Olympus Zooms In on Costa Rica as Area Hub

Representatives of the Japanese camera company Olympus dressed in purple kimonos and cut a ribbon bearing the Costa Rican flag colors Tuesday night, as the camera and imaging company officially inaugurated its offices in the Forum building in Santa Ana, northwest of San José. The offices in Santa Ana will serve as the first Olympus hub in Central America.

Representatives at the center will also oversee distribution, post-sale support and client services of Olympus products in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.

“I feel pura vida,” said Tom Nakashima, Olympus’ division manager for digital cameras, using Costa Rica’s famous saying, which can mean anything from “good vibes” to “thank you.”

“We have operating centers in all of the bigger markets but are yet to establish as many as we would like in emerging markets, such as in Latin America. Today we make a change,” Nakashima said.

Nakashima said Olympus chose Costa Rica based on the country’s commitment to social responsibility, respect for ecology, customer relations and central location for Central America and northern South America. The Olympus location in Santa Ana will focus its efforts on improving the company name in the region by offering a wider array of digital cameras and improving regional distribution and customer relations with Latin American clients. The center is expected to coordinate marketing operations and distribution for over 900 stores in the Central American and northern South American countries.

The Olympus product line includes digital and 35 mm cameras, professional digital imaging systems, voice recorders, binoculars, microscopes and endoscopes.

According to Jorge Chavarría, sales manager for Olympus in Costa Rica, annual worldwide sales of Olympus products averages around $10 billion.

–Adam Williams