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Recent months have seen widespread
speculation that Sharp is to sell off
parts of its business including its
Document business, but I’Anson says
that Sharp’s Document business
remains profitable both globally and
in Europe and is a key cornerstone of
the Corporation’s plans. “There is no
factual basis for any media speculation
about the business being sold.
“It’s been a tough 18 months for
Sharp and extreme business conditions
globally have resulted in a major corporate
restructure. The cost of this restructure is
what largely accounts for the poor fiscal
results announced at the end of October.
But remove those and it’s clear that things
are moving in the right direction. Sharp
delivered close to our forecasted net income
for the first half of 2012 and we are in a
good position to achieve an operating profit
in the second half of the year.
“These improvements are reflected
locally in Europe, where we have already
hit overall revenue targets for October.
Our own European restructuring plan is
well underway and we are committed to
delivering a return to profitability across our
Sharp outlines
strategy for 2013
and beyond
whole business in line with the rest of the
Corporation.”
Inspire Expo
At Inspire Expo, an invitation-only event
for its senior channel partners which saw
400 dealers from 32 countries across the
region attending, Sharp set out its plans for
the future. As part of its celebration of 100
years of technology design and production,
the manufacturer broke from tradition by
pre-announcing several innovative products
and solutions, which it will bring to market
next year.
Production-class document systems,
a growing range of cloud-based software
solutions and new, cloud-ready office and
IT-centric MFPs were all under discussion as
Sharp explained its plans and aspirations for
the years ahead.
100 years of innovation
Today, Sharp’s technological reach extends
into areas as diverse as solar technology,
energy-efficient LCD TVs, fridges, microwave
ovens and air conditioners and advanced air
purifiers with Plasmacluster Ion technology.
At Inspire Expo, however, the overarching
Sharp has experienced a tough 18 months, with extreme business
conditions globally leading to a major corporate restructure. But
according to Marcus I’Anson, Vice President of Information Systems,
Sharp Electronics Europe, dealers across Europe left its first ever
pan-European dealer conference, the Sharp Inspire Expo, with a
clear understanding of Sharp’s investment in hardware and software
products and bold strategy for new revenue streams.
25
The
production-
class market
is attractive
to Sharp
because it
is exhibiting
strong
growth
dealer conference
Continued...
theme was innovation and the focus was
firmly on the manufacturer’s commitment to
the Document business, an area in which it
has been continually innovating for the last
40 years.
Building on earlier ‘world firsts’ such as
the introduction of Common Criteria-certified
security features and the use of finger-swipe
control panels on its MFPs, Sharp used the
event to reveal several important areas in
which it is currently investing. These included
the introduction of new production-class
document systems, more cloud-based
software solutions, developed in-house and
by Sharp’s technology partners, a new B2B
Cloud Portal for accessing Cloud Services
and additional A4 devices and A3 cloud-
ready colour MFPs and printers.
“Despite the luxury of being able to
celebrate 40 successful years in Document,
the conference was all about the future, as
well as our ambitious investment programme
for business growth to benefit Sharp and its
business partners alike,” says I’Anson. “The
response was unanimously positive, with
the true scale of Sharp’s involvement in and
commitment to its Document business in
Europe clearly visible to all.
“At the conference we were able to
announce stunning new hardware and
software products for 2013 alongside a
vision for future revenue streams based on
groundbreaking Cloud-based services that
will change the way people do business.
Ultimately, this is why we are certain of the
health and continued longevity of our whole
business; because Sharp has always created
technology that delivers real tangible benefit
to all stakeholders.”
Production-class document systems
2013 will see the launch of a high-end
colour production machine with a range of
productivity and ease of use features, which
will put ‘clear water’ between Sharp and
other players in the market.
The production-class market is attractive
to Sharp because it is exhibiting strong
growth as print providers continue to make
the transition from an analogue/offset model
to digital production, taking advantage of
inexpensive short-run capabilities and the