PFU EMEA Showcases AI-Driven Solutions at GITEX 2024

Exclusive Interview with Adrian Cafferkey, Regional Director – Middle East & Africa, PFU EMEA Limited – a Ricoh Company

• Please describe the overall theme of your booth or presence at Gitex 2024

Our theme at GITEX is “An Exciting Future Ahead”. We are showcasing our growing portfolio smart meeting and imaging solutions to support digital transformation of workplaces and optimize business performance. This includes smart meeting devices, which are designed to create a more inclusive and life-like meeting. This is a growing segment in the Middle East region as hybrid work is becoming more widely accepted. We will also be showcasing our range of new products to streamline inefficient workflows and support front desk operations, accelerating organizations’ digital ambitions.

We are presenting our scanners, projectors, lightweight portable monitors, and meeting devices. More specifically, we will be our new ultra-short throw projector called “RICOH PJ UHL 3660, Laser Projector” alongside key scanner products and the RICOH Meeting 360 Hub. We believe this is the ideal platform to engage with a vast and relevant audience, showcase our technology, and drive significant ROI through new business opportunities and enhanced brand recognition in a rapidly growing market.

• How is the impact of AI for channel partners and end users being showcased at your stand

Artificial Intelligence is being deployed across applications to resolve various customer challenges. We will be showcasing this across our key product range at our stand. Separately, we work closely with our channel partners to help them navigate the impact of AI through product training and ongoing knowledge and skills development. Channel partners have consistently empowered technology vendors to reach the right audience. Their robust network an in-depth understanding of the market plays a key role in facilitating product launches and building brand awareness, and as result, we engage with them regularly to ensure they can successfully convey this to customers.

• What does your company hope to achieve at the end of the show?

Ultimately, at the end of GITEX, we hope to emerge with strengthened partnerships, successful product launches, and ensure a smooth transition and greater support for our new identity under Ricoh Japan. We believe GITEX is an invaluable opportunity to propel our business interests and solidify our position in the market.

• In your opinion, how are your products, solutions, services differentiated from other competitors?

PFU has over 50 years of experience, which means we’re better placed to help. We are the world’s leading scanner manufacturer. We have over 35% market share; nearly all businesses’ applications are compatible with our products and we are the scanner vendor of choice for more businesses than any other.

We hold the largest global install base, and we will always have people on hand to support our customers. We’re trusted by many of the world’s leading brands and tried and tested by thousands of organisations around the world. In our industry we have to constantly innovate to stay ahead.

• Please describe your channel partner programme including partner levels, skills certifications, road shows

The Imaging Channel Program provides partners with all the collateral they need to support their sales funnel and incorporate image capture devices into their solutions to end customers, including marketing material, offers and training services. It includes a loyalty scheme, Imaging Rewards, which recognizes partners for their engagement, commitment and sales, with rewards such as business-building services, travel and the latest consumer electronics and experiences.

• What are likely to be the areas of innovation in your products, solutions, services in the next 1-2 years?

It has been become clear that data, and the ability to process massive amounts of it in a short period of time, is the next focal point in technology. Other trends will become more center field when powered by AI, will be quantum computing, IoT, and even Augmented Reality. The need to manage data will only grow, as digital transformation connects more devices and moves physical input online. Businesses need to prepare for this shift and ensure that the transition is smooth to ensure business continuity without any disruption or delays.