PFU (EMEA) Limited is known for its latest business-oriented products such as projectors and scanners that help to enhance digital transformation. During the GITEX 2023 event, we had a chance to meet and interview Adrian Cafferkey, the Regional Head – Middle East & Africa, PFU EMEA Limited – a Ricoh Company.
Q: Could you tell us more about the newly announced IP6X-certified RICOH PJ WXL5860 and the PJ WUL5860 compact projectors?
Our smart projectors don’t compromise on brightness or power; the PJ WXL5860 boasts a powerful 4,700 lumens, while the PJ WUL5860 gives off an impressive 4,000 lumens. What’s more, the PJ WUL5860 even has WUXGA chip, and its high-resolution capability makes it easier to deliver presentations from laptops without resizing.
The space-saving design of RICOH Compact Laser Projectors means their footprint can fit into the smallest of offices. Both utilise DLP image processing, and a long-life laser light source, making them quick to turn on. Being easy to set-up and use, plus their small size, light weight and fast start-up make them especially suited to ad-hoc use, when they might be moved from room to room.
The projectors come with vertical lens shift functionality, allowing users to easily adjust the image position without moving the projector itself.
Setting up these projectors is fast and easy. They both power on in just 10 seconds, and they’re easy to use – meaning downtime between presentations is kept to a minimum.
Q: Apart from online meetings, are the new RICOH Portable Monitor 150 series suitable for other professions like online classroom teaching?
Yes, our Portable Monitors can help many businesses, be it in Hospitality, Tourism, Government, and even Schools. The monitors will enable users to interact with others and collaborate or showcase their presentations in a seamless and presentable manner, without having to move a heavy monitor or laptop around. The ultra-lightweight monitor can be passed around easily and efficiently while offering a crisp image quality.
Additionally, our monitors can be used by the remote workforce and help improve their productivity. Many office workers prefer (such as journalists for example) prefer using two monitors simultaneously and this gives them the opportunity to do so while on the go, be it when they’re covering conferences or while traveling.
Q: With the recent announcement of the 15 million scanner shipment, which model was the most demanded scanner model by customers?
The fi-8170 remains to be the most demanded product by our customers. It can easily capture the widest range of document types – from 20gsm to 465gsm, cards or booklets up to 7mm thick. The scanner boasts a 100 sheet ADF and 70ppm duplex scanning speed combined with many marginal process gains, which mean the fi-8170 delivers real-world productivity without equal.
Q: Does PFU have plans to introduce new high-end 4K laser projectors in the future?
We at PFU (EMEA) Limited are continuously looking for new innovations and additions to our current line-up of products and are looking forward to expanding our laser projectors line in the future with more diverse options. Our current lineup of laser projectors does include some high-end models that project at 4k. The RICOH PJ WUL6670, PJ WUL6680 and PJ WUL6690 models continuously and stably deliver brightness levels of 7,200lm, 8,500lm, and 9,600lm respectively. Clear, sharp images of up to 4k resolution can be obtained even in bright environments, making these projectors suitable for applications in various fields such as large auditoriums, conference rooms, hotels, and large-scale exhibitions, among others. The projectors utilize a WUXGA chip to project widescreen, high-definition images, these DLP projectors combine RICOH’s unique NCE natural colour gain technology, RGB advanced adjustment and GAMMA type selection to efficiently cover over 97% of the Rec.709 colour gamut range, delivering natural and realistic colours.
Q: How do your products, solutions, services facilitate digital transformation?
Information capture and business process optimization are key enablers for digital transformation. PFU’s products enable organizations to leverage the benefits of digital technology with their everyday functions and processes. PFU’s ScanSnap scanners allow companies to move physical data to the digital world easily in a streamlined manner.
PFU has recently launched its first product in Ricoh’s Smart Meeting Device category; The Ricoh Portable Monitor. These 15.6-inch, high-quality, high-contrast OLED 10-point multi-touch screens aim to facilitate hybrid working, being an ideal second screen that’s easy to carry, set up, and use in small spaces or when traveling.
Q: What are likely to be the areas of innovation in your products, solutions, and services in the next 1-2 years?
It has become clear that data, and the ability to process massive amounts of it in a short period of time, is the next focal point in technology. Other trends will become more center field when powered by AI, will be quantum computing, IoT, and even Augmented Reality. The need to manage data will only grow, as digital transformation connects more devices and moves physical input online. Businesses need to prepare for this shift and ensure that the transition is smooth to ensure business continuity without any disruption or delays.