Canon On My Mind: Thoughts from Canon EXPO 2010 New York
On assignment here at Canon EXPO 2010 New York, the atmosphere was fun and exciting. Canon clearly spared no expense for what must be almost 1000 VIP attendees, and offered a tightly integrated presentation of a full depth and breadth of their technology offerings in a format that really elevated what could’ve been a typical “trade show” into a real event that almost makes you forget you are here on business.
The keynote was delivered by none other than Mr. Fujio Mitarai, Chairman and CEO of Canon, Inc., and offered some interesting insights into the DNA of Canon. While many reading this blog will wonder about such topics as the Canon and OCE’ merger, the Canon and HP alliance, and recent press releases on the Canon MDS program, it is interesting to me to step back and appreciate Canon for what they are: A global presence very focused on digital imaging technology as a whole.
Mr. Mitarai spent a little time reviewing the Canon Excellent Global Corporation Plan, phases I – III. An interesting backstory to some, but combined with their phase IV launch it gave me a better frame of reference to my questions regarding the lack of real buzz around Canon MDS. You see, I had initially mistaken Canon as being stereotypically focused on only hardware placements in field, and more focused on digital cameras than services. True enough they set a goal to be market leaders in high-end digital cameras (and have succeeded), but the sense I received was that Canon USA is acutely aware of what is occurring in the MPS space and architecting a longer range plan.
What I witnessed was a very deliberate focus of Canon executives to set in motion only what they are absolutely committed to excel at. Additionally, I heard very clearly that Canon ensures a deliberate understanding of what their end-user customers need, then taking steps to enable their channels to provide this. With the announcement of new and improved offerings in the Canon MDS program, I witnessed a continued focus on technology-based enablement (high-tech = low-touch), an introduction into some programs aimed at creating a more cooperative national channel (via CMAP), and a decision to remain fairly modular in the program which inevitably leaves gaps for dealers and end-users to come to grips with on their own.
So it would seem that my discussions with a few elite dealers on the floor echoed my thoughts, indicating “…a lot of choices are out there. Canon MDS is certainly one, but is it the right one for my dealership?” according to one dealer. Dealers are trying to come to grips with how to sort out fact from fiction, steer clear of hype and run a profitable business. It struck a chord in talking to some of the dealers when I heard, “We are an industry with an identity crisis. Are we office equipment dealers, solutions providers, managed print providers?”
Canon stands in a position to help their dealers make informed decisions, and clearly I saw a high-integrity management team and mutual respect between channel and corporate. However, I am of the opinion that to be successful someone must stand in the gap between programs and execution every step of the way during the business transformation process. Can Canon do it – and do it well as the dealers seem to hope they will?
Many thanks to the hospitality of the Canon team for hosting my visit to New York City. The event was most impressive and Canon deserves praise on how well this showcased the integration of their technology into our daily lives and businesses. Photizo Group will be spending more time in the coming weeks in order to better understand how Canon MDS impacts the channel. Meanwhile, I have a lot of information to digest with our team.
PS – I’ll be posting a few short videos for you to get a feel once I get back to a real Internet connection.
Ken Stewart offers observations from the field of managed print services in his weekly column on MPS Insights every Tuesday. As a senior consultant with the Photizo Group, he comes from and works directly with channel providers in the managed services space, developing educational tools and resources to promote lasting business transformation.
Ken Stewart’s website, ChangeForge, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology in an information-centric world. Get the latest industry news, and follow ChangeForge on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.
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Great blog Ken! Thanks for sharing.
A good article regarding on MPS, I got much experience on MPS over last five year in Xerox, just consider the service only can be directly provided by cooperate instead of channel, maybe Canon will break out into a new field. That will a good business model and impact the industry enormously.