What is your main product to showcase at GITEX?   

We are showcasing our capture imaging solutions from our hardware and software; including ScanSnap and fi-Series scanners and PaperStream Capture Pro application.

How is the response from the customers?  

The response from the customers has been excellent. This GITEX has given us an opportunity to engage with partners in some instances that we have not seen for over 2 years. Partners have flown to Dubai from across the GCC, and it has been wonderful to be able to shake hands, meet those partners and look into their eyes while talking about our award-winning capture application solutions.  

How do you penetrate your UAE customers?  

We operate a strictly 2-tier distribution channel. We sell our products to our distribution partners in the Middle East, and they in turn sell them to reseller partners across the whole GCC. We offer many local micro events in the region from Jeddah to Riyadh to Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait. 

What is the latest technology that you have presented on the market?  

We have now got our ScanSnap products available in Arabic which we were excited to showcase, as well as our latest fi Series product range, the fi-8000 Series.

Which country in the Middle East is playing its cards wisely in terms of business?  

We are currently the market leader, globally we have got a 36% market share. A market that we are seeing going through a radical change in Saudi Arabia, and we are noticing huge opportunities in this country. We have had a footprint in Saudi Arabia for the last 25 years and our intention over the coming months is to recruit more people here in the Middle East.  

What are your plans outside the region, such as in Africa?  

We have been in sub-Saharan Africa for the last 16 years. We have had our presence in South Africa for almost 25 years. The growth in Africa is certainly strong. There is a lot of focus on the African market right now. We equally hold as many activities as possible and events in sub-Sahara Africa. There are education partners showcasing our technology, and demonstrating to distributors the capabilities of our product, so we are treating both regions equally and putting in balanced investments.  How will the technology of scanners evolve in the next five years?  

I think we have seen a great transition in our industry. Nowadays, paper is already digitalized; we are seeing a shift and increased volume of workgroup scanners, which are smaller, more compact, and portable. We see banks utilizing them at the front end and customers facing the back end. Most recently we launched Clear Image Capture technology, a truly groundbreaking technology in our industry that is bound to set the bar high for capture. Clear Image Capture is a breakthrough proprietary optical technology innovation debuting in the Fujitsu fi-8000 series. True image rendering and color shift prevention deliver industry-leading OCR accuracy rates and image quality that surpasses the capabilities of standard CIS or CCD alone. And, as a more efficient optical technology, power consumption for every scan is reduced. It also enables the capture of the widest range of document types from 20gsm-465gsm – including A4 envelopes, cards, passports, or booklets up to 7mm thick.

How important is it to have professional-grade image scanners in modern workplaces in the era of digital transformation?

The key to maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage is to derive maximum value from the information you access, thus increasing your ‘Organizational Intelligence.’ Dedicated scanning solutions enable organizations to capture such information from the many and varied physical documents that most organizations still have to deal with. As the foundation of analytical processes and business-transforming insights, capture solutions must deliver quality output regarding data accuracy, user experience, and actual operational performance.

What major sectors are you targeting for your business?

As we focus on helping our end users to be more effective and efficient in achieving their mission, we provide a range of capture solutions that can bring value to any market or organization, regardless of their size or area of focus. Nevertheless, the sectors we see having the most significant opportunity for such gains are banking and finance, public, education, and healthcare.

Have you had any scheduled demos and partner meetups during GITEX 2022?

This year our ScanSnap personal document scanner devices launched in the UAE. The market-leading devices are now available with customer service in Arabic and with software and hardware capabilities on the full ScanSnap range available in Arabic. We demonstrated the capabilities of our machines to our partners, helping them enable their customers to find a smarter way to work.

In addition to ScanSnap, we showcased the latest in our Image Scanners range, the fi-8000 Series. The devices are designed to address today’s capture challenges and drive sustainable business impact.

Customers had the opportunity to have a hands-on play with our latest devices, look at our channel enablement programs and speak to our staff covering sales, business development, technical, and marketing.

What differentiates PFU (EMEA) Limited from its market rivals, and what are your goals and objectives for the remainder of 2022?

As the parent of the world’s most trusted scanning brand, Fujitsu Image Scanners, our reputation has been built upon delivering specialist document solutions that utilize advanced technology engineered to the highest specifications. These include breakthrough technologies Clear Image Capture, Automatic Separation Control, and Image Monitoring, which have enabled our fi Series to redefine the standards for business scanning.

Our goal for the remainder of 2022 is to continue to enable the world’s flow of knowledge through innovative technology, intelligent software, and consultancy services. We will also be growing our partnerships within the MEA region and expanding our team.