Epson an international company focused on the selling of branded products, services and information solutions to professionals. Innovation and technology are keys to Epson's ongoing growth.
Cnegypt had the opportunity to secure an interview with Epson Middle East General Manager, Khalil El Dalu.
1. We have seen Epson diversify its business from printers, scanners to projectors, why the late entry to wearables? How do you think you could innovate in this area especially that there are other players who are dominating the scene?
Epson has been involved in the wearables market for many years, although most people may not know this. Epson created the world’s first quartz watch back in the 1960s, as well as the world’s first TV watch and wrist computer. While these products never became mainstream, and were too expensive to ever become successful, three decades on Epson is re-entering the market. Epson entered the smart glasses market in 2011, with the launch of Moverio, its see through binocular smart glasses that enable both personal large screen image and data viewing as well as augmented reality applications. The progression into the smart glasses market was a logical step for Epson as the second generation products leverage Epson projection and sensing technology, including a front-facing camera, gyroscope, GPS system, compass and accelerometer.
We think the BT-200 is completely original. The BT-200 are binocular, see-through smart glasses that offer unique value to consumers. Moverio is the only binocular see-through smart glasses product on the market (ideal for true Augmented Reality).
2. What range of wearables do we expect next?
The company will leverage cloud and mobile technologies and their ability to give people access to date anywhere and at any time. Epson will also address the increasing trend for people to want to stay fit and healthy. These wearable products will draw from Epson’s expertise in sensing and projection.
3. Would we see any future tie ups with Seiko watches?
Epson’s ultimate goal for the wearables sector is to produce products and platforms that can help improve quality of life. The markets the company is prioritising are personal healthcare and medical, sports and visual communication.
Wearable sensing products are a logical progression for Epson. We have a strong heritage in sensing and semiconductor technologies, as well as the manufacturing capabilities and technologies required to develop them. Our sensing portfolio ranges from ‘QMEMS’ quartz devices for detecting movement, pressure and temperature, to GPS receivers and biometrical sensing. These allow us to offer original sensing systems that present people with data in a visible and meaningful format.
We recognise the current opportunities afforded by the continuing shift from analogue to digital and are well positioned to act as an interface between them. Alongside our sensing technologies, we can leverage cloud and mobile technologies and their ability to give people access to date anywhere and at any time and apply this to address the increasing trend for people to want to stay fit and healthy.
4. Can you please shed some light on business growth "with numbers" in the Middle East? If you can provide some figures on Egypt as well it would be great
We have experienced year on year double digit growth in the Middle East, including Egypt. We managed to end our financial year in March 2014 successfully with a steady growth of 12% in total revenue compared to the previous year.
5. Where would the company want to be in the next 5 years? and how is it working now on this vision?
Epson is the number 1 worldwide leader in projectors and the number 1 in Europe for Retail products. We are working on maintain the number 1 in these products as well as increasing our market share in Inkjet printing.
6. What legacy did Epson take from its mother company Seiko and is there any reason the name is dropped from its external communication?
Seiko Epson Corporation is commonly known as Epson and we are one of three core companies of the Seiko Group.
7. Which countries in the Middle East are your biggest?
The Middle East region is considered to be one of our main regions in the EMEA. This is mainly because of the high purchasing power. In addition to this, there is a bigger government spend on IT and developing their infrastructure, especially in the education sector and public sectors.
We consider UAE & KSA markets as the leading markets in the ME region.
