Page 20 - BOSS Today Issue 22

Mobile technology

EMBRACING

MOBILITY

BOSS Know Then Thyself... These are completely scanning to a smartphone or
It’s possible that you may portable and are ideal for tablet.
investigates how think of a scanner as ‘old ‘people on the go’: Indeed, along with the

‘new technology’ technology’, bought as a bundle users can not only boost given to this market by
the trend towards digitisation
scan anywhere, they can
perhaps with your first PC and
developments are printer back in the 1990s. Old also charge the product ‘on (which of course is also
technology entering its mature the go’. Demand for mobile reducing demand for many
breathing new phase in its product lifecycle scanners is reportedly steady traditional OP categories), it is
life into what Think again. at present. this trend to wireless scanners
That’s the message from Andy n Compact: these have 15% that Johnson is most excited
might appear to be Johnson, Product & Solutions of the sectors and, at around about: “The scanner market is
‘older technology’ Manager at Brother UK. Overall, £250, are ideal for the home all about going wireless: with
our compact products, such
office and small office (up
not only are sales of scanners to
product sectors. the UK market around 45,000 to three workers) user. This as the Brother ADS1100W and
units per year currently, but segment is growing at about ADS1600W, users can scan
these shipments are expected to 20% per annum in volume direct to the cloud, or directly
see an 18% year on year growth terms and 14% in value into Dropbox, Evernote, Flickr or
over the next four years. terms. Facebook. Our desktop range
“The growth trend”, as n Desktop: these comprise the has a similar capability, while
Johnson notes, “is due to the majority (80%) of the users of our mobile scanners
move towards ‘scan and store’ sectors and are designed can not only scan to the cloud,
document management, with for office users. These they can also scan to their
small businesses and home products retail from about smartphone or direct to their
users especially now getting £350 for a basic USB scanner head office. It saves a lot of time.“
to grips with the digitisation of to £499 for the latest It seems that these features
documents.” wireless model. have already won Brother a
Currently, the UK scanner significant (c30%) share of the
market consists of the following Whilst overall demand in the UK mobile scanner market, and
segments: desktop sector is also fairly a smaller (c7%) share of the high
steady currently, there are areas volume desktop sector, where
n Personal of growth, as Johnson explains Fujitsu remains the dominant
n Desktop/Workgroup “About 18 months ago, Brother player, and Canon is also
n Departmental introduced the first integrated important.
n Production wireless scanner: this kind of Certainly, Johnson is very
technology was unheard of optimistic about the future: “In
The bottom end Personal & before that.” the scanning industry, Brother
Desktop/Workgroup sectors are innovators, not ‘me too’
are split into the following Going Wireless producers. The future of the
subcategories: To increase productivity, the scanner market is all about
scanner market is shifting embracing and integrating
n Mobile: these account for towards integrated connectivity, technology, from wireless, to
5% of the sectors and retail as whether this is wireless, scanning to the cloud and
low as £190. scanning to the cloud, or smartphones, so we expect to

20 BOSS TODAY | May 2014

Mobility.indd 2 08/05/2014 09:33