Canon Central & North Africa signs four new Business Partners across the continent

Canon Central & North Africa (CCNA) has signed four new value business partners in key markets to cement its footprint across the region.  

The new partners include Docutech and Al Mactab who will focus on advancing Canon’s Wide Format print solutions in Ghana and Libya respectively, while Express Automation will amplify Canon’s Professional Print services in Kenya and Digimate will boost Document Solutions and Large Format Print offerings in Morocco.  

In response to key findings from the first-ever Middle East and Africa study on the State of the Printing Industry – conducted by Canon in conjunction with print industry news leader ME Printer in mid-2020 – CCNA says is tapping into the significant gap between customer demands and service offerings in the print market.  

“Findings from our study highlights the growth of digitisation accelerated by the pandemic but also, significantly, indicates an evolution in customer demand, which points to a range of untapped growth opportunities within the sector, particularly for Print Service Providers (PSPs),” explains Ben Gossage: Sales & Marketing B2B for Canon Central & North Africa.   

The greatest gap lies in customer interaction and the value that can be derived from a more consultative approach, notes Ben.  

“A report on our findings, entitled ‘Creating Customer Value’ reflects that fewer than 20% of print service providers (PSPs) are fulfilling their customers’ needs. About 80% of print buyers expressed a distinct need for more creative input from their print providers, and 86% of print buyers would welcome advice on combining print with digital elements,” adds Ben.  

For this reason, Canon says has employed its Closer to Customers strategy and is strengthening its distribution network with the addition of four new business partners in key markets.