New Delhi: Canon is moving into the longer term by marrying its heritage of excellence with the newest technological advances. With the fixed emergence of recent platforms and the ever-increasing demand for video content material, Canon, having been synonymous with high quality images and imaging, is redefining its choices. In an unique dialog with Ayaz Farooqui, Manabu Yamazaki, President and CEO of Canon India, discusses the corporate’s plans to adapt and innovate within the quickly altering world of imaging know-how. Yamazaki highlights how the corporate shouldn’t be solely retaining tempo with these adjustments but additionally anticipating buyer wants in numerous sectors, together with video surveillance {and professional} printing.
Here are the excerpts from the interplay
1. With the introduction of newer applied sciences, what steps is Canon taking to combine new-age innovation into its services whereas leveraging its legacy in imaging know-how?
The imaging business’s enlargement lately might be attributed majorly to technological developments, which have met the evolving calls for throughout sectors. Over a long time, we at Canon have remained trailblazers, providing one of the best experiences to our prospects, by revolutionary product improvements and the continuous provision of essentially the most up-to-date options that improve effectivity and add worth to their work.
For occasion, we’re extensively delving into the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) to facilitate top-notch content material creation. In 2021, we unveiled the EOS VR System, which marked a big milestone in empowering the crafting of gorgeous 180° VR content material at resolutions as much as 8K. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the way forward for the related units and techniques round us. Supporting a variety of broadcasting avenues together with Education, Sports, Broadcast News, Events, Live Streaming and extra, AI equips our PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) broadcast cameras powered by the auto monitoring software and seamless operations enabled by the auto loop software. As a part of our community surveillance answer choices, now we have integrated superior video analytics, together with CCTV surveillance, entry management, and public addressing, thereby addressing the entire networking and surveillance life cycle. We acknowledge the transformative energy of such rising applied sciences and are dedicated to leveraging our legacy to create revolutionary and enhanced experiences for our prospects.
2. With the rising significance of video content material throughout numerous platforms, how is Canon adapting its product line to cater to the wants of each novice {and professional} videographers?
Consumption of video content material has witnessed a big enhance lately. In line with this, now we have been specializing in a video-first technique that extends to our product choices, in addition to our advertising strategy and engagement with stakeholders. We have been catering to the rise in demand for video content material gear by introducing specialised merchandise tailor-made throughout segments together with weddings, content material creation, training know-how, OTT, and home of worship. Notably, we unveiled the Canon EOS R8, for marriage ceremony professionals, and the EOS R50, EOS R100, and PowerShot V10 for content material creators, showcasing a dedication to offering cutting-edge instruments for videography.
At the identical time, the rise in streaming content material, development of OTT, and booming cinema section has resulted in an uptick in demand for our exhaustive Cinema EOS sequence. The current inclusion of Canon EOS R5 C because the eighth addition to the listing of cameras authorised by Netflix for manufacturing underscores Canon’s unwavering concentrate on delivering the high-quality requirements demanded by professionals within the broadcasting and videography business. We intention to know the varied wants of the videography group with a concentrate on strengthening our product portfolio and providers for the identical.
3. In what methods is Canon investing within the subsequent technology of photographers and creators, and the way does this align with the corporate’s long-term imaginative and prescient? Highlight firm’s enlargement past cameras into the imaging business?
Grounded within the ‘GEMBA’ tradition, the place we actively keep near prospects to know their necessities, now we have recognized important development potential within the photographers and content material creator/vlogger section. Our imaginative and prescient is to empower and upskill the influencer group by centered merchandise and workshops, facilitating their conquest of the world of creativity. Beyond providing cutting-edge know-how, our engagement with the inventive group contains instructional webinars and collaborations with high establishments and knowledgeable EOS Ambassadors. This holistic strategy is aimed toward nurturing the images business and seamlessly aligns with our imaginative and prescient to transcend conventional boundaries, solidifying our management within the imaging business for years to return.Â
Talking about increasing our legacy past cameras, now we have strengthened our positioning throughout a complete vary of digital imaging merchandise and options in India catering to segments throughout Healthcare, Government, Home Segments, Enterprises, Educational Institutions, and way more. We have been empowering enterprises with our vary of printing and enterprise imaging options together with doc administration techniques (DMS), multi-functional units (MFDs), cloud-based instruments, and extra. We additionally forayed into the cyber safety area to additional allow organizations to optimize workflow effectively. Our skilled printing merchandise are designed to cater to the evolving wants of jobbers and print outlets, whereas our intensive line-up of client printers caters to houses, small workplaces/residence workplaces, and small to medium-sized companies. Similarly, we proceed to develop our market presence in crucial segments together with Surveillance and Medical, thereby solidifying our business management as a futuristic and revolutionary know-how model even additional.
4. Could you share insights into any upcoming applied sciences or merchandise that Canon is especially enthusiastic about?
Canon’s enlargement past its conventional id as a digicam firm is marked by a strategic shift in direction of changing into a complete digital imaging options supplier. This evolution is underscored by our diversified product vary and their dominance throughout numerous market segments in India. We intention to proceed solidifying our management within the imaging know-how business by additional increasing our foothold in key sectors equivalent to Healthcare, Government, Enterprises, and Educational Institutions. One of the important thing avenues on this regard is surveillance, owing to the event of Smart Cities in India; we intention to turn into an end-to-end surveillance options supplier and techniques integrator, providing cutting-edge applied sciences, together with our revolutionary PTZ digicam sequence within the discipline of broadcasting as nicely. We are notably eager on supporting enterprises of their digital transformation journey. In this regard, we forayed into cybersecurity in 2023, permitting us to supply organizations complete options that optimize workflow effectivity and prioritize knowledge safety.
In the skilled printing business, now we have been introducing revolutionary merchandise which have been specifically designed to cater to the evolving wants of jobbers and print outlets. Additionally, our client printers fulfilling the varied necessities of houses, small workplaces, and small to medium-sized companies, aligns with the altering dynamics of distant work and the rising demand for versatile printing options in numerous settings. As we adopted the ‘Henkaku’ technique, emphasizing transformation as a key driver of development in India, our continued dedication to increasing choices based mostly on evolving market necessities stands out.
5. How does Canon tailor its methods to cater to various markets, particularly in nations like India?
We make use of a consumer-first strategy in tailoring our methods for various markets, notably in India, by understanding and adapting to the distinctive wants of every section. For occasion, with companies more and more adopting automation to enhance effectivity, now we have invested closely in innovating our workplace automation instruments and software program options that assist them of their digital transformation journey. Additionally, there was an rising significance of cybersecurity in at the moment’s digital panorama attributable to an increase in cyber threats. Hence, we addressed the rising requirement for cybersecurity options by launching our choices in collaboration with ESET, an business knowledgeable.
In the realm {of professional} printing, we acknowledged the rising want for jobbers and print outlets to enhance their productiveness and effectivity by rising machine velocity whereas delivering high quality output. With the evolving panorama of hybrid work fashions, now we have strategically designed our client printing choices to deal with the calls for of shoppers in search of versatile and high-performance merchandise. We have additionally been closely centered on empowering the rising cohort of content material creators {and professional} segments like Wedding, by specialised merchandise in addition to common engagements which might be aimed toward boosting their creativity. This consumer-first strategy ensures that prospects utilizing our imaging options can function securely and confidently in an ever-changing digital setting.
6. What challenges and alternatives does Canon see within the Indian market particularly?
In the dynamic panorama of the Indian market and the speedy developments in imaging know-how, we acknowledge the problem of staying forward of the curve and delivering technological improvements that successfully cater to the evolving wants of our prospects. In the B2B sector, particularly amidst the surge in demand for printers prompted by the shift to hybrid working, we see a big alternative, thereby accelerating the necessity for environment friendly residence and workplace printing options. As India embraces the Smart City infrastructure motion, our surveillance choices align seamlessly with the federal government’s funding within the growth of 100 good cities. The Network Video Surveillance Solutions (NVS) enterprise has skilled notable development, with plans to broaden into authorities tasks, together with essential infrastructure, secure metropolis initiatives, and built-in site visitors administration tasks.
Office automation can be a big focus space for us, addressing the rising demand in sectors like BFSI, Healthcare, and Startups. The introduction of workplace automation instruments and software program options equivalent to Therefore, Uniflow, and Kofax has garnered substantial consideration. These options not solely play an important function in knowledge analytics but additionally help organizations of their digital transformation journey. Our cloud-based options have emerged as highly effective instruments in simplifying enterprise operations, lowering prices, and enhancing total effectivity.
On the digicam entrance, we acknowledge the evolving wants of content material creators, responding with merchandise just like the PowerShot V10 catering to the rising development of vlogging. The surge in demand for streaming providers throughout numerous sectors, together with weddings, training, and company occasions, positions our Pro-DV and distant PTZ digicam vary as important instruments.
7. How has the printing business advanced publish the pandemic, and the way has Canon tailored to the adjustments by its choices?
The pandemic has been a catalyst for important transformation within the printing business as a result of rise of hybrid working setting. This shift has led to a surge in demand for printers, not solely from massive companies but additionally from houses, small workplaces/residence workplaces (SOHOs), and small to medium-sized companies (SMBs). In 2023, we launched 16 state-of-the-art printers spanning our PIXMA, MAXIFY, and laser sequence that have been tailor-made to those necessities. Furthermore, we empowered shoppers to discover new avenues and artistic shops for printing, which went past printing paperwork.
Our skilled printing section has additionally witnessed appreciable development as we launched applied sciences tailor-made to rising developments. Innovative merchandise just like the Desktop A1-Plus Large Format printers imagePROGRAF TC 20 sequence, the revolutionary imagePRESS V sequence, and the just lately unveiled imagePROGRAF TM sequence have addressed evolving printing wants, offering cost-effective and multipurpose options supreme for distant worksites, small workplaces, and stores. Our dedication to fixed innovation and adaptation ensures that our choices align with the ever-evolving wants of shoppers within the post-pandemic period.
8. As we’re within the new 12 months, what are the long-term plans that the corporate is aiming to attain in 2024?
In 2024, Canon India is concentrated on reaching bold long-term targets centered on market enlargement and class management. We intention to turn into the fastest-growing gross sales firm by 2024, emphasizing an innovation-first strategy. Recognizing the immense potential within the Indian market, particularly within the realms of surveillance and medical enterprise, and acknowledging their strategic significance, we’re decided to broaden our presence additional, constructing on our previous successes and constantly rising our buyer base. Our core mission, encapsulated within the Japanese time period ‘Henkaku’ for transformation, guides our efforts to combine imaging options into new domains, as we intention to additional broaden current enterprise propositions in addition to create ‘new business avenues’, showcasing the flexibility of our exhaustive portfolio.
We acknowledge the significance of buyer expertise, aiming to transcend conventional choices by creating significant experiential engagements that spotlight the real-world advantages of our merchandise. Along with all this, a key focus space can be to reinforce our attain throughout the size and breadth of the nation, with Canon in search of to ascertain a strong know-how ecosystem nationwide. With a various vary of 360-degree choices, our purpose is to remain dynamic, lead business developments, and constantly delight prospects by experimentation and innovation, serving as a one-stop-shop for all digital imaging wants.
