Exclusive interview with Tarek Akl, Partner Manager for Middle East at PFU (EMEA) Limited.
PFU ( EMEA) offers advanced technology, intelligent software and consultancy services. The company is partner of choice for the world’s most ambitious organisations.
Operating in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, PFU (EMEA) LIMITED is responsible for marketing and sales of Fujitsu document scanners. The European company was established in the United Kingdom in 1981 and has offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain and Knowledge Suites in France and the United Arab Emirates. To find out more about the company and the its activities in the Middle East we sat down with Tarek Akl, Manager for Middle East at PFU (EMEA) Limited.
Here are the excerpts:
- Fujitsu is involved in many areas of technology; can you give us a general perspective about where PFU (EMEA) Limited fits and what your company is about?
PFU (EMEA) Limited is a specialist company working within the Fujitsu family. We are dedicated to information management solutions, offering advanced technology, intelligent software and consultancy services designed to enable the world’s flow of knowledge. We offer a range of solutions, from document management, to bringing art galleries online or small format keyboards for coders.
- You recently launched the Fuitsu fi-8000 series of high- speed image scanners, comparing to the older version (7000 series) what are the new features in the new series?
Our new Fujitsu fi-8000 series redefines the standard for business scanning. State-of-the-art Automatic Separation Control delivers the perfect feed, which, alongside reduced power consumption, high reliability and a combination of intelligent image monitoring and technology combine for the safe and quality capture and protection of passports, booklets, or mixed batches of documents. They also bring exceptional image quality thanks to new Clear Image Capture technology.
- How will Clear Image Capture technology help to maximize quality of output for users of the devices?
Clear Image Capture Technology surpasses the capabilities of existing CIS or CCD – previously the two standards for image capture. The technology ensures industry leading OCR rates and the capability to capture the widest range of documents (including passports and ID cards) with more clarity than ever before.
- Which different industries do you expect to be able to take advantage of these capabilities? And how do you envisage them using the devices?
Our devices are designed to be used in any setting where information needs to be digitally secured, stored, or processed. From offices to front desks and factories, the footprint of the fi-8000 devices mean they can fit into a wide range of settings and environments. This could be at a nurse’s station in a hospital to capture and save critical patient information, or in a bank to process mortgage or account applications. The public sector is another area we can effectively support; the safe capture and protection of passports and booklets means fi-8000 devices can be used at sites processing personal such as visa processing centers.
- Alongside your scanners, what other complimentary products and services do you offer to your customers?
Deploying the correct capture solution is essential for our customers, and that goes beyond just choosing the right device, so we have our own in-house Co-Creation team. They regularly work with clients to build bespoke capture solutions, creating the perfect integration and mix of industry leading technology to fit and integrate within specific business processes.
- How do you see the use of scanners evolving in the current market?
Whilst in many sectors we are seeing print volumes shrinking, scanners present an opportunity to digitally transform, and bridge the gap between digital and physical processes. As a result, we have only ever seen demand continue to grow in recent years, and it is a trend we expect to see for many years to come. Whether it is passports, specialist forms or delivery waybills there will always be a need to capture critical information and turn it into digital assets.
- How do you find the Middle East Market? Where is it different from other markets in the way it embraces your technology?
As non-competing vendors operating within the same industry, the foundation of the co-operation between Konica Minolta and PFU Fujitsu was to bring and develop an entire spectrum of products and solutions including industry expertise in the region. We also are leveraging our channel partners and customer bases to increase market reach and breadth as well as jointly increase awareness of our product offerings in the Middle East market. Our deep understanding of client operations, optimal customizations and future organic growth allow our local partners to provide their customers better value of solutions that aim to increase their revenues and customer retention.
- What is your ambition for the business in the Middle East? Where do you see the greatest opportunities for market growth?
The biggest growth opportunities for us in any market are the places where digital transformation is taking place or organisations are looking to become more intelligent and data led. Countries in the Middle East are among the early adopters of digital transformation as governments such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia are increasingly diversifying their economies by establishing robust digital infrastructure.
Whether that is in office processes, at a front desk, or within manufacturing, logistics or contract management processes, our solutions can help organisations as they move and transform information, and ultimately become more intelligent. Our ideal customers are organisations looking to use their physical information and turn it into actionable business data; we provide the physical technology, software solutions and integrations that enable the flow of knowledge.
More details; www.fujitsu.com/uk/fi8000
