Brother International Gulf looking to double current sales figures by 2012

The manufacturer has also announced that it has achieved an impressive 195% growth in the colour Laser Multifunction Centre (MFC) segment in the UAE from January to September 2008.

The announcement was made at a press conference held today at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dubai, which was attended by Terry Koike, President, Brother Industries Limited - Japan and Tetsuo Watanabe, President, Brother International Corporation - Japan.

Company officials elaborated on Brother's UAE operations for Q1 to Q3 of last year, which was marked by a 26% growth in Mono Laser MFC category and an increase in market share in the same category to reach 14%, amidst a reported 37% market growth for Mono Laser MFCs in the country.

In the Colour Laser MFC segment, which in itself has grown by 30% and where the company has seen its biggest growth rate, Brother has recorded a market share of 8.8%.

During this period, the leading manufacturer has successfully leveraged the inkjet MFC market's 48% growth, by securing a growth of 74% and a 5% market share. Lastly, the company's growth in the Mono and Colour Laser single function printers has been above 100% over the same period last year.

Speaking at the press conference, Terry Koike, who is visiting Dubai for the first time, said:

"The Middle East is a key market for us, and we at Brother Industries Limited are proud to be associated with this region since September 1991, when we established the Dubai office as our regional headquarters. Our success in this region stems from our commitment to put our customer's interest first in all of our activities, which has also driven our long-standing presence that now spans 100 years and counting. We are also very pleased to announce that starting April of this year, BIG will manage a major part of the organisation's African operations, which will strengthen its clout as a regional control centre that directs more than 30 nations within the Middle East and Africa."

Watanabe has revealed the organisation's aggressive expansion activities in the region, including plans to increase investments within Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran, where there is considerable potential for its new products. Of recent, the company has unveiled 11 new inkjet Multifunction Centres (MFCs) in the UAE - nine for the home and SOHO, and two for the SMB segment - in line with its aims to further strengthen its current range of product offerings for the region. The introduction of the state-of-the-art devices follows the manufacturer's unveiling of the world's first A3 colour inkjet MFC during GITEX 2008, where a preview of the new MFCs had been conducted for dealers, distributors as well as corporate and individual end-users.

"We have been seeing excellent consumer response in Dubai and the Middle East for decades now, and we are committed to continue our sustainable growth within this region," said Tetsuo Watanabe. "We are now focused on expanding and strengthening our business throughout the entire Asia Pacific region, especially here in Dubai as we consider it as one of our key markets. Our growth in this emirate has fuelled our phenomenal growth in the UAE, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank our distributors and channel partners, and customers for their continued support."

"The right combination of several factors have added up and resulted in our steady growth in the region, such as our significant investments into proprietary technology that enables us to come up with breakthrough products ahead of everyone else. In addition, we take pride in our network of highly competent and well-motivated channel partners, who are always eager to introduce our innovative products and solutions to the rest of the region. We are seeking to leverage our present standing to remain a formidable player in the regional MFC market, and ultimately, reach the goals we have set for this year," concluded Shinji Tada, Managing Director, BIG.