Fuji Xerox takes on new challengers. Interview with

WITH A NEW NAME,

FUJI XEROX TAKES ON

aving been at the forefront of business innovation for nearly six decades, Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. H is also reinventing itself. On April 1, 2021, Fuji Xerox will change its name to FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp. The new name represents not only a renewed emphasis on creative new products and services that will make work easier and more efficient, but a move into a wide range of business areas and the forging of synergies with other businesses under the Fujifilm Group.

A TRACK RECORD OF SUCCESS

“We decided to take this new step forward because of a greater need for agility and a desire to collaborate further with Fujifilm,” says Kouichi Tamai, Fuji Xerox president and representative director. “Under the new company name, I want to emphasize that we will continue to deliver our robust products developed in-house to customers and partners including Xerox, with whom we enjoy a good business relationship.”

The launch of the new name marks the end of one of the longest and most successful Japanese-American joint ventures in history. Established in 1962, the venture between FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation (then Fuji Photo Film) and Xerox Corporation (then Rank Xerox) was founded to empower businesses and consumers across Asia Pacific with photocopiers and related products and services. For nearly 60 years, Fuji Xerox provided document services and products that supported countless organizations in the region, including large corporations and governments, and saw its revenue top 1 trillion yen ($9 billion).

In 2019, FUJIFILM Holdings acquired Xerox’s 25% stake in Fuji Xerox, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. The following year, Fuji Xerox decided to end its Technology Agreement with Xerox, which provided for technology/brand licenses and sales territories applicable to each company, on March 31, 2021.

Regardless of this change, however, Tamai stresses that one aspect of Fuji Xerox’s business that will not change with the new corporate identity is its commitment to R&D, which has resulted in numerous successful products and services under the Fuji Xerox brand. Quality, too, will remain a hallmark of the company’s approach. This dedication was recently seen in Fuji Xerox’s color multifunction printer*1 being

As economies around the world look to ramp up activity in the new year, many companies are rethinking how they do business. On top of advances in technological trends including deep learning, arti cial intelligence and Internet of Things, corporations are dealing with work-lifestyle changes stemming from the coronavirus pandemic such as working from home.

recognized as the first digital multifunction printer to be selected as a “Green Design Product” for its energy-saving and environmental protection performances by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China.

RESILIENCE AMID DISRUPTION

The coronavirus pandemic didn’t stop Fuji Xerox from innovating: it continued to introduce new products and services in 2020. For instance, Fuji Xerox Asia Pacific launched 19 printer models in the acclaimed ApeosPort and DocuPrint series. These products support digital transformation with features such as end-to-end automated workflow, cloud connectivity and 360°data security, all presented in a user-friendly format.

Though offices reduced their use of printers and other products as staff worked from home, the number of Fuji Xerox’s multifunction printers sold in the first half of fiscal 2020 was higher than the previous year, maintaining the company’s top market share in Japan and Asia-Pacific.

Under the new company name, I want to emphasize that we will continue to deliver our robust products developed in-house to customers and partners.

Kouichi Tamai, president and representative director, Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

multifunction printers—especially their security—is one reason why we can become a powerful global leader in the industry, in spite of the pandemic,” says Tamai. “We are the first in Japan, and the only multifunction printer maker, to earn the highest AAAis information security rating for compliance with the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP800-171 security standards, a rating that is likely to be widely demanded by companies operating globally.”

CONTINUED GROWTH AND INNOVATION

Fuji Xerox is also forming new partnerships. In collaboration with California-based Ripcord, a leading robotics and integrated Software as a Service (SaaS) digitization company, Fuji Xerox established FUJIFILM RIPCORD to promote digital transformation in the growing business process services market in Japan and Asia-Pacific. Aiming to rack up sales of over 30 billion yen ($290 million) by the mid-2020s, the Japan-based joint venture plans to expand into the Asia-Pacific region in the future. institutions and insurers,” says Tamai. “Not only can this be automatically digitalized into searchable form, it becomes part of a document management system that eliminates inefficiencies and enables the digitalized information to be utilized speedily. Users will see cost savings by doing away with document storage space located on expensive real estate.”

Fuji Xerox is taking advantage of its new momentum to reinvent itself and position for major growth. One of its goals is significantly higher sales from new territories. Previously limited to the Asia-Pacific region, FUJIFILM Business Innovation will branch out into Europe and the Americas, first aggressively supplying OEM products while developing products under its own brand. The company will also continue to supply products to Xerox.

Another source of growth is innovating in collaboration with other companies in the Fujifilm Group. For example, by combining Fuji Xerox’s natural language processing technology with Fujifilm’s image processing technology, the two companies jointly developed a solution that helps professionals to generate diagnostic medical reports, an increasingly important solution that is expected to enhance throughput in healthcare.

As the company looks to the post-pandemic era, FUJIFILM Business Innovation will continue to provide award-winning solutions that make work more simple, speedy and secure.

“Fujifilm has a stellar brand reputation as a strong, innovative company,” says Tamai. “The new name FUJIFILM Business Innovation represents our unwavering commitment to support both our current customers in the Asia-Pacific as well as our future customers in the U.S./EU region to improve their business efficiency and overcome their business challenges with our innovation.”