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About PLEXTALK

PLEXTALK and DAISY

PLEXTALK and DAISY

PLEXTALK is the registered trademark of Shinano Kenshi Co.,Ltd. and a brand name covering Digital Talking Book players and recorders we design and manufacture for the print disabled including the blind and dyslexic.
PLEXTALK offering better reading environments to people with visually impairment or print disability in the world by supplying accessible digital talking book players or recorders that comply with DAISY(*) standard.

Shinano Kenshi Co.,Ltd. develop and produce a variety of assistive technology products to allow those with visual and print impairments to participate in society and lead a self-reliant life.
Available under the brand name “PLEXTALK” these products are being used by many physically and visually-impaired people including librarians, transliteration volunteers, book writers/publishers, students, teachers, senior citizens, rehabilitation centers and welfare facilities personnel worldwide.

* What is DAISY?

The DAISY format allows a person to read and navigate through talking books. Library services for visually impaired people have converted their titles into the DAISY format. In order to read DAISY formatted books, PLEXTALK has developed DAISY players since 1991, becoming today’s world-leading provider of DAISY players.

DAISY is the abbreviation of Digital Accessible Information System, adopted by more than 60 countries worldwide. DAISY does meet talking book reader requirements by providing access to the talking book that access and navigate from point to point within the book. For more information on DAISY, please visit http://www.daisy.org/

Shinano Kenshi products

Shinano Kenshi

In 1918, Yukinori Kaneko established Shinano Spun Silk Spinning Co. Ltd. Over the decades the world changed and along with it industry was changing. Forecasting changes in industrial trends, the company entered into the electrical industry with small precision motors in the early 1960’s.

This was followed by an expansion into electronic equipment in the 1970’s – electronic equipment that would often utilize our motor products. Our design and manufacture of audio cassette players is one example of this.

With successful business expansion behind us, the company launched and built the Plextor brand in the early 1990’s. This brand – Plextor – became well known for high performance and highly reliable products such as high speed CD-ROM drives, and professional business audio players for background music systems (BGM).

The development of assistive technology products was started in our company in the early 1990s on a project that greatly utilized the technology of our durable, high sound quality CD recorders, as well as the software development technology of our computer peripheral equipment.

Funded by the Government of Japan, Shinano Kenshi in collaboration with an overseas organization developed a concept of accessible digital talking books, called DAISY or Digital Accessible Information System. Since then, we, under the brand name of PLEXTALK, have been developing revolutionary hardware and software to play and record digital talking books.

By striving to always look and understand technology’s path and trend, Shinano Kenshi has been able to evolve and stay ahead of where its customers are headed. Such evolution has contributed to the success of thousands of Shinano Kenshi customers around the world.

ASPINA

In 2018 we commemorated 100 years since our founding. Then in June 2019, we announced “ASPINA” as our new corporate brand. ASPINA conceptualizes and nurtures new ideas together with our customers in order to propose optimum “movement” solutions from new perspectives.

ASPINA Website

Daisy consortium

  

community

Community

PLEXTALK partners with global, regional and local organizations who contribute to the prevalence of DAISY. Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd. is a friend of the DAISY Consortium and the former CEO was awarded the first Honorary Lifelong Friend of the Consortium in 2005.

PLEXTALK is a proud sponsor of Learning Ally’s (Former RFB&D) national Record-A-Thon: Different Ways to read Across America. Please visit Learning Ally’s website to learn more about their company at www.learningally.org/.

SALES

© 2011 Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd.
PLEXTALK is the registered trademark of Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd.
Other brands and products are trademarks of their respective holder/s.
Specification subject to change without notice.