Xerox has traditionally been a technology driven company hailing from the days of the Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) division established in 1970 to explore new information technologies that were not necessarily related to the company’s core photocopier business. Many innovations in computer design were developed by PARC researchers, including the Alto, the first personal computer, the graphical user interface, the laser printer, the mouse and Ethernet, the computer networking technology and protocol that has become ubiquitous.
The ideal plan would be to project this tech pioneering image in India as well, feels Balaji Rajagopalan, executive director – technology, channels and international business at Xerox India. Xerox has been in the production printing business for more than 20 years in the country and here too, it was a pioneer. However, the Indian digital printing market is both diverse and competitive today with four or five big players – HP, Canon, Kodak, Ricoh and Konica Minolta chipping away market share from Xerox which was the only major player in the late nineties. IPP asked Rajagopalan who was part of the Xerox team two decades ago, that introduced the first production printers in the Indian market about the company’s strategy in the face of both technology change and increased market competition.
Rajagopalan says, “Xerox India is very clear in working on an indirect business model. We are expanding our market presence through an ecosystem of 120 to 150 partners. We are a one-stop solution for the partner community offering an attractive proposition for them to conduct their business with efficiency. The most important element in terms of channel strategy is to do more and more effective coverage in the market place — in big cities as well as in small cities. The idea is to engage our existing partners and bring new and strong partners to the system. We develop strong relationships with partners at various levels, so that we can promote our new products well and make our presence much more aggressive in this industry.”
Low melt toner and flexible paper path
Rajagopalan goes on to say, “2015-16 has been a significant year for Xerox. The company launched multiple digital presses and solutions including the Xerox Color C60/70, Versant 2100, Versant 80 and Color Press 1000i. The C60/C70, apart from offering cost efficiencies has the widest range of applications in this entry market space, including running synthetics, vinyls, window clings, carbonless paper, never-tear paper, transfer papers, magnets and many other unique applications that are made possible with Xerox’s low melt toner and flexible paper path. The color C70 is also offered. These machines have been a clear breakthrough for us in this market and is helping us penetrate the tier-2 and tier-3 cities where we want to do really well.”
The new Versant series of digital presses has also been accepted quite well by the middle segment, says Rajagopalan. “The press provides production press capabilities with walk-up simplicity, offset-quality performance and automated features that remove the guesswork from optimizing image quality, color and registration. With the Versant 80, one has greater choices and easier color availability. One can just select a spot color and it hits it right on – the first time. The Xerox Versant 2100 has been introduced in the mid segment category with several features of highend machines to improve the quality in this category. We have also launched banner printing capabilities in the Versant 2100 and Versant 80 and we believe that this option will add further value for our customers. The Versant has emerged as the best fit for the photo market in India as well.”
The iGen series and the ColourPress 1000i are aimed at the top end of the market. Xerox also has the Nuvera – a high speed high productivity laser monochrome press for book printing. The press has variable data printing capabilities, a high print resolution, faster turnaround time and above all a very low energy footprint.
With the structure and new machines in place, results are beginning to show for Xerox India. “Xerox commands more than 60% repeat business and gives top priority for products targeted towards the small and medium business units who handle over 80% of the digital printing volumes in India. Today, we are present in all segments of the printing industry, starting from the entry level to mid to high end with products and solutions which stand out in the industry. As per the IDC Report for Q1 and Q4 of 2015, Xerox India is number one in terms of activity. We achieved an overall growth of around 45% in the last financial year which I consider no small feat under these competitive circumstances,” Rajagoplan tells us.
An innovator since inception, Xerox is constantly bringing in new technologies to help its customers and simplify printing procedures for them says Rajagopalan. “We are reaching out to more and more customers every day. Customer engagement is a priority for us. I personally travel for about 20 days in a month for these engagement measures that we have undertaken. The channel partners play a significant role in our overall business. And, our customers do rely on us for the service quality and trust that we offer. We are dedicated to running upcountry road shows and regional activations to engage with all our customers frequently around the year,” Rajagopalan concludes.
Today, we are present in all segments of the printing industry, starting from the entry level to mid to high end with products and solutions which stand out in the industry. As per the IDC Report for Q1 and Q4 of 2015, Xerox India is number one in terms of activity. We achieved an overall growth of around 45% in the last financial year which I consider no small feat under these competitive circumstances.
