Panasonic Exiting A3 MFP Market
February 4, 2010 - Panasonic System Networks Company of America today announced that it will "substantially increase" its footprint in the A4 (8.5"x14") MFP segment. The firm says the A4 MFP market has "undergone rapid growth and is emerging as the de facto standard in the marketplace." Consequently, it states that the A3 (11"x17") MFP market is "fading," and will no longer be Panasonic's focus. Based on internal company research, it states that the A4 market will be dominant by 2012 and will account for the majority of imaging devices sold.
According to Product Specialist for MFP/Fax Joseph Odore, the product-mix realignment is based on "Panasonic's long-standing commitment to proactively fulfilling channel partner and end-user requirements by responding to changes in market dynamics in a timely and decisive manner. All the relevant indices--leased machine levels, printed page volume, and overall sales of new machines--make it clear that A3 MFPs are already, or soon will be, a legacy document format and that A4 MFPs are swiftly becoming the lineup that will best serve our customers’ needs for the beginning of this decade and the foreseeable future.”
Panasonic states that it will be able to "turn on a dime" in executing the new policy, and that designing, engineering and building its own machines and most of the internal components in Panasonic-owned research centers and factories makes adjusting supply-side capabilities to reflect demand-side changes significantly easier for Panasonic than for competitors dependent on "white box'" vendors for their products.
Panasonic also announced that it will continue production of current A3 MFP models through the first quarter of 2011, and will continue production of parts and consumables for those products to the first quarter of 2018. It will also provide technical and hardware support for its A3 MFPs through at least the first quarter of 2018.
The firm also states that production, distribution, and future expansion of Panasonic’s office and enterprise scanners, A4 MFPs, business fax machines, and advanced interactive whiteboards will be unaffected by the shift in MFP marketing focus, and that Panasonic reseller and customer support will also be unaffected by the change in MFP business strategy.
Added Panasonic's Odore, "Basically, Panasonic will concentrate our R&D on the future of the MFP market, which is the A4. Since Panasonic's current A3 MFPs are high-performance, mature products with an expansive list of cutting-edge features and a legendary reputation for ease of maintenance and durability, we decided the future growth of our MFP line and its dealers would be best served by tightly focusing on the A4 class devices."