Japanese tech major Brother Industries has entered into a capital and business alliance with Dots for Inc., a Tokyo-based startup developing business in rural areas. The alliance aims to promote a ‘village printing service’ that enables printing and copying in villages through the digitisation of rural Africa utilising Brother’s inkjet multifunction printers. The two companies believe that the partnership will significantly contribute to resolving printing and copying issues in Africa’s rural areas, and also establish a foothold for business expansion in the continent.
Brother has long regarded Africa as an important market and has been exploring ways to expand its printer business over there. In 2024, in collaboration with Dots for Inc., which operates a unique business model in rural areas of Africa, Brother began test marketing of printing and copying services utilising their inkjet multi-function printers with Dots for’s d.Connect, a distributed wireless network technology that selectively transmits through multiple wireless routers in a distributed manner.
One of the information and opportunity gaps in rural Africa, caused by a lack of basic infrastructure, is the inability to copy and print within the village. Residents often have to spend nearly a day travelling to nearby towns for their printing and copying needs. To address this, a ‘village printing service’ accessible via smartphone is being developed and rolled out through Dots for’s digital platform, primarily targeting rural villages in Africa.
Satoru Kuwabara, Representative Director & Executive Vice President (Head of Printing & Solutions Business Division), Brother Industries, Ltd., says, “Africa, while an enormous market in terms of potential, has long been considered a challenging region for business entry. Moreover, we believed that it would be even more difficult to do business in rural areas where infrastructure is limited. However, through this initiative made possible by the capital and business alliance with Dots for, we feel confident that not only can we accelerate digitalisation in rural Africa, but also seize the opportunity to pioneer new business for Brother in Africa. We are delighted that this new service, which provides printing and copying to many who previously had no access, will create opportunities to utilise our printers, and we look forward to seeing this expand. We also feel this initiative can be a chance to change the conventional norms in rural Africa.
“Brother has pursued diverse business opportunities while also contributing to the realisation of a sustainable society. Looking ahead, we will aim to create new value and achieve sustainable growth in Africa, continuing to globally advance management with an emphasis on sustainability.”
Dots for Inc. Founder, CEO & CIO Carlos Oba adds, “In African rural villages, while issues such as water and electricity are recognised globally and addressed by many organisations, the issue of ‘not being able to print or copy in the village’ has been a significant burden for residents, yet has gone largely unnoticed by the world. This capital and business alliance with Brother Industries marks a major first step in solving this burden and strongly advancing our initiative of ‘unleashing the constraints of the rural Africa’, which we believe will be a great opportunity to change the world of rural residents.”
