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 Vaclav La Rose, Head of Video Solution Services Europe, part of Konica Minolta’s imaging IoT solutions. He talked to us about how the business is addressing one of the five material issues that underpins our goals: ensuring social safety and security. We asked Vaclav about ways of creating a safer world, where people don’t need to do dangerous work, and developing a more secure society for the future.
Vaclav La Rose: Seeing the potential of the market. Our video solution market, including the hardware and the software and analytics, is growing by double digits every year. This is what makes me very excited about the Video Solution Services and my task is to develop this business in Konica Minolta.
Vaclav La Rose: The really interesting, really exciting part about my job is that having the international exposure, which means I have the taste of the business within different countries. You have to approach the business differently depending on the country, and this is what makes this job really exciting.
Vaclav La Rose: We are introducing new technologies. So we are looking, we are selecting new technologies for the video analytics also within Konica Minolta.
Vaclav La Rose: The exact exciting area is definitely the AI based video analytics. This is where Konica Minolta has also invested in all development, and I take this also as a really positive step for Konica Minolta in this area. I see that the AI-based analytics is something that is going to be here for the next 150 years in the future of the business.
Vaclav La Rose: I think social safety and security is the most important because it's about people. People are the most important asset in any business, and with FORXAI Mirror we are protecting the people, we are ensuring that the people feel safe in the workplace.
Vaclav La Rose: I think FORXAI Mirror is a great match between the values of Konica Minolta and making a contribution to social safety and security. So we are providing a tool to make a safer workplace and employee environment, which is not only contributing to employee satisfaction and well-being, but it also has a direct impact on the efficiency of the customer processes.
Vaclav La Rose: FORXAI Mirror, being more specific, is a tool that provides the check on the personal protective equipment that avoids the contamination of the products or secures the health of the employees in the workplace.
Vaclav La Rose: “Imaging to the People” is for me, rethinking our business and rethinking customer business in order to create more perspectives for new opportunities on the customer side and also for the benefit of society.
Vaclav La Rose: It's about cooperation in different departments in our company, but mainly it's about listening to the colleagues that have the contact with the market.
Vaclav La Rose: The future in Video Solution Services is exciting because the market is not consolidated within the analytics. The analytics are now moving the market forward and it's really exciting how it's going to develop, and what contribution the AI-based analytics can be for the customer.
Vaclav La Rose: My true belief is that the technology will be the AI-based video analytics. What we will do with Konica Minolta is to develop a better experience for the customer and contribute to their productivity and the general social benefits. The AI-based analytics is something that is going to also be here for the next 150 years in the future of the business.
It was fascinating to speak to Vaclav about the Konica Minolta innovations that are helping the business address the material issue of ensuring social safety and security. Technological advances like FORXAI Mirror and AI-based video analytics have so much to offer, and continuing to harness their potential does more than just ensure business continuity. It helps us create a more secure future.