“We are always discussing Make in India. Not only the Indian government, but even the Japanese government is very supportive of this. This is also my dream and maybe in the next 2-3 years we can think of something,” Koji Wada, Managing Director, Fujifilm India told ET Digital.
Beyond cameras, medical and business devices, globally Fujifilm has a variety of products used in semiconductor manufacturing processes that are used to improve performance for semiconductors that support advances in digital devices, such as photoresists used in the processes to fabricate circuit patterns (wiring and components). Wada said the company may also look at semiconductors.
Under the Government’s push to manufacture semiconductors in India, ground breaking ceremonies for three semiconductor projects were conducted earlier this month. This includes the Tata Group’s $11 billion semiconductor fab facility in Dholera in Gujarat, the Rs 27,000 crore chip assembly, testing, marking and packaging facility at Morigaon in Assam and Murugappa Group’s CG Power’s Rs 7,600 crore chip assembly facility at Sanand in Gujarat.
The company on Thursday launched a new camera in the Instax range, Mini 99. The instant camera has been priced at Rs 20,999 and will be available to buy from April 4. The company has also launched new print films called Photo Slide.”Since the last two years, Instax has been gaining a lot of popularity in India. We have grown almost 1.5X last year, and we have a few more days this fiscal year but our growth will be more this year. It is one of the highest growing categories and in the coming years it will grow further. We are trying to invest more in marketing and come up with a celebrity campaign next year,” said Wada. The company, which has a presence in about 2000 retail outlets in the country, is looking to expand it to about 3500 outlets next year.According to Arun Babu, Associate Director & Head of Digital Camera, Instax & Optical Devices Business, Fujifilm India, the Instax range targets the Gen Zand the millennials. “These are the individuals who have used a lot of gadgets but still want the feeling of having a tangible result of images. With Instax you can click an image, take a printout, and decorate your wall,” Babu says.Beyond the B2C business of cameras, Wada says the healthcare and business solutions products are also doing well. “These businesses are growing as the Indian economy grows. Within healthcare, growth comes from MRI and CT machines, and Endoscopy since there are new products,” says Wada.
