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A sector once driven by simple film-based applications, the imaging and information industry of today rivals the PC market in terms of product upgrades and turnaround. This sudden influx of new products and the new breed of tech-hungry consumers have put the likes of FujiFilm to the test. How the company responds will ultimately determine its position in tomorrow's digitized world. FujiFilm's obsession to explore the furthest reaches of technology has been helping the company remain one of the most recognizable names in today's imaging industry. Just step into FujiFilm's Swedish headquarters in Stockholm and you will realize that the future indeed means digital. With a turnover of around 800 million Swedish krona, success for FujiFilm Sverige AB entails focusing the business into three main product areas: photography, medical and scientific applications, and graphic arts. "We have been marketing each product area aggressively and we have built a comprehensive service and support system. Our success here is really based on our commitment to supply both consumers and professionals with the most innovative and highest quality imaging and information products and services," explained Peter Ahlstedt, managing director of FujiFilm Sverige AB. Considered by many as one of the most advanced markets in adapting new technology, Scandinavia has been leading the way in the migration to digital. But Ahlstedt is quick to point out that the migration to digital is an ongoing process that will take time. "The migration to digital is a constant process and, like all technology shifts, will come in stages. In production-oriented businesses, like real estate and insurance, the switch is coming rather fast. The reason being the quality is sufficient and a lot of these businesses are Web-based," said Ahlstedt.
"Although you are seeing digital being used by many technology-oriented consumers, the full migration to digital will still take some time. Issues such as pricing, infrastructure and quality still have to approach the level of analog before we will see a full shift to this technology. But, just because a shift to this technology is not completely ready, it does not mean we shouldn't prepare ourselves." And preparation has spelled the big difference for Ahlstedt and Fuji Sverige. In only its third year in marketing digital cameras in Sweden, Fuji is ranked along with Sony as the leading brand in this market. "We have positioned ourselves very well in the digital market here in Sweden. We have been pushing this product very hard at a very early stage. Because of this, we have been able to build a relationship of quality with our market," the executive said. Throw in Fuji's solid sales performance in its traditional film-based products, its growing market position in the graphic arts, its advancements in the medical imaging arena, and you have an organization that is poised to handle the changes of today's market. Asked how Fuji Film has responded to the test of a reshaped imaging market, Ahlstedt replied, "I really don't think it's a whole new market. Personally, it's just new technology applied to old business. And I think we've passed the test with flying colors."
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Fujifilm's success can be attributed to Peter Ahlstedt's obsession to expand the technology.
New technology leads the transition to digital photography.