Toughbook becomes part of the Computing Product Solutions division in Panasonic’s new European business technology operation

Wiesbaden, Germany, 7th February 2012: Panasonic Toughbook, the market leading ruggedized computer manufacturer, is today offering an expanded range of products, project management and solution services to its customers as the business takes its place in the new Panasonic System Communications Company Europe (PSCEU).

The Toughbook business has become part of the Computer Product Solutions division offering electronic point of sales (EPOS) systems, handheld computers and mobile printers, as well as the Toughbook range of rugged notebooks and Toughpad business tablets.

Panasonic has been supplying Electronic Point-Of-Sale (Epos) systems for nearly 30 years, and has sold a million workstations to date to the hospitality, retail and fast food industries.

Panasonic handheld computers are effective for inventory reduction, accurate inventory control, prevention of erroneous distribution, and reduction of lead-time from stocking to shipping in the logistics industry.  By reading 1D and 2D barcodes on deliveries with Panasonic handheld computers, customers can more efficiently manage products in real-time in the warehouse and on delivery to the customer.

Panasonic’s next generation of small, wearable, tough and mobile printers are based on years of Panasonic expertise and experience in field logistics. Their rugged construction is ideal for a variety of tough industry environments, such as label and receipt printing for retail, food service and ticketing.

Hiroaki Sakamoto, Director of the new Computer Product Solutions division, said: “The Toughbook team has always been dedicated to helping our business customers use rugged computing technology to gain access to data and applications in the most challenging of work environments. This new organization, with its expanded product range and ability to offer greater project management and solution services, will ensure our customers further benefit from the significant business advantages that our technology solutions can deliver.”

The Panasonic System Communications Company Europe (PSCEU) integrated 12 different B2B product categories, project management and services into one organization. With 500* people dedicated to offering customers a single point of vendor contact, project management and solution services, the new company offers a portfolio of technology for capturing, computing and communicating all forms of data: Voice, Image and Text.

The new PSCEU is made up of four business divisions:

    Computer Product Solutions including the Toughbook range of rugged notebooks, Toughpad business tablets and electronic point of sales (EPOS) systems. Panasonic Toughbook is European rugged notebook market leader with 62.9% market share in 2010 (VDC, June 2011)

    Communication Solutions including professional scanners, multifunctional printers, telephony systems and HD video conferencing systems.

    Visual System Solutions including projectors, interactive whiteboards, presentation aids and displays. Panasonic is the European market leader in the System & Installation category of projectors (>5000 Lumen excl. D-Cinema) with a 28% global revenue share. (Pacific Media Associates Q3/2011)

    Professional Camera Solutions including professional audio visual and security products as well as dedicated OEM components. The Professional Camera division held an average of 18% market share across Europe for the 12 months up until September 2011 (Source: FutureSource; Volume based sales, total pro camera products)

The new organization is structured around customer needs. It is capable of integrating services and 3rd party products into custom solutions and Panasonic can provide project management for multi-site or multi-country rollouts. Project management can also include coordinating Panasonic partners.

The benefits for customers are numerous;
- Single point of responsibility
- Faster, less risky project rollouts
- European or global pricing agreements
- Complete solutions can be designed, incorporating 3rd party products, using Panasonic’s deep engineering expertise.

Masaki Arizono, Managing Director of Panasonic System Communications Company Europe, said: “Panasonic products have always helped make our customers’ working lives better. With our new organization, we also make our customers’ lives simpler and can add more value through services and solutions. No other company in Europe has such a capability in our market.”

* approximate number