We’re proud to have been innovating for the good of society for 150 years, working tirelessly to achieve our vision of “Imaging to the People”. Konica Minolta has identified five themes that will create added value and solve predicted social and environmental issues between now and 2030. As we look to the future, we’re guided by these five material issues. We spoke to Olaf Lorenz – General Manager of the Brand Experience division at Konica Minolta, Inc. and Head of International Marketing, leading all European marketing initiatives at Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe. He explained the importance of addressing the five material issues that underpin our goals.
Olaf Lorenz: When I joined Konica Minolta, I didn't see that Konica Minolta was so diverse and so innovative in all the different business aspects. But that's why, from looking at the Konica Minolta brand today, of course I can see there's so much innovation inside the company. And that's why, to me, it's more than just different business brands, it's more about the innovation power that Konica Minolta is about to deliver to companies, to markets, to industries. To make everything for any of our stakeholders relevant. Within that framework, I do my best to keep a consistent way to expose what Konica Minolta would like to do in terms of our purpose.
Olaf Lorenz: In my Global Brand Experience role, I need to make sure that whatever we are doing is authentic to the company: to the inside of our company, to our employees, to our colleagues and of course also to the outside world.
Olaf Lorenz: A lot of people in business are looking for a certain purpose, and the purpose is not just generating business, but these days there are so many troubles and actions going on around us. Solving social issues and solving environmental issues is maybe something that gives all of us a purpose, and that's why the business should not be a different place to drive those purposes. To look at how, as a company and corporation, we can solve troubles that are happening in societies and also around the planet.
Olaf Lorenz: We are looking for something to help societies. If I just take one of the things which I believe is the strongest one, we are at the moment working on video security solutions that are possibly helping businesses standardise procedures and therefore make production very safe.
Olaf Lorenz: It’s probably the working productivity, safety, and security. But also, when thinking about the healthcare part, with an aging society Konica Minolta will help to make lives become better and longer through imaging technology. And here again we have countless examples of how the company has been driving through those different technology benefits, to make lives become better and more secure.
Olaf Lorenz: Well traditionally we have always been trying to sell technology and then at a later point we added services, and then we were also trying to look for building additional value through our value chain. These days we talk more about co-creation, co-innovation. For that, talking and working and partnering with Konica Minolta is basically a process of co-creation.
Olaf Lorenz: I think one of the recent activities that is coming from our healthcare division, is a kind of lung cancer detection system and AI technology that is helping doctors and radiologists find the right cure at the moment where the human eye is not able to see an upcoming cancer. So, through technology and through our high-resolution imaging technology, we can help to have an early detection of cancer before anyone can actually see it.
Olaf Lorenz: “Imaging to the People”, in short, means we take our technological advantage and bring this to our clients and therefore to all societies.
Olaf Lorenz: As we talk a lot about digitalisation and digital transformation, I think we are just at the edge of evolving the business technology part to something more futuristic. And that's why when thinking about the future, I'm very excited how Konica Minolta can help further clients on their digitalisation journey. And I think we will have a lot of things to be done even in all the different other business units to drive digitalisation and therefore make life even these days easier and a little better.
Olaf Lorenz: I would say ideation because I talked about co-creation and co-innovation with clients and a very important part in that is ideation. So that’s my one word, ideation. It’s clear from speaking to Olaf that Konica Minolta is achieving “Imaging to the People” in many different ways – and that it will continue to do so for the next 150 years. Thanks to huge steps forwards in not just technical innovation, but customer collaboration and digitalisation, we are making impressive progress in addressing the five material issues.