01732 759725 36 the company’s focus on data security and sustainability. The latter includes a firm commitment to circularity and the reuse of materials, including a target to cut the proportion of new resource input into Fujifilm devices from 83% in 2023 to 60% or less by 2030. It aims to achieve this through the supply of remanufactured devices like the ApeosPort-VII C5573 R and C3373 R, which include 84% reused materials (by weight) and generate 53% fewer emissions over their lifecycle than a brand new device, and through the expansion of its materials recovery capability. A key development in this context is the opening last year of a recycling centre in the Netherlands, initially for toner and eventually for MFPs as well. Competitive advantage Hama cited FUJIFILM Business Innovation’s focus on sustainability as a key reason why it will be one of three key manufacturers to survive consolidation amongst in the MFP manufacturing base – a prediction he expanded upon when PrintIT Reseller spoke to him later in the day. “In general, the lifecycle of an MFP is between five and seven years, after which the customer will buy a new product and return the old one to the vendor who will either dispose of the old machine or replace defective parts with new ones, recondition the device and sell it again on the market. However, after with more in the pipeline, and while it initially targeted managed print services providers with their own servicing capability, it is now looking to draw resellers from a much wider community through the establishment of an Authorised Service Provider Programme. Organ pointed out that training independent service providers to support Fujifilm devices on behalf of partners will give many more resellers an opportunity to sell its devices, adding: “We want to cover all areas of the UK market and all territories, so any customer looking for Fujifilm technology is catered for. We need nationwide, regional and local partners – there is scope for all.” A strong partner Hama emphasised the strength of FUJIFILM Business Innovation as a partner for managed print service providers, highlighting its position within the broader group – it is the largest of four business units within Fujifilm Holdings, accounting for 39% of total revenues, alongside Healthcare (33%), Imaging (15.9%) and Electronics (12.1%) – and its three main areas of activity. These are: business solutions (systems integration, document services, cloud services), representing 26% of FUJIFILM Business Innovation revenue in 2023; office solutions (mfps and printers), generating 45% of revenue; and graphic communications (offset printing, inkjet and toner digital printing and workflow software), making up 29% of revenue. Hama explained that over the next five years, FUJIFILM Business Innovation is aiming to increase revenue by more than 10%, from 1.16 trillion yen to 1.3 trillion yen (£6.8 billion), propelled by the growth of Business Solutions, which is forecast to increase its share of FUJIFILM Business Innovation revenues to 31%, with Graphic Communications also growing to 31% of total revenue. While acknowledging that the overall MFP market would decline, Hama expects sales of its own-brand devices to increase in the UK and EMEA due to MFPS Extending its reach As FUJIFILM Business Innovation prepares to take its UK partner recruitment to the next level with the establishment of an Authorised Service Provider Programme and the addition of mono MFPs to the Apeos range, PrintIT Reseller finds out more about the company’s plans from President and CEO Naoki Hama Gary Organ December 3 saw the official UK launch of the Apeos line of multifunction printers by FUJIFILM Business Innovation, part of Fujifilm Group. Standing for ‘open office system’ (open/aperture – APE – and operating system – OS ) in recognition of the MFP’s role as a platform for business transformation, the Apeos brand will already be familiar to readers of PrintIT Reseller, because of the work Gary Organ, Head of Device Technology Sales for Fujifilm UK&I, has done since April to promote the brand and build a partner network in the UK and Ireland. That said, the presence of Naoki Hama, President and CEO of FUJIFILM Business Innovation, and other senior managers from Japan gave December’s partner event on the 42nd floor of the Leadenhall Building in the City of London a formal significance, effectively raising the curtain on a new chapter in Fujifilm’s 91-year history in imaging and 62-year heritage in office printing through the Fuji Xerox joint venture with Xerox formed in 1962 to develop xerography (photocopying onto paper). The agreement between the two companies ended in 2021, one year after Fujifilm had acquired Xerox’s remaining stake in Fuji Xerox, freeing it to sell toner print devices under its own name globally, including in the UK and Europe. It started by launching Fujifilm-branded production print devices in Europe in 2021 and in the UK in 2023, followed by the introduction of A3 and A4 colour MFPs in 2024. Event highlights Highlights of December’s partner event included the announcement of a significant expansion of the Apeos range, with the launch of new A4 and A3 mono MFPs to supplement the (ever growing) range of colour devices with which Fujifilm entered the UK market, and the commencement, in Q1 2025, of phase two of the company’s partner recruitment programme. Fujifilm has already inked deals with half a dozen partners in the UK & I, Naoki Hama
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