We spoke to Canon Italy’s Business Sales Coordinator, Gianluca Codina, at ISE 2022: in a long and beautiful chat, not only the product innovations presented in Barcelona by the company emerged, but also a well-defined strategic idea for the immediate future.
More than an interview, the one we carried out with Gianluca Codina of Canon Italy was a 360° chat about the fair, the market and technological news, as well as strategic and commercial settings. And then, nothing better than to immediately leave the word to the protagonist, who photographed Canon’s participation in ISE 2022 in this way: “For us it was a very satisfying ISE, meeting again after the pandemic was very nice, we did not expect a turnout so interested and qualified. Furthermore, the management greatly appreciated the new location of the fair. If on the one hand there were fewer exhibitors (about 870 out of the 1.200 of the last edition in attendance), on the other hand there was a large influx of visitors, from end users to technicians to system integrators, so we are talking about an audience of quality, and from many countries: Southern Europe, Germany, Spain, Italy… And also from Eastern countries!”
But let’s talk about Canon: how was the company’s stand this year? What was the focus on, in particular? Mr. Codina promptly replies: “This year Canon presented itself in a different guise compared to the eight previous editions, we focused more on Imagine Solution Business, that is, on the presentation on the stand of all those products that require system integration, and not just the box moving. In particular, we presented our new PTZ cameras (CR N-300 and CR N-500, with the RC-IP100 controller), which not only optimize the costs of small and medium-sized entities that carry out live streaming or television recordings, but they are also suitable for the educational world. In a corner of the stand, called MultiCam, we presented the integration of these new PTZ cameras with traditional cameras. The new PTZs have as a common factor a management protocol called Canon XC and which allows you to control all its functions, with an eye to the future, as they will also be integrated into the upcoming professional cameras.”
In short, a lot of attention this year, on the part of Canon, more to the input of the video signal than to the output, with a smaller presence of solutions for video projection. In which Canon still remains the protagonist, as Gianluca Codina points out: “Canon remains in the video projection market” – he said – “but it’s undeniable that it has been greatly affected by the negative impact of the pandemic, in terms of sales (no live events , closed museums, blocked budgets). Canon has therefore decided to put this product line on standby, focusing on other opportunities such as PTZ. The video projectors portfolio is smaller, we have kept only the XEED range, professional range from 5.500 lumens upwards, and the interchangeable lens laser projectors, as well as a 4K laser model. In short, we wanted to keep all the high-end proposals, while the LW and LX series, for small and medium environments and for LIM applications, have been closed, also because there is strong competition from interactive monitors.”
The other corner of the Canon stand at ISE 2022 that met with success was the one dedicated to the presentation of the new high precision RF 5.2mm F2.8 L DUAL FISHEYE optics, which allows you to record 180° images on the same sensor, for VR applications. “If you first created an image with two shots that then had to be processed in post production” – underlines Gianluca Codina – “now you get the same image in a single file, optimizing time. In our stand, we combined the optics with one of our professional cameras and with a third-party product, a viewer, for a direct and fascinating VR experience. This new product has also aroused a lot of curiosity and interest in the public.”
But if as far as the products are concerned, the discussion is very clear, has something changed at a strategic and philosophical level in Canon? Has this ISE marked a turning point? Gianluca Codina is very clear about it: “Our business model remains unchanged” he told us. “We aim to build high quality products, but we need professional partners, starting with system integrators. This is why we have presented everything in the form of a solution, never as a single product. We are convinced that these products need the skills of system integrators, to make the most of their potential, even in combination with accessories and products that Canon does not produce, and which therefore will inevitably be third parties. This is why we are doing a recruitment activity to find system integrators who are interested in offering Canon PTZ cameras and our products in their solutions. We had already had an open channel with system integrators for some time, but we are looking for and certifying others, specifically for new solutions for Educational, Corporate and Broadcast. Added to this is the new European structure, Imagine Solution Business, which deals with system integration using a centralized structure with a product manager, a marketing manager with contacts in each country, a team of engineers and a sales and development structure channel. We are now more reactive and faster in providing the technical answers that the system integrator needs for the realization of one of his projects, and we have a much more direct interaction with those in the field. For example, if a particular request for implementation or certification of a third-party product is collected, response times are much shorter than in the past.”
In short, a truly important and proactive ISE for the giant Canon, which aims to take a leap from Barcelona by holding firm to some cornerstones of its thinking, and profoundly renewing other areas. A mix of tradition and innovation that will surely lead to important results.
