Aurora recently became the first UK-based supplier of the new Apeos branded MFPs from Fujifilm. Michelle Ryder spoke to Andy Moffitt, CEO at Aurora and Gary Organ, Head of DT (Device Technology) UK at Fujifilm, about the OEM’s entry into the UK and the new partnership
While Fujifilm is a new OEM brand in the UK printer market, it’s a name that is synonymous with decades of print and imaging expertise. Fujifilm technology powers millions of office printers across the globe, but up until now its branded devices have only been available in the Asia Pacific region.
The company is entering the UK (and Europe) with a comprehensive range of A3 models with speeds ranging from 20ppm through to 70ppm, a 35ppm and 45ppm A4 desktop MFP offering and
the Apeos Pro device which currently sits within the graphic communications division, but which will also be repositioned as a high-end office device suited for CRDs and manned mailrooms.
“One of the key messages we’re really keen to communicate is that this launch is very much an expansion into new markets for Fujifilm, it’s a brand that’s been around for decades, so whilst new to the UK, we’re certainly not new to the market,” Organ explained.
“Our focus is really on four key areas – quality, reliability of product, sustainability and security,” he continued. “All devices have the same interface and user experience and offer what we believe is a class leading print resolution of 1200 x 2400 dpi.”
Market disruption
Aurora is the first UK dealer to adopt the brand. Moffitt said the conversation began three years in January 2021. “I felt at that time if this should come to fruition, it would be really disruptive and I’m a big believer if there’s going to be some market disruption, be a part of it. If you’re part of that market disruption you get that first mover, first adopter, kind of advantage,” he explained.
“The other factor is of course; you just don’t want to be part of market disruption for the sake of market disruption. It’s also got to be mutually beneficial. Fujifilm has great technology, there’s no two ways about it. We’ve had our engineers break machines down and build them back together again and they’ve come back and said this is quite good kit. So, if you’re going to disrupt the market, then be with someone who you believe in, and who has great technology. Fujifilm is already a market leader in Asia Pacific, it’s got a heritage. It’s got the credibility. We like that and importantly, I think the culture and the values of Fujifilm, their drive to success and their ambition links to ours.”
As a launch partner, Aurora provides Fujifilm with powerful market reach. The company has nationwide coverage, has invested heavily in the enterprise and public sector spaces and opened three new offices in the past eight months.
Moffitt continued: “Fujifilm is the right partner for us, and I’d like to think that we’re the right partner for them. It’s early days and I do recognise we’re a launch partner and that at some point in the future, Fujifilm will be bringing on other partners. They have to, their business model wouldn’t survive if it was just based on us, because we are multi-brand, but we’ve invested a lot into this as well and it’s great to be part of the launch.”
Channel-first approach
Organ confirms that the vendor will be adopting a channel-first go to market strategy.
“We’re a new business and we’re building it from the ground up. That comes with obviously, some challenges around us developing the speed in which we onboard partners over time. But we’ve got the funding and the resources to do all that. It’s just a case of making sure we do it in the right way,” he explained.
“The channel enables us to grow quickly, but also not to carry any unnecessary overheads. If you take Aurora as an example, they will do all of the service delivery. We’ve delivered training for the sales teams, the service teams and professional services, we’re also building out our solutions portfolio as well, creating closer working relationships with vendors locally. All of that will enable Aurora to add more value to their customer base. And the more value we put into Aurora, the more valuable we become as a vendor. My mission is to become the vendor of choice.”
Organ is well positioned to deliver on this, having spent 16 years in the indirect channel with Canon. “What we’re trying to do is build best in class and the fact that we can build that from the ground up was really exciting for me and prompted me to make the move. As Andy touched on earlier, the disruption, the ability to build something of your own, to have a real impact on a market that’s been quite stagnant, that’s the really exciting piece for me,” he said.
Organ also pointed out the importance of the link between both businesses’ values. “Andy already said that was a critical part in Aurora making the decision to partner with Fujifilm and that’s mutual. We are aware that there is a market out there where maybe honesty and integrity hasn’t always been at the top of the agenda and there have been clashes so we know that we’ll probably pick up some low hanging fruit along the way as well.”
Local presence
With supply chain issues naturally still front and centre for many vendors, Organ confirmed that Fujifilm already has extensive stock sitting in the Netherlands. “We will also hold stock in the UK, and we are able to ship directly from Japan to the UK.
“Moving forward I expect we will hold more stock in Europe and that will enable us to be more strategic in our forecasting, much easier to load balance and get the technology to our partners within two or three days. Rather than us trying to forecast stock around certain models and work on a six week lead time.”
In addition to the UK launch, the brand has already partnered with a distributor in Italy and plans to expand into France and Spain too.
