions and, through its parent company, Canon Inc., is a top patent-holder of imaging technologies. The company's comprehensive product line includes networked multifunction devices; digital and analog copiers (color and black and white); printers, scanners, image filing systems, and facsimile machines; camcorders, cameras and lenses; and semiconductor, broadcast and medical equipment. Canon employs 12,000 people at more than 30 facilities throughout North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

All referenced product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Canon U.S.A. Web site: http://www.usa.canon.com