Canon Solutions America: Taking Care of Business
After a full year of integrating resources and production organizations, we can confidently say that we’re ready for the future. Mal Baboyian provides details on a promising future. In late 2009, Canon announced its intention to acquire all ordinary shares of Océ to create a global leader in the printing industry. Last year, Canon and Océ began the process of officially integrating the two business entities. Mal Baboyian, Executive Vice President of Canon Solutions America, notes, “During 2013, Canon Solutions America has truly proven the meaning of ‘stronger together.’ We have marshaled our resources and come together as a single company. In addition to successfully integrating our production organizations, we have simultaneously grown our revenues and increased overall profitability. I am probably most proud of our ability to maintain a culture that puts the customer first with world-class service and support.”
As we begin the new year, Baboyian believes that 2014 will be filled with opportunity. He elaborates, “The inkjet production document printing market has grown to a $1.3 billion market in a few short years, and inkjet is poised to truly take off. Installations and print volumes are set to increase at an average annual rate of 35%. About two-thirds of today’s continuous-feed color installations are in transaction print, with smaller shares in books and direct mail. As time goes on, the share of the latter two applications will rise along with other publishing and promotional applications as vendors add better inks and more media.”
During PRINT 2013, Canon Solutions America introduced new Premium Pigment Inks that are designed to be game-changers for the company and its customers. These inks enable customers to print on uncoated and untreated paper so they can distinguish themselves in the book, transactional, direct mail, and commercial printing markets. Furthermore, Canon Solutions America established an additional media lab in Boca Raton, Florida for testing substrates so customers can identify and deploy new applications.
Also during PRINT 2013, Canon Solutions America introduced a new high-volume sheetfed color inkjet digital press. Under the development name “Niagara,” this device is designed to accelerate the printing industry's transition from offset to high-volume digital output. Baboyian states, “This new digital press will help consolidate sheetfed monochrome and color workflows onto one production printing system.”
Baboyian is also responsible for Canon’s large format business. Looking forward to 2014, Baboyian says, “We see a significant opportunity for print service providers of all sizes to drive new revenue streams with large format applications. The Océ ColorWave® 900 printer closes the gap between digital inkjet and traditional offset technologies. First announced at drupa 2012 under the concept name of Project Velocity, the device was designed for the GA (Graphic Arts), AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction), and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) markets. It offers a digital workflow that can help increase productivity, lower running costs, and increase flexibility for variable data and short-to-medium-run length print jobs. In concert with our Arizona product line, we now offer a very robust portfolio that opens new opportunities for commercial printers.”
The past 12 months have proven to be extremely prosperous for Canon Solutions America, as well as customers and prospects. Baboyian concluded, “We are now able to offer even better products, services, support, software, and financing. 2014 is here, and our product lineup has never been stronger. As we continue to work with old and new customers, we embrace a spirit of collaboration and focused customer service that has become our hallmark.”