Naoki Hama- FUJIFILM Business Innovation CEO's vision on development plan in Vietnam

Q1 The Fujifilm Group celebrated its 90th anniversary last year, and it seems to be actively diversifying. What role does Fujifilm Business Innovation play?

The Fujifilm Group has been diversifying

The Fujifilm Group operates in four segments: "Imaging," which provides products and services related to photography and imaging; "Healthcare," which develops a wide range of businesses as a total healthcare company; "Electronics," which provides semiconductor materials and display materials; and "Business Innovation," which is our company's business. Last year, when we celebrated our 90th anniversary, we established our group purpose of "increasing the number of smiles on the planet," and all of our businesses and employees are working to create "smiles" for all stakeholders.

The role of Fujifilm Business Innovation

Fujifilm Business Innovation operates three businesses: the office solutions business, which focuses on multifunction devices and printers; the business solutions business, which provides problem-solving solutions tailored to the characteristics of our customers' work and industries; and the graphic communication business, which provides analog and digital printing machines and solutions. We continue to innovate our customers' businesses through the provision of products and solutions/services that bring about transformation to new ways of working, improve productivity, and unleash creativity.

Q2 As digitalization advances, what kind of growth strategy does Fujifilm Business Innovation have in mind?

Aiming for more than 700 billion yen in solution/service-related sales

We have set a goal of increasing sales from 1.16 trillion yen in fiscal 2023 to more than 1.3 trillion yen in fiscal 2030, and the growth driver for achieving this goal is the IT/AI technology possessed by the Fujifilm Group. By utilizing technology to increase the value of products and services, we plan to increase solution/service-related sales to more than 700 billion yen.

In the ICT market, which is our main battlefield, the reality is that a gap is beginning to widen in the way digitalization progresses between large companies that have secured human resources and medium-sized and small companies that do not have sufficient IT human resources. Through the development of our own products and the establishment of numerous M&As and JVs, we have expanded our lineup of solution/services that contribute to solving the problems of medium-sized and small companies that are suffering from a shortage of IT human resources. Specifically, we offer products that cover three stages: "IT Solutions" to support the construction of IT infrastructure, "Business Solutions" to solve problems by industry and business, and "Core Solutions" to support the introduction of core systems such as Microsoft Dynamics 365. By offering solutions and services for each stage, we can help customers solve problems according to their challenges and the progress of their efforts (stage).

Recently, we have been rapidly preparing to implement the IT and AI technologies that have been cultivated throughout the Fujifilm Group into our products and services, and will achieve business growth by increasing the value of our products and services.

Q3 What is your impression of the Vietnamese market?

Even though the global economic growth was negative during the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam maintained positive growth. In addition, the average age of the population is young, and the population is expected to continue to grow, so it is one of the markets we are paying attention to. In addition, Vietnam has a high level of IT human resources and the IT industry is growing rapidly. We believe that as the IT industry develops, our customers' digitalization will also progress rapidly.

Q4 What kind of business development do you plan to carry out in the Vietnamese market in the future?

We will promote this from three major perspectives.

1. Sales activities by FUJIFILM Business Innovation Vietnam (FBVN)

In Vietnam, the movement to improve business efficiency through DX is also becoming more active, and interest in digitalization is growing, with DX projects being promoted by the government. FUJIFILM Business Innovation is strengthening its solution and service provision system, and its business solutions business continues to grow steadily in Vietnam. We will continue to be a presence that customers need by providing solution and services that solve their problems.

2. Software development to strengthen solution and services

As a measure to strengthen solution and services, in addition to M&A and the establishment of JVs, we are also working to expand our solution development system, and plan to advance software development in Vietnam. We are preparing to establish an organization in Vietnam to develop software and solution products installed in multifunction devices. We launched a preparation office in October 2024 and began recruiting developers. We will accelerate software development by collaborating with strong development partners in Vietnam, centering on this organization.

3. Production activities at FUJIFILM Manufacturing Hai Phong (FBHP)

The Hai Phong factory, which produces multifunction devices and printers, is one of our main factories. The typhoon that hit northern Vietnam in September last year caused some disruption to our manufacturing functions, but thanks to the cooperation of our employees, we were able to quickly recover. Based on our experience of the disaster, we will work on stronger BCP measures to achieve stable production activities and improve our level as a production base.

For FUJIFILM Business Innovation, Vietnam is an important presence in all aspects of sales, development, and production, and we hope to grow together with Vietnam as it grows.