Canon has described India as an “R&D eye-opener,” highlighting how the country is influencing its global innovation strategy in unexpected ways.
According to Canon India CEO Toshiaki Nomura, engineers from Japan are now travelling to Indian cities to observe how customers actually use their machines in real-world conditions.
These observations have revealed that Indian users often push devices beyond their intended use, discovering new applications and efficiencies that were not initially designed.
For example, local businesses like small copy shops use machines in innovative ways, prompting Canon’s R&D teams to modify products and introduce new features based on these insights.
In one case, demand in India led to product changes that resulted in 10–30 times higher sales, which were later replicated in other markets globally.
Canon says this “reverse innovation” approach, learning from Indian users and applying it worldwide, is helping the company stay agile and competitive.
Beyond being a major market, India is now playing a critical role in shaping how Canon designs, builds, and improves its products for the future.
