As India accelerates its digital and industrial transformation, Canon India is no longer just a name synonymous with consumer imaging. In a joint interaction with Express Computer, Toshiaki Nomura, President & CEO of Canon India, and Bhasker Joshi, Assistant Director for Network Video Surveillance, share insights into Canon’s expanding B2B focus, its vision for India’s fast-evolving creator economy, and how it’s deploying AI, cloud, and automation to redefine imaging, security, and enterprise solutions. The leaders also reflect on the brand’s larger commitment to inclusive growth through community and workforce development.
Canon India has been making strategic strides across various verticals. As we speak in mid-2025, how would you describe Canon India’s overall vision and momentum this year?
Toshiaki Nomura: Building on our strong growth last year, we entered 2025 with renewed momentum. Our theme, ‘Infinite India – Empower Growth Beyond Limits,’ guides us to set ambitious goals focused on delivering consumer-centric solutions and creating meaningful experiences. So far, we’ve solidified our leadership by strengthening our portfolio and expanding into new avenues. In professional printing, we’ve expanded our high-value imagePROGRAF models and are maintaining our leading market share in Large Format Printers. Our business imaging solutions are consistently meeting the advanced requirements of sectors like BFSI and manufacturing, maintaining our leadership in the copier segment. At the same time, we’re aggressively scaling our surveillance and broadcasting business, aiming to double its size. On the consumer front, we continue to launch products like the EOS R50 V for content creators, while strengthening our presence in consumer printing. Our focus on quality and the new-age consumer positions us to sustain double-digit growth.
Canon has traditionally been known for its consumer imaging business, but we are now seeing rapid growth in your B2B offerings. Could you elaborate on how Canon is expanding its presence across segments like semiconductors, medical imaging, professional printing, and surveillance?
Toshiaki Nomura: With a nearly three-decade presence in India, Canon has evolved into a comprehensive digital imaging solutions provider. We have strategically expanded into diverse B2B sectors, including healthcare, government, manufacturing, and corporate enterprises. As industries adopt digital transformation, the demand for our office automation tools and Document Management Systems has increased year-on-year. We’ve introduced innovative products in professional printing, including an inaugural water-based inkjet technology for industrial-scale printing. In surveillance, we are continuously expanding our offerings to address the entire lifecycle of networking and surveillance. Our remote PTZ camera line-up is also in high demand for sectors like broadcasting and education. The Canon Group is also advancing medical care through state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging and AI-driven tools. In the semiconductor domain, we are scaling up lithography equipment sales and pioneering new technologies, supported by the government’s initiatives to strengthen the semiconductor industry in India.
Canon NorthStar seems to be a bold step in redefining studio production and content creation. How do you see this innovation shaping India’s media and content ecosystem?
Toshiaki Nomura: The rapid growth of OTT, podcasts, live streaming, and virtual production has created a demand for high-quality, efficient equipment. We identified a need for a one-stop solution that provides guidance, equipment, and services. That led to the creation of Canon NorthStar. It is the first platform of its kind in the industry, offering an end-to-end imaging workflow ecosystem. It simplifies workflow management and enhances operational efficiency, encompassing everything from studio setup to post-production. The platform can be tailored to the specific needs and scale of various sectors and offers a comprehensive solution rather than just a product focus. We’ve already seen significant B2B expansion and conversions in education, media houses, and podcast studios, and we foresee this momentum continuing.
You have often emphasised Canon’s contribution to societal development. How is Canon India enabling skill development for the youth, and which communities are you focusing on?
Toshiaki Nomura: Community development is a core pillar of our corporate philosophy, “Kyosei”—which means living and working together for the common good. We are committed to driving sustainable growth through our CSR initiatives. In alignment with the government’s Skill India mission, we launched our Skill Development Initiative in 2024. Our dedicated centres in Delhi and Mumbai equip youth from underserved urban communities with employability skills for high-demand sectors like BFSI, retail, and IT. We have already trained over 500 young individuals, many of whom are now employed. Complementing this, our ‘Adopt a Village’ Initiative focuses on the 4Es: Education, Empowerment, Environment, and Eye care. Our vocational training centres in these villages empower women and youth with practical skills. We also launched the Canon Apprenticeship Training Program, a year-long initiative for engineering graduates to build a future-ready talent pool with technical and soft skills, along with Japanese work principles.
Let’s shift to your surveillance business. So Bhasker as Canon India is focused on aggressively expanding its network video surveillance offerings, could you elaborate on how Canon is leveraging AI and cloud integration to address the security needs of both government and enterprise clients?
Bhasker Joshi: We are actively working on an Integrated Traffic Management System for governments. This AI-based solution goes beyond basic traffic monitoring by using automated number plate recognition (ANPR) and controlling traffic light timings in real time based on traffic flow. We are also seeing significant demand from enterprises for AI-enabled analytics, especially in manufacturing and logistics. Our solutions perform tasks like gate entry management with facial recognition, early fire detection, and loitering alerts. We also have a solution to ensure workers are wearing mandatory PPE kits. Another critical area is tailgating detection in high-security zones within the banking sector. In terms of cloud integration, it’s becoming a priority for companies to move away from investing in their own servers. Our VMS offering is already cloud-based, and our products are fully integrated with cloud solutions. We anticipate the entire surveillance industry will move to the cloud in the next five to six years.
Bhasker, the surveillance industry has a strong use case in public spaces like airports, railway stations, and hotels. Have you explored collaborations in these areas?
Bhasker Joshi: Yes, we have been involved in projects for public spaces. We are part of a large metro project in a major city, where our solution helps with crowd management. The system uses cameras and people counters to prevent overcrowding and sends automatic alerts if the number of people exceeds a certain capacity. We have also deployed a similar crowd control solution in one of the biggest temples in South India. These are globally tested solutions that we adapt to the unique needs of the Indian market.
As Canon India continues to evolve in both B2B and technology-driven segments, what is your long-term vision for the company’s role in shaping India’s digital and industrial future?
Toshiaki Nomura: India is a high-priority and high-growth market for Canon, and our vision is to become the fastest-growing organisation among all our groups. We will continue to expand our business propositions and create new avenues by integrating imaging solutions into areas like cybersecurity, workflow automation, and data management. For the consumer market, we’ll continue to cater to the booming creator economy with our evolved camera models like the EOS R50 V, while also addressing the needs of SMEs with our high-volume printers.
Bhasker Joshi: Our long-term vision is to be a key part of India’s safety and security ecosystem, contributing to initiatives like the Safe City project. We will continue to bring our globally tested solutions to India and, importantly, ensure they are customised for the specific needs and demographics of the Indian market.