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Q: Could you trace the growth of the
office-automation industry over the last five to 10 years?
A: When
considering today’s office-automation market, it is necessary to include
the small and home-office sectors as well. The growth rate of the industry
taken as a whole has been between 20 to 25 per cent on an annualised
basis. The traditional office-automation market, particularly the
copying-machine sector, has moved from analogue to digital. There has also
been a rapid growth in the communications and ICT sector spanning areas
beyond office automation, but which has nevertheless provided the
traditional office-automation sector with significant solutions.
Q: How advanced do you feel Sri Lanka is,
compared to the South Asian region, in terms of office automation?
A:
Sri Lanka has certainly kept abreast
of new technology in this industry. In fact, many locally based suppliers
are driven by the innovation and input provided by their respective
principles, who generally bring the latest technology and products which
are available in other parts of the world to this country. One area in
which Sri Lanka has fallen short is in the colour-photocopiers segment,
owing to import restrictions imposed as a result of security concerns and
the possibility of counterfeiting. That ban has now been lifted.
Q: How strategic is the Sri Lankan market to
major global office-automation brands?
A: At
present, it is small compared to those of India, Pakistan, Singapore,
Malaysia, Hong Kong and other countries in the region. Yet, it is not
insignificant. Given an improvement in the business climate and the
possible future growth of the economy, the overall volume should improve
significantly.
However, considering the immense resource
of skilled and literate people in the country, many principals have
availed themselves of these resources to provide solutions that would
supplement their products. This could eventually result in the Sri Lankan
marketplace becoming a hub for the region and beyond.
Q: How does the Sri Lankan market’s performance
compare with that of others in the region?
A:
In relation to population and GDP,
the volume of business in Sri Lanka is certainly substantial. The growth
of some sectors, particularly communications, has necessitated the
establishment of infrastructure to provide relatively advanced-level
support.
The interviewee is Director/CEO of
Metropolitan Office.
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