PrintIT Reseller - issue 65

BUSINESS UPDATE PrintIT Reseller caught up with Rod Tonna-Barthet, CEO, Kyocera Document Solutions UK to find out more about the company’s growth plans and commitment to the channel Kyocera eyes up corporate world for growth 80 per cent of the tenders we respond to assign scores for sustainability, which puts our dealer community at a distinct advantage business, though we launched our Content Services division in October last year and we’re investing heavily in our cloud, mobile, ECM and wider ICT services to better enable our customers to put their knowledge to work. “Digital transformation and the explosion of data being experienced by organisations mean that end-user organisations need to get smarter about how they manage their information and are looking to trusted partners to help them achieve that. With our expanded portfolio of services, we’re enabling our partners to go to market with a much more comprehensive proposition, develop closer relationships with their customers, and, ultimately, grow their businesses. “From an R&D perspective, we’ve maintained our focus and commitment to develop the most energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly products available on the market and we have made some great leaps forward in terms of sustainability over the past year. This commitment to sustainability runs right through the company, and not only is being as green as possible an intrinsically good thing, it’s also increasingly important for our end-users. 80 per cent of the tenders we respond to assign scores for sustainability, which puts our dealer community at a distinct advantage.” PITR: You recently signed a partnership with Softcat which will enable the IT VAR to supply its customers with Kyocera’s print and document management solutions. What type of companies are you looking to work more with in the near future and how will partnerships support that? RT: “Growing our market share in the corporate world is a key priority for us and as such, we are keen to strengthen our alliances with partners that can help us do that. We’re seeing that customers in specific markets – such as legal, retail or manufacturing – want to buy their IT services from partners that demonstrate a clear understanding of the issues they face. As such we’re working closely with our partners to develop technology solutions specifically designed to meet the needs of different vertical markets and seize new opportunities.” PITR: What do you have planned for the rest of the year and beyond? RT: “Organisations of all sizes and all sectors are rapidly waking up to the fact that they need to transform their operations to succeed in today’s market and achieve competitive advantage. The investments we have made in our services and our capabilities, and our continued focus on innovation mean that we are well placed to help our customers do that. This makes for a very exciting time for Kyocera and puts both us and our partners in an extremely strong position for the years ahead.” kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.uk PrintIT Reseller (PITR): Tell me a bit about the UK business and financial performance. Rod Tonna-Barthet (RT): “Kyocera Document Solutions UK provides a mixture of hardware, software, and services, which help organisations to work more effectively. Our UK business was established in 1987 and as a group, we’ve got over 500 staff who work out of our Reading headquarters, our technology suites in London and Manchester, and from offices in London, Hemel Hempstead, Pershore, Sheffield and Glasgow. “We acquired ICT and print specialist Annodata in December 2016, in recognition of the fact that getting closer to the customer and widening our range of services was critical to growing our business. This move effectively doubled our size and our annual revenues hit £150 million this year. We’re on track for further growth as we continue to expand our reach and bring new services to market.” PITR: What’s been your main focus over the past year? RT: “We may have built our reputation as a printer manufacturer but we’re rapidly establishing ourselves as a communications and IT services provider and work through our partners to meet the needs of our customers. “Print remains a key part of the PRINT IT RESELLER.UK 39 continued... Rod Tonna-Barthet