RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

Bringing the "Cotopat" Caption Display System to Market

10.17.2025

Behind the launch of the “Cotopat” caption display system were major challenges: developing software without a technical department and introducing a product to a new market. This is the story of an engineer, Takumi Sasaki, who transitioned from researcher to business developer, and the lessons learned along the way.

From Research to Market – A Rare Challenge

In his fifth year at Kyocera, Takumi joined the commercialization project for “Cotopat”, a subtitle display system that recognizes spoken words in real time and displays characters, illustrations, and videos on the screen to eliminate difficulty in listening to conversations and facilitate communication.
After two years of field trials, his team’s strong results signaled the beginning of their toughest challenge: Could they bring this product to market?

Two major obstacles stood in their way:
1.Developing software in a group company with no technical department.
2.Building a sales strategy for a product with virtually no existing market category

“Jumping from R&D to commercialization was rare, and I was entering uncharted territory”, he said.

Driving Commercialization as an Engineer

His assignment took him to Kyocera Document Solutions Japan, a Kyocera Group company with powerful sales and logistics networks but less software development resources.
His first step was sharing accurate information with all stakeholders and gaining their cooperation. By ensuring an understanding of the product’s purpose, he was able to work with sales and procurement teams to establish distribution channels and secure necessary components.

On the software side, Takumi prioritized stable operation after release, aiming for zero defects. He and the team strengthened testing processes and bug detection workflows to deliver a reliable, market-ready product.

Lessons Learned as an Engineer

Sasaki using the Caption Display System Cotopat

"The most important lesson I learned was that technical excellence alone is not enough to make a business succeed”, Takumi says.
Understanding market needs and building infrastructure—sales, logistics, and support—are just as essential as technical skills.
He also experienced the difficulty of aligning goals across departments. Guided by Kyocera’s philosophy of “Lead by Example” ^*1, he took initiative, engaged in daily dialogue, and gradually developed the ability to mobilize an organization and demonstrate the importance of building cross-departmental relations and collaboration.

*1 Kyocera’s philosophy “Lead by Example”: https://global.kyocera.com/inamori/about/thinker/philosophy/words17.html

Key Takeaways for Engineers:

- Understand the entire business process, not just the technical aspects.
- Earn trust through accurate and transparent communication.
- Rigorous quality assurance is critical to post-launch success.

A message to engineers / What I have learned and earned

"Experiencing the entire journey from research to commercialization has been invaluable.
Going forward, I aim to further evolve Cotopat and apply these lessons to future projects, bridging Kyocera's technology and business to create new value. I encourage fellow engineers and professionals to actively seek opportunities to get involved in the commercialization process. Start by volunteering for cross-functional projects or offering to participate in product launch teams. Engage with other departments to understand their needs and perspectives. By taking these steps, your contributions can help shape the future of innovation."

Takumi Sasaki

KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.,Corporate Global Solutions Division, Global Solutions Development Department, Solution Development Section 4

Design and development of display system "Cotopat Series"

Development and Sales of the "Cotopat" Series