Fuji Xerox goes consumer, challenges channel

Buoyed by strong growth in enterprise and SMB, Fuji Xerox Printer has revealed its intention to grow its services arm and push into the consumer space.

At a media briefing at the company's R&D headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, Fuji Xerox said its global services division was to be given greater focus.

Earlier this year Fuji Xerox Australia acquired Upstream Print Solutions, signalling its desire to not only develop the services business organically but to also buy market share.

Fuji Xerox president Tadahito Yamamoto (pictured right) said that the company would "aggressively acquire where opportunities exist".

Services currently account for about 9 percent of the company's revenue.

Meanwhile, Yamamoto said the consumer space was an "under developed market".

The goal was to deliver multifunction colour LED printers at under $US400. While that feature has not been widely available to consumers, it allowed Fuji Xerox to offer something new to consumers, the company said.

Fuji Xerox's Asia Pacific printer division president James Henderson said the consumer market was a "great opportunity" with the printer market to hit 36 million units over the next three years.

Laser printing is not a significant part of the future with LED printing now an integral part of the roadmap, the company said.

Fuji Xerox expected to bring its investment in the enterprise space to the consumers.

Fuji Xerox planned double digit growth in all sales channels, hoping to achieve sales increases of 30 percent by 2013.

Anthony Caruana travelled to Yokohama as a guest of Fuji Xerox Printers