Canon vs. Motio
Editor's Note: This article is reprinted with permission of motio, the German reprographics association. The article appeared in the most recent edition of their member magazine.
After a decade-long battle between the motio network and many Canon customers, the Japanese digital printing systems manufacturer is shedding its print services sites. Canon previously had taken over these sites from Océ. Many Canon hardware customers have repeatedly complained about the competition from the subsidiary of their esteemed supplier. Unfortunately, a Luxembourg investment company continues to operate the printing business.
Canon Deutschland GmbH has sold its printing services subsidiaries - Canon Deutschland Business Services GmbH (CBS) and Canon Deutschland University Services GmbH - to ASC Investment Sarl. ASC Investment has offices in Luxembourg and Munich. All of the approximately 300 employees of the two subsidiaries, which are employed at 45 locations, will be taken over.
CBS provides printing services for some 60 major customers, specializing in in-house printing services and other services. These include, for example, the use of digital document workflows and the provision of graphics services via their own departments.
After selling to ASC, Canon sees itself clearly relieved of a burden and can now concentrate on its core business of producing digital printing presses. Our editors have not yet been able to research the agreed purchase price. Industry circles wonder why Canon parted so late from this business, which has always been an annoying obstacle to bargaining with print providers.
Of course, many customers of Canon would have wished for a complete closure of these competing companies and not just a resale. Nevertheless, the motio network congratulates its industry member Canon on making this strategically correct decision. Canon is thus following its competitor Xerox, which already split from its 30 Xerox Print sites in Germany two decades ago.