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12
SMART MFPS
We are
deepening our
learning to
address the
specific pains
and needs
of our target
industries
such as retail,
healthcare and
graphic arts
Terry Kawashima, Managing Director
of OKI Europe opened the keynote
presentations, he recapped on OKI’s
global business strategy which the
firm embarked on three years ago,
expanded on achievements to date
and shared OKI’s plans for the future.
He said that the company’s focus
was on extending its business portfolio
into both the professional print and
office solutions market. “Whilst we were
absolutely convinced that this was the
right way forward, the journey has proved
to be a little more challenging than we
initially thought,” he admitted, adding that
the company has already made significant
progress in this direction through its
relentless efforts to understand customer
needs and pain points.
Professional print
OKI has a comprehensive range of Pro
Series colour printing devices specifically
targeted at Graphic Arts applications and
has already made a major impact in this
market. Kawashima said: “Our Pro 9 Series
for example, has enabled us to gain a
considerable 30 per cent foothold in the
Graphic Arts market within Europe.”
In 2015, OKI acquired Seiko’s wide
format business unit. “This has made us as
a brand relevant and unique to our target
customers in the Pay for Print market,” said
Kawashima. “Feedback from our customers
has been extremely positive and we are
confident that we have the right portfolio
of products not only addressing the
growing professional print market, but to
also make a real difference in this space.”
Office solutions
Accelerating its penetration into the office
solutions arena was another key objective
for OKI and according to Kawashima the
company has enjoyed success over the
last couple of years. “Since the launch
of our new MC800 Series of A3 colour
smart MFPs in May last year, we are
now consistently achieving over 30 per
cent market share in this segment across
EMEA,” he said.
Without disclosing any details
Kawashima alluded to the fact that OKI
has a pipeline of exciting developments
that are very relevant to its target
customers. He said: “Whilst our journey
in pursuing professional print and office
solutions opportunities continues, we are
deepening our learning to address the
specific pains and needs of our target
industries such as retail, healthcare and
graphic arts.”
He added: “One of the major strengths
of OKI’s printer business is our unique LED
printing system that enables us to deliver
industry leading colour print quality and
exceptionally versatile media handling
flexibility. However, it is absolutely vital
that we make these advantages relevant
OKI launches
new colour portfolio
PrintIT Reseller
attended
OKI’s Smart Colour Solutions
launch event which took place
October 5-6 in Milan
to our customers. That is why we recently
brought in experts from those industries to
help us accelerate developing our solutions
relevant to customers in these verticals.”
Future for print
Tetsuya Kuri, Vice President of Marketing
for EMEA said: “It is clear from the market
response that we are on the right track
towards achieving our business growth
objectives, but where is the printing
industry heading?”
He pointed to the fact that there is
a common perception that the demand
for print will significantly reduce due to
the proliferation of digital media, easily
accessible via mobile devices and tablets,
allowing people to view documents in
electronic forms, anytime, anywhere.
He said that this is a great example of
how the evolution of digital technology
is helping people access data and do
business more effectively and efficiently,
posing the question: “So where does this
leave print?”
Kuri suggested that digital marketing
communications are losing their impact
as the volume of messages business users
receive continues to rise exponentially,
backing this up by citing statistics
published in 2015. Technology research
