Axis Communications and Canon Inc. announced an agreement under which the two companies would change their sales and marketing efforts in major regional markets worldwide. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and North America, Axis will assume responsibility for the marketing and sales of Canon’s entire network video product portfolio, starting in EMEA on September 1 and in North America on October 1.
“The network video surveillance market continues to show great potential. As a leader in the industry, Axis is in an excellent position to include the sales of Canon network video products to our broad portfolio of products and solutions in EMEA and North America,” said Fredrik Nilsson, vice president, Americas, Axis Communications Inc. “These changes show Canon’s strong commitment to build a long term presence for Axis on the market.”
Since Axis became a part of the Canon Group in 2015, both companies have discussed various options for leveraging their network video product and solution offerings. This new sales and marketing framework provides an effective means of maximizing the synergies of the Canon-Axis combination.
“It’s always difficult when you put two companies together,” Nilsson said. “How are you going to manage it? How are you going to brand it? How are you going to go to market? But they [Canon] have a strong belief in letting us operate independently and continuing with the success we’ve had so far.”
In the Japanese market Canon (Canon Marketing Japan) will continue to sell Canon’s network video product portfolio and will in addition become a partner for Axis to sell the Axis product portfolio. This will be in addition to Axis’ existing partner network. As for the rest of the Asia-Pacific region, options for the handling of Canon’s network video product and solution portfolio are still being explored.
Under the new framework, Canon partners and customers will benefit from Axis’s marketing, sales and technical expertise and will have access to a wider range of products and solutions from the leading company in the network video market.
Nilsson said both brands’ products will remain the same, but part numbers will allow work with both systems.
Other benefits Nilsson mentioned include a broader portfolio for Axis salespeople, and a 300-person strong team in North America that will benefit Canon.
Additionally, the move will clear up any lingering confusion about the nature of the partnership. Nilsson explained, “There was some confusion in market; a customer at a trade show might walk up to a Canon booth, then they might walk up to an Axis booth, and they say, ‘Don’t you own that company? Should I buy your product or theirs?’ Now that message would be extremely clear. This product category is going to be shown, sold and promoted by Axis, and that’s it.”
