Konica Minolta opened representative office in Hanoi

Konica Minolta’s new representative office comes two years after it established Konica Minolta Business Solutions Vietnam Company in Ho Chi Minh City, a wholly-owned subsidiary.

“Vietnam is our fastest growing market in ASEAN. We opened a representative office in Hanoi because we want to expand market share in the north of Vietnam,” said Tadasu Ichino, general manager of Konica Minolta Business Solutions Vietnam.

Tadahiko Sunitani, deputy general director of sales and marketing at Konica Minolta, said the Japanese firm would like to make the brand popular among Vietnamese consumers to compete with rivals such as Canon, HP and Fuji Xerox.

Konica Minolta is one of the oldest companies in Japan. It became famous for its camera and film products, but in 2007 decided to give up its former business to instead focus on printers, as it could not compete with other digital camera brands.

In Vietnam Konica Minolta is a relative late comer while other brands such as Canon and HP have been active in the market for years.

“We acknowledge our late entrance to the market, and recognise that a challenge lays before us in making customers know about our products and brand,” said Sunitani.

He added Vietnam had great potential for the firm because of the growth of small and medium-sized businesses and also the growth of foreign companies in the country.

At this time, Konica Minolta is the leading player in the printing industry in Vietnam, noted Konica Minolta Business Solutions Vietnam managing director Tran Vu, but in the office printer market it is facing tough competition.

Vu said the company’s business growth in Vietnam was around double that of the ASEAN market average.