In an insightful interview, Norihiro "Nick" Katagiri, Senior Vice President at Canon Singapore, reveals how Canon's Smart Tech regional initiative is transforming small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) by offering customised solutions for document management and security.
With Canon's deep expertise, SMBs are now poised to take on the future challenges of information management and achieve new levels of growth and sustainable success.
Q: Hi Nick, what inspired the launch of Smart Tech?
A: Over the last few years, my engagements and interactions with SMBs in Asia have revealed a keen interest among them to adapt to rapid market changes and to embrace technology to enhance their operational efficiencies. They are proactively seeking ways to boost their productivity digitally.
This increasing demand from our customers prompted the launch of Smart Tech. Our aim is to empower companies to unleash their potential by utilising Canon's state-of-the-art imaging and information management solutions.
Canon's Smart Tech solutions are designed with customisation in mind, allowing us to adapt functionalities for specific industry requirements, such as education or healthcare, thereby providing a more effective and efficient solution.
Q: How do you help customers understand the benefits of different Smart Tech solutions?
A: While interacting with customers from various countries, I have observed that they often have clear objectives like cost reduction or workflow optimisation.
However, they might not be aware of how our specific solutions can address their needs or how we can customise them for their unique situations.
I prioritise actively listening to their concerns and identifying their underlying issues. Once I have a clear understanding of their needs, I can then explain how other customers faced similar issues and how Canon's range of solutions helped them.
Our Smart Tech solutions have been earning accolades for years. With our award-winning track record, customers can trust that partnering with us means accessing cutting-edge technologies and industry-leading solutions.
uniFLOW Online, our print and scan management solution, recently won the 2024 Pick Award from Keypoint Intelligence for the 6th consecutive year. uniFLOW Online allows customers to bring their print and scan environment to the cloud without the need for local servers.
ThereforeTM information management solution was awarded the 2023 Gold Medalist by Software Reviews. Enabling efficient capture, index, archival and retrieval of information, ThereforeTM was top-rated in workflow process automation and the ease of implementation.
IRISXtractTM won the 2023 Product of the Year, as well as the Data Capture/Recognition Product of the Year at the Document Manager Awards. IRISXtractTM offers intelligent document processing by automatically classifying documents and extracting essential data.
Q: How has Smart Tech transformed your customers' workplaces?
A: The feedback from our customers regarding Smart Tech has been really positive, with numerous success stories emerging as testament to its impact.
One recent example involves a SMB with about 100 employees working at various locations. In the aftermath of Covid-19, as they shifted towards a hybrid work model, they faced challenges in attendance tracking, access control, and secure printing across their locations.
Our suite of Smart Tech solutions, which included hot desk booking systems, facility booking solutions, in-and-out control systems, and secure printing with facial recognition, was deployed to address these needs. As a result, they achieved a 30 per cent reduction in office space thanks to an optimised layout for hybrid work and cut their printing costs by half through secure printing measures, leading to significant overall cost savings.
Another success story comes from a large university grappling with the challenge of maintaining campus security and controlling unauthorised access due to multiple entry points. We rolled out our Smart Tech solutions, which include video analytics technology with facial recognition capabilities.
This innovative solution enables automated entry for students and staff, a pre-registration system for visitors that allows for instant identification upon arrival, and attendance tracking utilising facial recognition data. Consequently, the university has seen an improvement in campus security, with enhanced control over entry and exit points and more efficient attendance management.
These examples highlight Smart Tech's ability to transform our customers' operations significantly, driving efficiency and security across different sectors.
Q: What's next for Smart Tech after its successful launch?
A: Based on my engagements with customers, I see a significant shift in the business environment. While Canon's Smart Tech solutions have helped companies digitise documents and drastically reduce paper usage, the amount of data they generate is constantly increasing.
Companies, especially SMBs, are finding it difficult to consolidate and utilise this growing data effectively. Although the information is readily available, its scattered storage across different systems within the organisation hinders its accessibility and analysis.
Customers understand the potential value this data holds for business growth, but they lack the expertise or tools to unlock it. This valuable "treasure trove" of insights remains largely untapped due to the challenge of consolidation and analysis.
This presents a significant opportunity for Smart Tech to evolve beyond document management and delve into the realm of data analytics.
By helping them unlock the potential of their data, Smart Tech can further its mission of empowering businesses to improve their workflows, profitability, and overall success, while maintaining the focus on data security that remains a key concern.
Q: What is your leadership philosophy and how has it shaped Smart Tech?
A: Throughout my 39 years at Canon across various countries, I have developed a style centred on understanding customer needs. I actively seek their feedback, listen to their pain points, and gather insights.
Additionally, I leverage my global network to stay informed about evolving technologies and customer sentiments across different regions.
I have combined these insights with my philosophy to emphasise active listening, data-driven decision making, and clear responsibility, all of which have significantly influenced the development of Canon's Smart Tech.
