With the explosion of AI-driven cameras expanding and changing the shape of the European security camera industry, i-PRO EMEA President Gerard Figols looks forward to a year of exciting progress in 2022.

Masami Eguchi heads i-PRO’s security and safety business outside Japan and the United States. Currently based at the company’s US office in Houston, Texas, he is responsible for developing its global strategy. Drawing on a wealth of overseas experience in Germany, Singapore and the United States, he shares his frank opinions on the current landscape and what he sees as the keys to i-PRO’s success in the global market.

“According to Japanese fortune-telling based on the characters in my name, I have a very lucky name, will be blessed with great co-workers who can help me grow as a person, and achieve great success. And that’s exactly what’s happening at i-PRO,” says Hideaki Takahashi with a laugh. Using his experience in software development and system engineering, he was somewhat of a hero among customers during the early days of i-PRO. He currently serves as head of the Corporate Software in the Research & Development, and is active throughout the world overseeing personnel training, process innovation and core technology creation, all in relation to software. We asked Mr. Takahashi what it takes for an i-PRO software engineer to become a global leader.

The Corporate Technology Division serves as the backbone of i-PRO’s technology in general, providing support for the creation of leading-edge technologies, planning and development by product teams working at the forefront of the industry, and bolstering the skills of engineers working on a wide range of i-PRO products, including intelligent surveillance, public safety, and industrial and medical vision modules. Speaking from his perspective as an engineer, Makoto Takakuwa, who as head of Research & Development plays a major role in i-PRO’s ongoing emergence as a world-class company. Offering an engineer’s perspective, Mr. Takakuwa shared his views on the importance of R&D at i-PRO and its future direction.

One of the things that will be essential to i-PRO’s true “independence” is to have its own data system. To develop this over a limited period of time has been a Herculean task. Ayako Shiga, at the Business Process Technology Center (BPT), has been spearheading the work. She has been under unimaginable pressure, but also seems to be enjoying herself. Let’s ask Shiga about the ideal form of IT she hopes to realize at i-PRO.

Panasonic i-PRO Sensing Solutions Co., Ltd. has long been the top manufacturer of security camera systems in Japan. The team of Japan Intelligent Surveillance Division oversees the company's business operations in the Japan market. Jun Asahina, the head of this business division, played a major role in launching i-PRO's IP network camera business. We talked with him about the current situation and future prospects for i-PRO's security camera business in Japan.