Canon Middle East

'We see major growth in digital cameras, multifunction devices, digital copiers and network printers,' says regional president Gordon Jones.

These are good times for Canon in the Middle East. Mr. Jones expects total sales to grow by 25-30% this year, after 38% in 2001 and 47%in 2000. Why is he so confident?

'We have lots of product gaps in the countries that we serve, so we still have to fill these,' he says. 'The other good news is that we have many excellent products in the pipeline, so I am confident about the future.

Around the region, Mr. Jones expects a market recovery in Egypt and sees Iran opening up, offering big opportunities. He also hopes that Iraq 'will become a normal market,' again the potential is huge for Canon.

In the meantime, Saudi Arabia and the UAE remain 'very dynamic,' and now served from Canon's impressive new headquarters in the Dubai Internet City & Jebel Ali Logistics Hub. Here the market is still split 50:50 between digital and analogue technology. With digital gaining ground Mr. Jones expects this to change in the near future.

'In Japan that split is already very heavily in favor of digital products,' he explains. 'It is also increasing interest in photography as a social activity. Our aim is to be No1 in consumer digital imaging and we remain the world's biggest manufacturer of cameras'.

Last year Canon spent 8% of its $24 billion worldwide revenues on research and development, and was the No3 for the filing of new patents.

'The Middle East is one of the fastest growing markets for Canon, but is still less than one per cent of worldwide sales,' says Mr. Jones. 'It is true that more than 20% of our business here is in cameras, though we are launching new products all the time'.

For example, at the Gitex computer show in Dubai, Canon unveiled its new iR6000i intelligent network digital printer and copier. This sturdy office machine offers 60 pages per minute printing, and has its own IP address for worldwide communication through the Internet.

Documents can be scanned and sent directly via email, saving on the cost and time taken in faxing information. And documents imputed on one machine can be instantly networked to another one for printing elsewhere in an office.

'This is taking office technology into a new age,' says Mr. Jones. 'We have another system that allows documents to be digitally stored on to CD-Roms, a great saving on paper for the bureaucracies on the Middle East. And it is great products like these that make me confident about the future of Canon in the Middle East'.