Canon India Aims Doubling Growth under PM Modi’s Smart City Mission; Surveillance, Broadcast, Cybersecurity Key Focus Areas in 2024 | Exclusive
Canon India, initially recognized primarily as a camera company, has evolved into a prominent imaging company, encompassing various sectors. Since its inception in India in 1997, the Japanese multinational company has diversified its portfolio to include surveillance, broadcast, professional printing, and cybersecurity services, among others. Canon India’s vision for 2024 is centered on expansion in emerging segments such as surveillance, broadcast, professional printing, and cybersecurity, all of which are continually evolving due to digital transformation and technological advancements.
In a recent interview with Today Technology Market ResearchDigital, Manabu Yamazaki, President & CEO of Canon India, shed light on the company’s array of offerings, its expansion beyond traditional camera products, and its pivotal role in the government of India’s Smart City Mission initiative. He emphasized Canon India’s commitment to delivering advanced technological solutions aimed at advancing the development of smarter and safer cities. Yamazaki expressed optimism regarding the company’s growth prospects, anticipating a doubling of its expansion within the coming 2-3 years. Below are edited excerpts from the interview:
TN: What are Canon India’s surveillance offerings and your take on smart city infrastructure in India?
Manabu Yamazaki: In line with the government of India’s Smart City Mission, aimed at establishing 100 smart cities nationwide, we are committed to translating this vision into reality by serving as an end-to-end surveillance solutions provider and systems integrator. Surveillance technology plays a pivotal role in enhancing public safety, managing traffic, and monitoring the environment within cities. Leveraging our network video surveillance solutions (NVS), we offer consultancy and services encompassing CCTV surveillance, access control, public addressing, and video analytics, thus, covering the entire networking and surveillance life cycle.
In 2023, our NVS business witnessed remarkable growth of 41 per cent compared to 2022, attracting clients across diverse sectors such as IT, Pharma, Education, Logistics, BFSI, Automotive, and Government. For instance, our surveillance solutions have contributed to enhancing security in educational institutions through features like facial recognition, classroom monitoring, mobile usage detection, and unwanted activity detection, alongside robust video management software. Building on this success, we are poised to further expand our footprint in government projects, including critical infrastructure initiatives, safe city programs, and integrated traffic management projects.
Through our comprehensive technological offerings, we are dedicated to fostering the development of smarter and safer cities, with the expectation of doubling our growth within the next 2-3 years.
TN: Please shed light on Canon’s expansion beyond cameras into the imaging industry.
Manabu Yamazaki: While Canon started out as a camera company, the brand is now a name to reckon with, across multiple market segments of consumer, commercial and enterprise business, bringing alive Canon’s vision of being an “end to end digital imaging solutions provider”, enabling greater efficiency across major industry segments it touches upon. Along with strengthening our legacy and industry leadership in the camera segment, I am proud to share that both our B2B and B2C businesses are well poised with an extensive reach of our comprehensive products and solutions.
Our printing business too has been performing exceptionally well, having experienced significant transformation due to the rise of hybrid working environment. To address these new age requirements of SOHOs, SMBs, professionals and students, we have an array of consumer printers across PIXMA, MAXIFY and laser model of state-of-the-art printers.
Our strategic partnership with ESET for cybersecurity underscores our commitment to exploring new avenues. In the realm of professional printing industry, our cutting-edge colour production printers, such as the image PRESS V Series, have garnered great customer response for their productivity, print quality, and cost-effectiveness.
Additionally, we have also been witnessing higher growth in our surveillance business, acquiring customers across segments. Building onto this momentum, we aim to become an exhaustive solutions provider and systems integrator, addressing the complete networking and surveillance life cycle. In essence, at Canon, our journey is not just about innovation; it’s about empowering individuals and businesses to realize their full potential through cutting-edge imaging solutions.
TN: Highlight on the implementation of ‘Henkaku 2.0’ (Japanese word for transformation) strategy for 2024.
Manabu Yamazaki: 2023 as the year of ‘Henkaku’ or ‘Transformation’ marked significant milestones for Canon India, with considerable growth across consumer and business segments. Building upon these achievements, this year we are poised for even greater success as we take a step further with ‘Henkaku 2.0’ strategy while keeping in mind the leanings from previous year. With India as high priority market for Canon, this strategic direction, characterized by a quality-first approach across all pillars, has been pivotal in propelling our growth trajectory. In the coming year, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to fostering innovation and growth across all facets of our business. This includes expanding our leadership in emerging segments such as surveillance, broadcast, professional printing, and cybersecurity, all of which are continually evolving due to digital transformation and technological advancements.
Moreover, we are focused on enhancing the integration of imaging solutions across various domains, thereby expanding our business propositions and creating new avenues for growth. Currently, we are dedicated to enhancing our experiential touchpoints to ensure that technology is not just utilized but experienced to its fullest potential. The successful launch of our ‘Live Office’ in Mumbai and Kolkata stands as a testament to this commitment, and we are excited to extend this initiative to other key locations this year. Additionally, we remain steadfast in our efforts to expand our reach across the country, particularly in Tier 2 and 3 cities, through strategic partnerships and tailored offerings. Our goal is to maintain this dynamic momentum, supported by our comprehensive 360-degree offerings, as we continue to drive innovation and transformation in the imaging industry.
