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Case Study
High Tech

Epson transforms to a service-oriented model

How customer-focused digital transformation can help address social issues.

Call for change

Seiko Epson Corporation’s (referred to below as Epson) vision expresses the company’s commitment to achieving sustainability and enriching communities, and its determination to contribute to the resolution of social issues, including connecting people in a more decentralized society and reducing our environmental impact.

The power of digital technology is indispensable in addressing some of our most pressing social concerns. To contribute meaningfully to this effort, Epson needed not only to provide the digital connections but also transform their business model.

Addressing the challenges of remote learning

The combination of ReadyPrint and Epson Connect, make it easy for educators and students to share educational materials interchangeably.

Helping reduce carbon dioxide emission

Epson Cloud Solution PORT enables remote control of commercial printers, so customers can be more efficient with real-time operations and equipment additions in remote locations. Distributed production reduces carbon dioxide emissions. And EcoTank consumables emit one-fifth the CO2 of conventional inkjet cartridges.

Acknowledging the economic decentralization need

Epson headquartered in Nagano Prefecture embrace the SmartCity AiCT initiative. Many different regions participate economically and this fosters sustainability by using communication technologies to improve quality of life and expanding the availability of services.

Responding to natural disasters

Supporting digital transformation since the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, Epson is leveraging Smart City AiCT planning to bring technology and experience for process and data transformation from analog to digital—keeping pace with society’s rapid digital transformation and increasing our preparedness and responsiveness.

When tech meets human ingenuity

Historically, Epson has presented their printing and scanning devices as products, and more recently these devices have been connected to the Internet and have featured functions related to the Internet of Things (IoT). Epson now leverages the power of digital technology to provide more comprehensive solutions.

Epson believes that by connecting customers with each other and with Epson they can enrich customer engagement and generate greater value. Based on this business model enhancement, Epson established the DX Division two years ago.

The key to success is unified management of information based on a comprehensive, needs-based understanding of one’s relationship with the customer.

Epson needed to leverage the power of digital technology to go beyond product-based selling to present effective service offerings, which in turn can lead to even more powerful solutions.

A valuable difference

To advance digital transformation, Epson needed not only to provide the digital connections but also rethink their business model.

To drive their efforts in this transformation, Epson is moving forward with the concept of “Epson as a service”—a strategy that involves connecting with customers via devices and offering solutions on an ongoing basis.

  • Coordinating and analyzing data to provide effective, efficient customer solutions
  • Leveraging intelligence and insights to resolve some of the current social challenges
  • Transforming to a service-oriented business model, so customers are no longer need to manage consumables purchases, such as ink, supplies, and maintenance
  • Launching Epson ReadyPrint to connect customers’ devices to Epson for flat-rate or pay-as-you-go subscription-based printing services
  • Offering Epson Connect, a cloud service that allows customers to print and scan remotely

Applying this “as a service” model, Epson is actively demonstrating their commitment to transforming from a traditional hardware supplier to a provider of service-minded solutions.

In the area of B2B, as noted above, Epson launched the Epson Cloud Solution PORT service to help customers become more efficient via remote monitoring and management of equipment along with distributed production, which reduces the distance between producers and end-users, therefore reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

The key to success among these initiatives is unified management of information using a comprehensive understanding of customer needs and committing fully to meaningful engagement to cultivate productive and mutually satisfying customer relationships.

Meet the team

Jun Shinohara

Lead – Salesforce Business Group, Growth Markets
LinkedIn

Yuya Katsuki

Managing Director – Strategy & Consulting, Applied Intelligence

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