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Gitex Global 2022: Epson presses the accelerator to fast track Middle East growth

Neil Colquhoun, Vice President, CISMETA, focuses on the Japanese major’s innovation, developing and delivering solutions that address some of the region’s most pressing challenges

The Japanese major tech company Epson has embarked on a sales and marketing campaign in the Middle East, which aims to double its revenue from the region.

Neil Colquhoun, Vice President, Commonwealth of Independent States, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, (CISMETA), Epson, spoke exclusively to Khaleej Times at the ongoing Gitex Global, which started on Monday and ends on Friday (October 10-14). Edited excerpts from the interview:

What makes Gitex Technology Week 2022 an important event to attend this year?

As the Middle East’s leading technology event, Gitex creates a platform for Epson to showcase its focus on innovation, developing and delivering solutions that address some of the region’s most pressing challenges.

We anticipate that key decision-makers will view this year’s show as a must-attend opportunity to see how technology delivers a more immersive and sustainable customer experience. As sectors such as construction, retail, healthcare and education continue to grow around the region, Epson has developed industry-specific focus areas for its Gitex stand that will enable decision-makers to see how Epson can enhance their organisation.

What is Epson exhibiting at Gitex and what do you aim to achieve at the marquee event?

Epson is among the longest-standing exhibitors at Gitex and both customers and partners are keen to personally experience the latest technology solutions during the event. At Gitex 2022, Epson will showcase immersive display solutions, printing solutions for a range of sectors, and sustainable product offerings, while highlighting the results of research that Epson recently conducted with key decision-makers across the region.

Data shows that 62 per cent of organisations in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) want to reduce energy costs, according to recent Epson survey results, with 58 per cent of respondents looking to invest in sustainable technology. Epson’s focus for Gitex 2022 will be showcasing its range of sustainable, energy-efficient solutions that address the pressing concerns of many of the region’s leading industry sectors identified in this new data.

While Gitex is a vital part of Epson’s annual calendar, there is always an element of fun – in 2022, Epson’s guests can take a swing at the longest drive in a virtual golf simulator, highlighting the company’s high-resolution projection and display solutions, and celebrating Epson’s global partnership with the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA.)

What is your key message at this year’s show and what are your expectations?

Epson’s Gitex 2022 focus is highlighting specific solutions that resolve the challenges facing customers in some of the region’s fastest-growing industries such as healthcare, retail, education and construction, while underscoring the company’s leadership in areas including immersive display solutions for events.

During Gitex 2022, Epson will also demonstrate its solutions that enable companies in the Middle East to make smart, sustainable technology switches.

As sustainability becomes an increasing priority across the region, Epson will showcase WorkForce business inkjet printers, highlighting an energy reduction of up to 83 per cent for companies compared to laser printing options.

Describe your flagship products, solutions, and services.

Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to co-creating sustainable, enriching communities by leveraging its efficient, compact, precision technologies and digital technologies to connect people, things, and information.

Epson provides both home and business solutions with many different products such as printers, projectors, smart glasses, scanners, and visualisers, Some of Epson’s flagship products are cartridge free EcoTank printers, Heat-Free Business Inkjet (BIJ) printers, laser projectors – including home cinema and gaming solutions – wearable technology such as the Moverio smart glasses, and Point of Sales (POS) printers. In the Middle East, Epson technology solutions enable some of the region’s most dynamic sectors, from healthcare to construction and education, to achieve their own growth and sustainability goals.​

Describe how Epson’s products, solutions, services are facilitating digital transformation and addressing pain points of information technology and business.

At least 92 per cent of organisations across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) place significant importance on increasing digitisation, with 74 per cent expecting to see an increase over the next three years.

With this in mind, Epson Middle East is showcasing solutions at Gitex 2022 that facilitate digital transformation and address the challenges found in specific sectors. The top reasons that organisations choose Epson’s business solutions are speed, productivity, sustainability, scalability, and cost-efficiency.

Digital transformation is an opportunity for organisations to enhance and change existing business models and consumption patterns. Epson offers businesses in the Middle East a wide range of technology solutions that can help them with their digital and business transformation journey.

In healthcare, for example, Epson solutions such as WorkForce printers and scanners and ultra-short throw projectors help enable faster and more secure patient care, while in education, Epson technology can help create an engaging and optimal learning environment. Epson’s interactive display solutions – with scalable screen sizes of up to 155 inches – are smart solutions that can help bring a class together, whether in-person, hybrid or remote.

Epson technology also supports hospitality organisations, museums, and visitor attractions, enabling them to differentiate customer experiences with more impactful signage and experiential immersive displays.

From a document management standpoint, organisations can streamline processes and extract data for business uses and applications. Scanning documents can also reduce pain points such as reducing risks of data loss, reducing costs of storage and regulation compliance.

How are Epson’s products, solutions, services differentiated from other competitors?

Each day, Epson invests about €1.14(Dh4.12) million into Research and Development, as a reflection of how important innovation is for the company. Epson has pledged to become carbon negative and underground resource free by 2050 and has committed €770 million (Dh2.763 billion) to sustainability developments. This focus on creating technology that not only saves businesses and consumers money and time but also helps to save energy, reduce water consumption and pushes boundaries, is what differentiates Epson technology from competitors.

At Epson, we are looking to continuously innovate and create new solutions that can support the needs of customers. All of these Epson solutions create a more dynamic, engaged and sustainable business environment in the region, and all can be experienced at Gitex 2022.

For instance, the Epson Moverio Augmented Reality (AR) industrial smart glasses enable industrial applications in the construction sector such as remote assistance, workflow guidance and training. The recently launched Epson EB-PY2220B is among the world’s smallest 20,000lm laser projectors, with high lumens and 3LCD technology.

Aligning with the sustainability vision of organisations across the Middle East, Epson’s Heat-Free printing solutions will show Gitex visitors how to reduce power consumption, while saving energy and cost. Epson’s inkjet printing solutions help reduce energy consumption by up to 83% compared to laser printers, produce up to 96% fewer used consumables, and print up to 50% faster from ready than competitors since Heat-Free solutions don’t need to warm up.

What are likely to be the areas of innovation in your products, solutions, services in the next couple of years?

Epson recently renewed its Corporate Vision, Epson 25, putting four key priorities at the center of its strategy: achieving sustainability in a circular economy, advancing the frontiers of industry, improving quality of life and fulfilling its social responsibility. To achieve these goals, Epson will drive innovation in six areas: office and home printing, commercialand industrial printing, manufacturing innovation, visual innovation, lifestyle innovation and microdevices.

Over the next couple of years, Epson will continue to collaborate with other forward-thinking innovators around the world to push boundaries and find sustainable solutions for all.

Name recent awards and successful projects in the last 12 months

In recent months, Epson has successfully delivered innovative solutions to support a diverse cross section of organisations across the region. These include organisations such Mediclinic, Art Coast, Arab Fashion Week and Theatre of Digital Art (ToDA). To bring this to life, Gitex 2022 visitors can stop by the ToDA zone at the Epson stand to experience immersive solutions that deliver memorable, unique customer engagement opportunities.

Among the solutions that Epson is showcasing at Gitex are its Heat-Free PrecisionCore inkjet printers which won the 2022 DataMaster Lab GREEN Award in recognition of the environmental benefits delivered and sustainability measures employed as part of their development, production and distribution.

What does the ‘next digital universe’ mean to you?

The next digital universe’ is a great theme for Gitex 2022. It is the next stage of the technology revolution, both in the Middle East and globally, whether through advanced blockchain and Artificial Intelligence use cases, virtual work or learning spaces, virtual businesses and markets, cybersecurity or even 6G.

The next wave of digital advancement will add an extra level of symbiosis with technology and our lives, enhancing the way we interact with the world and opening up new opportunities for communities, businesses and individuals.

Connectivity will become ever more literal We are already seeing this with use cases of our Moverio Smart Glasses as well as through projects such as World Mobile, where rural communities are being provided with internet access and technology, such as Epson interactive projectors and visualisers, meaning that children in these communities can now access education readily and easily.

At Epson, the ‘next digital universe’ is one in which organisations from a range of sectors deploy solutions that drive efficiency and create engaging customer experiences, while remaining as sustainable as possible – this is the company’s focus for Gitex 2022.

Our stand at Gitex will showcase many immersive experiences within digital arts, along with a bakery, retail fashion store, and golf simulator experience.