Editors’ Note

Oscar Sanchez was previously Executive Vice President of KYOCERA Document Solutions Europe. He began his career at Kyocera in 1996 and by 2002 had risen to General Manager of KYOCERA Document Solutions Spain, delivering the highest revenue in the company’s history and increasing profits over 1,000 percent. Sanchez then took on the additional responsibilities for Business Development throughout Europe, eventually relocating to the Netherlands to head both the Corporate Sales Division and Marketing Division as Executive Vice President of KYOCERA Document Solutions Europe. He earned an International MBA in Marketing at IE during which he spent the final semester studying at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Company Brief

Kyocera Document Solutions America, Inc. (kyoceradocumentsolutions.us) is a group company of Kyocera Document Solutions Inc., a global leading provider of total document solutions based in Osaka, Japan. The company’s portfolio includes reliable and eco-friendly MFPs and printers, as well as business applications and consultative services which enable customers to optimize and manage their document workflow, reaching new heights of efficiency. With professional expertise and a customer first culture, the objective of the company is to help organizations put knowledge to work to drive change.

Will you highlight the history and heritage of Kyocera Document Solutions America and how the business has evolved?

With more than 60 years’ experience in cutting-edge technology, Kyocera has always been at the forefront of innovation across a number of industries. Kyocera Document Solutions America continues to uphold our corporate legacy of always “aiming high,” to keep pushing boundaries in search of ways of creating new value for our end users. In many ways, printing is no different to any other industry; new technologies have brought about new challenges, be it remote working or the shift towards paperless workplaces, which has pushed us to become more creative. This period of disruption has also yielded numerous opportunities and we are primed and ready to capitalize on them.

How do you define the Kyocera America difference?

At Kyocera, we are committed to excellence in everything we do. Going that extra mile for our customers is the norm for us, not the exception. That’s why we seek to have our experts and technicians available in regional hubs across the nation. This belief in valuing the importance of the human side of the business comes from the “doing the right thing as a human being” philosophy of our founder, Dr. Kazuo Inamori. We always set out to do things the right way, not the easy way. It is this attention to detail which has helped cultivate a Kyocera brand which our customers associate with quality and reliability. That trust cannot be bought – it is earned.

How do you describe Kyocera America’s culture?

I think our culture is very much defined by our human touch; the way we treat one another with respect, and the understanding and empathy we show during each interaction with our customers. These values have shone through during the pandemic, a time where we all faced tremendous personal and professional challenges. Without that human element, building a long-lasting relationship with partners and customers becomes extremely difficult.

Where do you see the greatest opportunities for growth for Kyocera America?

At Kyocera, we want to continue consolidating our position as a complete document solutions provider. We also must be pragmatic and realize that the environment around us has changed dramatically over the past 12 months and will continue to evolve. Many of these changes are here to stay and we, as an organization, must continue to adapt. Remote working will see the demand for cloud-based solutions surge. Moreover, as we have seen with the likes of television, music and cell phones, our lives are becoming increasingly subscription-based service driven. I envisage that the printing sector will follow suit. These are radical changes and we must have the right infrastructure in place, both in terms of hardware and software solutions, to be able to satisfy changing customer needs and wants.

How has Kyocera America adapted its business to address the challenges caused by the pandemic?

Like all businesses across the country, we have had to embrace the reality staring us in the face. We could not ignore the fact that a huge number of professionals suddenly found themselves working from home, and many will continue to do so going forward. With the sudden shift to working from home, companies soon realized that many of their employees were ill-equipped to carry out their work as they would in the traditional office. This created a clear gap in the market for compact A4 printing devices and Kyocera’s robust offering in this department meant that we were well-positioned to serve this need. Furthermore, with teams spread across remote locations, collaboration also became a major headache for managers. Once again, we were able to leverage our capabilities in digital workflow solutions to deliver the document sharing solutions needed for organizations to be able to maintain productivity levels.

How critical is it for Kyocera America to build a diverse and inclusive workforce in order to bring diverse perspectives and experiences to the table when making business decisions?

It is fundamental. Diversity and inclusivity are two words that immediately spring to mind when I think about Kyocera. We have a tremendously talented team who represent a vast range of nationalities, backgrounds, and cultures. This has helped create an environment of talented, open-minded professionals who think in different ways, and this makes for a dynamic, vibrant workforce. A team which is open to new ideas is one which can adapt quickly to new challenges, and this has proven to be a major benefit during the pandemic.

Will you highlight Kyocera America’s commitment to corporate responsibility and engagement in the communities it serves?

It is, quite simply, in everyone’s best interests to contribute to a more sustainable world, and Kyocera is no different. For us to continue growing as an organization we must play our part in ensuring that the communities around us become more equal and more sustainable. As a multinational corporation, we are well aware of our responsibility to act as a role model for others to follow. We will continue to step up to the plate and lead by example, be it through our recycling programs, eco-conscious printing devices, or community-focused initiatives.

What advice do you offer young people beginning their careers during this challenging and uncertain time?

I have said it before, but it is worth repeating: uncertainty is one of the few things we can be certain of when looking ahead to the next five years. To combat uncertainty, we must become more flexible and adaptable, both as people and professionals. The accumulation of knowledge through lifelong learning will be crucial to this – those who stand still will be left behind. Despite the qualifications we may hold, the need to continuously upskill will become more important than ever. In my opinion, those who show an ability to adapt and learn new skills will be the big winners of the coming decade.