Toshiya Eguchi, Executive Officer, Responsible for IoT Service Platform Development,
Imaging-IoT Solution Business and Visual Solution Business
“Imaging IoT Technology”
an Engine for Driving Konica Minolta’s DX Strategy
In recent years, there has been a worldwide trend driving many companies to engage in digital transformation (DX), however, it is said that many of these companies have stepped into this arena without any specific notion of what to do. The “Guidelines for Promotion of Digital Transformations ” announced by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry define DX as “businesses transforming their products, services, and business models based on customer and social needs using data and digital technology in response to drastic changes in business environments, and establishing competitive advantages by transforming how they work, their organizations, processes, corporate traditions, and corporate cultures.” In other words, DX isn’t just creating new businesses using AI or IoT technologies, it’s using these technologies to remake whole companies by transforming everything, including existing products and services, business models, and internal work.
As a “digital company with insight into implicit challenges ,” Konica Minolta aims to promote DX alongside its customers and is working to remain a company the world needs. Konica Minolta’s DX has advanced while strengthening the company’s unique “imaging IoT technology.” We will rise to the challenge of transforming away from a traditional sales business to a service provider with strengths in data use via imaging technology by combining the latest IoT and AI technologies with the “imaging technologies” (optical devices and image sensing technologies) we have developed across all of our business as a strength throughout our long history.
To remain a DX promoting partner customers can rely on well into the future, we intend to strengthen our “imaging IoT technology” and accelerate the promotion of our proprietary DX.
Edge-side AI as a Differentiating Element and
Three Application Areas
Konica Minolta is strengthening its “imaging IoT technology” to gain a competitive advantage over other companies via the following three strategies:
(1) Develop proprietary “image sensing devices
(printed material inspection scanners, ultrasonic probes, spectrophotometers, etc.)
(2) Strengthen imaging AI (deep-learning technologies) targets
(targets: human behavior, advanced medical care, product inspection)
(3) Strengthen “embedded AI” mounting technologies for high-speed processing of AI algorithms
(realization of real time processing using edge devices)
Our ability to realize AI processing of large volumes of data on the edge side, which is typically performed on the cloud, in real time with high accuracy is a source of high added value. Because we have 2 million corporate customers in 150 countries around the world and are in a position to face the challenges they encountered directly, Konica Minolta is daily advancing development with the aim of becoming a game changer in the IoT market using platforms we have just created.
We are already leveraging our imaging IoT technology in developing care support solutions, go insight (store marketing), HSTT (cell testing), IQ-501 (industrial printing), and other products and services, and will accelerate the creation of new imaging IoT businesses using this technology as the driving engine going forward.