Canon growing together with the Scanner Market

Jaspreet Singh,
Senior Manager- Sales & Marketing IMS,
Canon India Pvt. Limited

The scanner market has evolved and there is huge growth expected in coming years. With the evolution of market, the technology and usage has also evolved which addresses the need of every segment from household, SME, Corporate, Government to ministry digitization projects. And with so much advanced scanning technology to choose from, you're sure to find the imaging muscle you're looking for. Canon takes pride in bringing quality products to the market. Understanding the market needs, Canon is giving people the know-how to take full advantage of the digital office. Talking about the market and innovations in the scanner space, Jaspreet Singh, Senior Manager- Sales & Marketing IMS shares his views…….

What is the size of the High Speed Document Scanner market in India? What is the share that Canon enjoys?

High speed document scanners size is expected to be approximately 28,000 units in 2014 (Estimated figures as per our market intelligence). We are Number 1 in Sheetfed category of high speed document scanners

What is new in the Scanner space, in terms of technology and types of scanners?

Canon has a wide range of scanners for personal, departmental and production scanners to address the market from 15ppm to 100ppm which can scan 100 to 50,000 pages per day. The most vital aspect from customer perspective is ease of use, convenience and after sales support.

Organizations today are looking for scanners with least foot print and maximum portability. Scanners which are innovative with features like scan to folder, scan to cloud, searchable PDF and integration of scanners with DMS or existing applications are highly accepted and demanded by customers.

Understanding the market need, Canon recently introduced P-201, the ultra sleek portable scanner which works on USB power and weighs only 550gms. With this scanner, Canon also introduced Android base mobile application COTM which can be used to scan documents through mobile and tablet using P-201 (with compatible range of android mobile and tablet). P-201 is convenient to carry, connect and operate.

What does a customer look for in a scanner before buying it? 

Though decision on scanner selection is made based on specific job requirement, however important factors before deciding for scanner are:

•         Output image quality

•         File format

•         Daily scanning volume

•         Document scan size- A4, A3, legal, etc

•         Optimum resolution

The optimum resolution for scanning documents is 150 – 200 dpi which gives good quality image and also saves storage space.

What is selling the most - MFDs or standalone scanners? 

There is separate space and requirement for both MFDs and standalone scanners in organizations, therefore both sell hand in hand. MFDs are primarily used for printing whereas standalone scanners for digitizing of documents. As there are rims of documents which are getting both printed and scanned in organizations, therefore both play important role in organizations and can’t substitute each other.

What are the growth drivers for Canon when we talk of scanners? Which are the verticals that are driving demand for these products?

Canon's innovative technology, diversified product portfolio, extensive sales and service network are the key growth drivers for Canon in high speed document scanners. It is important to have latest technology and right product for every segment. 

Scanning is a very important element for everyone therefore we believe every segment-Household, SMB, corporate and government drives the scanning demand collectively. However, if we want to narrow down the focus, Government and BFSI industry is the key vertical driving the demand.

Canon is ranked #1 in the Sheet fed category with the market share of 29.4% with respect to unit shipment for the period CY 2013 (January- December 2013).