There is an air of down to earth pragmatism about Simon Wheeler that occasionally sits oddly with his successful career. As the first Director of Canon’s new Professional Print Service division, he is one of the most influential individuals in the industry, responsible for the company’s graphic arts involvement. This puts him on top of the largest single supplier to the industry.
It is fairly obvious that someone inside Canon thinks very highly of Simon Wheeler. In the normal course of events, the managing director of a takeover target is usually in invited, not always politely, to get on his bike and push off, but in this case Wheeler, the former managing director of Océ Australia, has been handed one of the plumb jobs in the industry. Reporting directly to Taz Nakamasu, managing director, Canon Australia, he is now honcho of Canon’s Professional Print Service division, perhaps the largest graphic arts supplier in the industry.
He has arrived at this eminence not only because of his industry background but also because of his track record. Credited with turning around Océ’s Australian operation after arriving from the UK less than four years ago, the local company was one of the few that made it into the black while Canon struggled to complete its takeover of the Dutch-based company. His success and industry experience were obviously recognised by the powers that be in places as far apart as Tokyo and Venlo, the former Océ HQ in Holland. At a time when executives in many supply side companies have few reasons to feel secure in their positions, Simon Wheeler would seem to be set.
Yet, sitting down with him and David Denginham, Canon corporate media advisor at the company’s favourite coffee bar in North Ryde, he starts off by admitting he’s pleased to have the job at all.
“Really, I’m glad to have a job. It’s exciting and a challenge and all but at the end of the day, I’m just happy to have the job,” he says.
He is a week back from visiting the UK for the Olympics and a week away from announcing the creation of the newly combined Canon NZ Professional Print division. He emphasises the business as usual aspect of the takeover. “This is an evolution, not a revolution. For Australia it comes into effect on January 1, but most of the people are working as if it has already happened. Our customers won’t see an immediate change but they will over time,” he said.
Bigger than its parts
Putting Canon and Océ together makes sense on every level, global as well as local, technologically as well as commercially. Canon has long had an enviable reputation for its digital colour engines, a technology it pioneered with the well-regarded CLC series during the 1990s. In the new century it seemed to lose its way a little, having difficulty bringing a new generation of presses to market on time. While it may have held its sway in the consumer and office sectors, it lost market share in commercial print. It needed to do something to regain momentum.
Océ has always been a well-respected technology manufacturer, translating its Siemens’ high-end engineering legacy into market dominance in high-speed digital printing. Océ products are a byword for quality and efficiency, even if sometimes lacking in market profile. While it maintained a more than competitive position in the transactional space, it fared less well in the lower end of the market and three years ago was struggling to stay afloat.
Putting the two companies together made perfect sense, even if the takeover process was flawed. An opportunistic UK hedge fund exacted a strategic price for its minority shareholding, delaying the completion of the deal by 18 months. However the end result produces arguably the largest technology supplier to the printing industry, not only in terms of scale but also in the breadth of its product range. Canon Professional Printing has everything from small colour devices through every size of wide format machines up to the latest in ultra-high speed inkjet. It is a formidable array with a solid reputation for quality products. The companies’ reputation for advanced R&D is significant.
The challenges of putting two such distinct corporate cultures together should not be underestimated. Getting the Japanese and the Dutch/German manufacturers, not to mention Océ’s, now Canon’s, huge US distributorship, to mesh and integrate will not be easy. Leadership at a global level is currently hazy with no single individual leading the charge. The Professional Printing Division is headquartered in Venlo, Holland with Rokus van Ipern, former Océ managing director, as the Canon Europe Director, the first non-Japanese to hold such a senior position in the company.
Closer to home, Simon Wheeler is not about to promise there will be no fallout from putting the local operations together. He maintains there is no intention to reduce the size of the business; rather there will be extra service and marketing support to the customers. But, he admits that not everyone will make the transition.
“There will be some who won’t come across but overall there is very little overlap. What’s important is to focus on our customers. I really believe that together we are stronger and our customers will see the results over the next few years.”