Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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The Canon brand is widely known for its camera products, which have captured the hearts of both amateur and professional photographers for decades. But the company, which was established in 1937, has so much more to offer. Over the years, it has continuously innovated and developed new technologies, as well as expanded its product suite beyond cameras.

As the leading digital imaging provider, Canon has a whole spectrum of products ranging from digital cameras and printers to even medical equipment. It also has a strong presence in the business-to-business (B2B) market with its Business Imaging Solution (BIS) division, which helps businesses digitalise and streamline work processes through automation.

“Canon has always been known as a camera maker. However, as we evolved and expanded our product range, we have since worked towards being a total business solution provider,” says Andrew Koh, president and CEO of Canon Marketing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.

The BIS division is particularly relevant at this time, as it can help businesses digitalise their processes to meet the demands of the “new normal” caused by the pandemic.

“At Canon, we are committed to help our partners and customers integrate print and digital seamlessly when adopting digital workflows at any stage of their transformation journey. As per our tagline, ‘Business Can Be Simple’, we help to simplify complex business processes for customers so they could focus on running their businesses,” adds Masato Yoshiie, Senior Director of BIS Division at Canon. 

Canon provides an extensive selection of B2B tech products to aid in daily business operations, such as laser printers, projectors and security cameras. Meanwhile, its BIS division provides solutions that help businesses streamline workflow and increase productivity through hardware and software offerings.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a wake-up call for many corporations on the importance to digitalise. At this time, Canon can offer three benefits for its business customers.

Firstly, it makes data easily accessible. Canon’s solutions can allow people who are working remotely to access documents from anywhere, which ensures business flexibility and agility.

Secondly, the process of analysing information is simplified. Physical documents can be turned into meaningful data that users are able to segregate based on their requirements.

Lastly, the solutions are cost effective. Business owners can manage the cost of their operations and reduce unnecessary paper usage. They can also pay as per usage requirements for the services, thus eliminating the inconvenience of paying high upfront costs.

A one-stop solutions provider

As a total solutions provider to businesses of all sizes, Canon’s BIS Division aims to ensure Business Can Be Simple. The division’s unparalleled thinking and constant strive for innovative solutions make them a trusted and reliable partner for businesses. 

Canon Marketing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has been in Malaysia since 1987 and has built up an established network of branches around the country. This presence on the ground is something that is very important to the company.

Compared with other similar service providers, Canon offers customers an extensive range of products, whether it is in the business or consumer segments. The company also supplies end-to-end services to all its customers and helps them complete their digital transformation journey or transition from current to future systems.

“Our product range is wider than that of our competitors, and our network coverage is larger. We have six branches in various states across Malaysia, and our expansive team of staff and engineers enables us to serve customers effectively throughout the nation,” says Yoshiie.

A typical document lifecycle can be broken down into five phases. At the input stage, customers turn physical documents into softcopy, where the data can be uploaded into the cloud or sent digitally to others via the multi-functional device.

Canon also has data capturing technology that can identify relevant information on documents, turn it into text and put it in relevant backend systems.

The data stored in the cloud can be retrieved at any time and shared digitally. At the output stage, customers can print from their tablets or mobile phones, as long as they are connected to WiFi and a printer.

Apart from the BIS solutions, Canon also works closely with a range of technology partners to bring the best of breeds that suit their customers’ requirements, such as Robotics Process Automation and Chatbots. This helps eliminate the manual work of data entry by automatically converting information on a scanned document and assists its user’s questions 24 x7 without human intervention.

Customisable solutions to fit

Knowing that every business has different requirements, Canon offers bespoke solutions to business so that they can focus on running their businesses efficiently. Canon analyses its customers’ challenges and designs appropriate solutions based on customers’ budgets, needs and existing systems.

While Canon offers both server and cloud-based solutions, the company recognises that cloud-based solutions are part of the new trend. The cloud management system can result in more cost savings for businesses, as they no longer need to incur the high upfront costs of buying and maintaining a server.

“It’s scalable and customisable to meet the size and requirements of the businesses. And the services offered are on a subscription model, customers have the flexibility to pay either a fixed amount every month or every year. It’s more asset-light and businesses don’t need to pay for what they don’t need,” says Yoshiie.

Yoshiie (left) and Koh: Canon’s innovative Business Imaging Solution helps ensure that ‘Business Can Be Simple’ for its clients

For instance, the company offers the BEST (business, efficiency, support and telecommuting) package for small and medium-size enterprises to meet their needs.

It has an affordable price at as low as RM1,000 per package and covers a printer and 1 year cloud storage to help businesses.

Keeping the innovative spirit alive

Over the decades it has been in business, Canon focuses on providing reliable solutions to businesses and conserving the global environment to generate sustainable growth. This is driven by its innovative spirit, which is crucial for companies in the technology sector.

“The innovative spirit has always been a very strong part of us at Canon, as we constantly strive for innovation and improvement. We file approximately 3,000 patents annually and is the only company in the world to have ranked in the top five for 33 years running in terms of number of patents awarded. The results are found in various products, spreading across both business and consumer segments, as we relate and expand new businesses through the diversification and expansion of our operations,” says Koh.

To continue developing new technologies that utilise cutting-edge technologies, the company devotes 8% of its nett sales every year to research and development.

Canon focuses on creating products that its customers want by listening to their needs and meeting their expectations. Moving forward, Canon is also looking more into the business collaboration with key players in the market to strive for excellence in performance, as they continue to be the global leader in digital imaging solutions.

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