Ryoichi Bamba is chief executive of Canon Europe, and following it's €730m (£630m) acquisition of Dutch rival Océ he will play a leading role in the integration of the two firm's offerings. He talks about how the deal is progressing and what it holds for the future.
Has Ipex been a good show for Canon?
This is a busy show. Of course the economy is still weak and many people are cautious about investing right now, but there is a lot of positivity out there and people are looking to the future and defining the opportunities for their business. Sales growth in our European business was flat last year, but 2010 has been a different story - there are solid signs of growth, we're looking at 8% growth in the first half.
Are your customers getting busier too?
There's definitely more work going through.
Following your acquisition of Océ earlier this year, how is the integration going?
Everything is on schedule and going according to plan, but there will be some more announcements between July and September, but I can't say too much about it right now.
What about the kit? I assume that there must be some element of rationalisation?
Our ranges are totally complementary. The customer bases are different, the technologies we offer are different, this is ‘one plus one equals two', if not more. There are some very strong cross-marketing opportunities; but it will take time to get to the next level of integration - but it will be done right.
Where are the real opportunities post integration?
They're largely technology-driven. They have high-end inkjet IP that has massive potential, we also have vast experience in the business services market, which we can leverage within the Océ range. Océ is strong in mono, Canon is strong in colour, indoor and outdoor largeformat, workflows, etc. It really is the perfect marriage and as the acquisition beds in, more opportunities will emerge. It will be great news for customers - not so great for our rivals though.
What about other partnerships? Collaboration seems to be a bit of a theme for the show; are you exploring any?
We already do a lot of work with other companies, but we do it to answer specific needs, the hybrid workflow we announced at the show is a good example. We have a number of strategic partners in web-to-print and finishing, for example, and there are lots of others. The industry is rapidly evolving, and working with partners on specific projects is a great way to ensure we drive that evolution.
Are there any more acquisitions on the cards?
There's nothing concrete at the moment, but I don't think it's beyond the realms of possibility.
