454 Ventil 22 /2016/ 6
INTERVIEWINTERVJU
Obisk delegacije Epson v Sloveniji
Epson delegation visit to Slovenia
Interview with Mr Yoneharu Fukushima
Dragica NOE
Ventil: The history of Epson is rich, 
which were the most important 
milestones? Would you please tell us 
more about it?
Mr. Yoneharu Fukushima: Yes, in-
deed. The history of Epson is very 
rich and many of Epson's product 
developments have been major 
milestones in technology. If you 
only take a look at our core tech-
nologies: Micro-Piezo, 3LCD or 
QMEMS – but I think your question 
is more targeted towards Robotic 
Solutions where also in this par-
ticular field we have been the first 
for a lot of unique products that 
differentiate us from competition. 
For example the first robot with 
Windows controller or the first 
cleanroom class zero robot. Look-
ing into the near past or future then 
of course, we have to mention the 
introduction of the Epson Spider, 
which is a SCARA type robot but 
with no dead zone in the center. 
Just now we have released another 
milestone unique to the market: 
a vertically articulated 6 axis arm 
maximizing the space efficiency 
which can be seen for the first time 
in Europe at the June Automatica 
fair in Munich. Not to forget the 
ongoing development of Epson's 
dual arm robot which is another 
important milestone for the in-
dustry and for us as a technology 
carrier in the Industry 4.0 environ-
ment. For reference I kindly direct 
you to our latest video on the Ep-
son channel: https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=v2MDq-f-my8
Ventil: Epson is a global corpora-
tion, what are your priorities and 
which of your strongest precedencies 
are over competition?
Sodelovanje podjetja DAX s firmo Epson iz Japonske ima že dolgoletno tradicijo, formalno je bilo vzpostavljeno 
leta 1993, prvi posel pa sega v daljno leto 1984. V zadnjih letih je trg malih montažnih robotov v Sloveniji 
resnično oživel, kar je vzbudilo posebno zanimanje vodstva Epson. V smislu še boljše podpore kupcem in 
poglobitve sodelovanja so DAX obiskali najvišji predstavniki podjetja: Yoneharu Fukushima, COO, Yoshifumi 
Yoshida, pomočnik COO, Michiya Hirasaki, glavni direktor prodaje in marketinga, Tsuyoshi Hatakayama, višji 
svetovalec za plan in načrtovanje, Volker Spanier, direktor Robotic Solutions Europe, Dirk Folkens, direktor 
prodaje Robotic Solutions. Med obiskom so si ogledali nekaj najvidnejših slovenskih strojegraditeljev in z 
velikim zanimanjem prisluhnili našim izkušnjam. V okviru tega obiska je nastal kratek pogovor z gospodom 
Fukushimo za revijo Ventil.
Darko Koritnik, DAX, d. o. o., Trbovlje
The cooperation of the company DAX with the company Epson from Japan has a long tradition. Formally it 
was established in 1993, the first business even dating back to 1984. In the course of the last years the market 
of small  podlagarobots in Slovenia really became alive, which aroused special interest in the management of 
Epson. In the sense of a better customer support and the intensification of cooperation, the company DAX was 
supported by a visit of the highest company representatives: Yoneharu Fukushima, COO, Yoshifumi Yoshida, 
Deputy COO, Michiya Hirasaki, General Manager Sales and Marketing, Tsuyoshi Hatakayama, Senior Expert 
Planning and Design, Volker Spanier, Head of RS Europe, and Dirk Folkens, Manager Sales RS. During their 
visit they took a look at some of the most prominent Slovenian machine builders and listened to our expe-
rience with great interest. In the course of this visit, a short interview was conducted with Mr. Fukushima for 
the magazine Ventil.