Canon launches new product range, forays into digital imaging

BANGALORE: Canon India launched 23 new products, marking the single biggest launch pad of the company in the country. The highlight of the launch was Canon’s Consumer Imaging and Information Division (CIID) launching 15 new digital photography products, making an entry into the digital photography segment in India.

The newly launched products include eight digital cameras, four video camcorders and three camera direct printers, that are price tagged in the range of Rs 15,000 to Rs 1,00,000 in the consumer series and Rs 1,00,000 and Rs 5,38,995 lakh in the professional range. The products are targeted at the prosumer segment (professional and home users). Apart from the digital imaging products, Canon India also launched two laser beam printers, two scanners, one borderless home printer and three multi-functional peripherals.

Canon India, CIID, Director and GM, Alok Bharadwaj, said, "The Indian digital photography market is growing at over 77 percent per year and is expected to grow from 30,000 units in 2001-02 to 54,000 units by the end of the current financial year. Canon is planning to capture 20 percent of the Indian digital camera market within the next 18 months. Convenience, ease of use, immediacy, image maneuverability and longevity are the main reasons why consumers will transition from analog to digital cameras."

The launch of the new products in the CIID is expected to boost the division’s turnover to Rs 90 crore to be registered by the end of the next financial year. Canon as a group in India is targeting a turnover of Rs 500 crore by the end of 2005. Its present revenue is Rs 200 crore, clocked during the last fiscal. To take these new products to the market, Canon, is in the process of identifying 15 regional distributors thereby strengthening its ‘photo channel’ in India, until then the digital cameras will be marketed through Canon’s 40 IT channel partners across the country.

"Given the increasing digitization of both home and business environments, Canon will work towards the creation of ‘digital home photo labs’ within Indian homes. This will create a paradigm change in the photography industry as instead of developing pictures at a commercial photo studio, consumers will now be able to print high quality digital photographs at home or even on the move," Bharadwaj added.