Epson eyes market leadership | Bangkok Post: tech

PRINTERS

RATCHABURI : Following its huge investment in infrastructure and human resources last year, Epson (Thailand) has targeted growth of 15 percent in 2010 and set corporate users as a potential target sector.

Epson aims to become number one in the inkjet printer market in 2011 through its strategy of focusing more on the business and office market. Currently, Epson is number two in the single-function printer market and number three in multi-function.

"Many organisations are likely to use inkjets, replacing the laser printer, because the total cost of ownership of inkjet printers has been proved to be less, and also it offers a better quality of colour compared to laser printing," said Epson (Thailand) managing director Yunyong Muneemongkoltorn.

He added that Epson inkjet printer sales have grown by 40 percent in both of value and volume along with a market indication that demand has shifted from single function printers to multi-function.

Citing GFK, Yunyong said Epson's market share has increased in every region and every product line and this is the first year that the company has ranked number one in the single function market in terms of value share.

"We do not compete at the price point, but consumers pay for our product value," he said, adding that the price of an Epson printer is on average some 10 percent higher than other models.

Meanwhile, the company plans to successively launch new multi-function products and increase its range of models to serve both corporate and consumer segments. There are more than 10 models of inkjet products to respond to demands from the various target users.

Epson is not a new player in the corporate market, Yunyong said, pointing out that Epson is the number one playert in the dot matrix printer area.

"Corporate will become a potential portion by this year due to the delayed procurement from last year," he said.

Yunyong said that Epson earns the highest value share in single function because the company has delivered a great deal of photo printers.

"We are strong in the photo printer sector, with more than 80 percent market share," he said.

The price of photo printing is still higher than at a photo lab, but consumers enjoy more convenience and receive a better quality of printed picture.

The company has tried to build a culture of photo shooting and printing and then sharing with business partners. This business has not achieved much so far, but it is growing continuously.

In 2009, the company grew by 5 percent in terms of value as the managing director noted that it hit the target.

"Due to the unstable political and economic conditions, the overall printer market last year saw negative growth, however our business kept on growing," he said, adding that new product launches and campaigns have kept Epson's profile at the forefront.

The company has consecutively improved partnership-building in both Bangkok and provincial markets. Last year, Epson re-engineered its customer services and the company has been ranked the best service provider in the projector and inkjet printer sectors.