Canon Inc, the world’s largest digital camera manufacturer, saw sales in Taiwan grow 15 percent year on year to NT$3 billion (US$85.3 billion) last year, the company said yesterday.
“We hope to overcome challenging economic times this year by targeting yet another 15 percent annual revenue growth for Taiwan [and] reach NT$3.3 billion for 2009,” Canon Taiwan chairman and CEO Satoshi Yahata told a media briefing yesterday.
Last year, digital cameras accounted for 70 percent of its business, followed by enterprise imaging with 20 percent and printers with 10 percent.
This year, Canon said it would focus on innovating its product lines, improving after-sales services and continue building its global brand image.
“Other than market share, Canon hopes to be the No. 1 in mind share as well,” Jesse Su (蘇惠璋), director and general manager of consumer image and information at Canon Taiwan, said at the same meeting.
Mind share refers to consumer awareness or the popularity of a certain product or brand name.
Last year, Canon Taiwan secured its first-place spot in the digital single lens reflex category by grabbing 40 percent of the domestic market, with sales rising 70 percent from the previous year.
Digital still cameras (DSC) took up 20 percent of the domestic market. Combined camera sales grew 13 percent year-over-year last year.
Sales of Canon printers in Taiwan also rose 25 percent last year and are projected to grow 20 percent this year with a focus on mid to high-level printer models and all-in-one machines for businesses, Su said.
Canon Taiwan yesterday unveiled its three IXUS DSC series aimed at amateur photographers. Unlike the usual conventional stark professional appearance, the IXUS models come in 14 vibrant colors and are priced from NT$8,990 to NT$11,990.
Featuring “smart auto” technology, these DSCs have 18 shooting modes and are equipped with features such as motion detection and face detection.
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