HP today announced that its number one market position in the Middle East's imaging and printing sector reflects its global innovation and a long-term investment in local talent through HP's regional Training and Employee Development Programme.
Speaking at GITEX 2005, Herbert Koeck - Vice President and General Manager of HP's Imaging and Printing Group for Central and Eatern Europe, Middle East and Africa, said the company's aim to gain market leadership across all product groups requires not just technological R&D but an investment in creating a loyal talent pool that leads the region in terms of expertise and ability to outperform the competition.
With an average IDC market share of 65 - 70% across the regional printer market and an average year-on-year growth of 15% across the imaging and printing segments, Koeck used the opportunity of the 25th anniversary of GITEX to focus on the role of HP's great talent in cementing the firm hold it has on the Middle East's fast-moving hardware and supplies market.
"The 25th anniversary of this exhibition, and its ever increasing popularity, are in itself key market indicators. Our growth figures indicate new consumer trends across the Middle East, with more than 30% growth across Colour Laser and All-in-Ones and nearly 100% growth in Multifunction Printers. HP's people in the region are the key to this success."
Speaking about how HP is targeting consumers in the region, Koeck continued: "Our strategy for the Middle East is multi-pronged, and our audiences are diverse. We seek simultaneous recognition and loyalty among advanced consumers like photo enthusiasts, SoHos (small office, home office owners) and SMBs (small and medium business), just as much as we reach out to brand new entrants to the world of technology. The underlying message remains the same - HP enables people to enjoy more of life by delivering simple and rewarding technology experiences. These experiences are uniquely innovative, intuitive and empowering.
"In the increasingly popular field of digital photography, our message to consumers here is that all of life's moments can be converted into fantastic memories - easily, affordably and every time. Ideas can easily be converted into pictures, and these can be printed, saved and shared with almost no effort. Our compact photo printers, in particular, will appeal to every person who uses digital cameras or camera phones - it is all about spontaneity," he stated.
"Consumers want quality in conjunction with affordability and simplicity, and when it is backed up by the HP service and support, they are getting more than what they seek and that goes back to the quality of our people," he added.
Koeck's role is to maximize profit and revenue growth for the group in the ISE region and to maximize consumer sales for all HP product categories. The organization he heads is responsible for sales, marketing, consumer support and category management.
Herbert started his career at HP in Vienna in 1987 in several management positions in Sales and Marketing. After his promotion he became General manager of the Consumer Business Organization (CBO) for Central & Eastern Europe.
Prior to joining HP, Herbert worked for several companies, including a local Vienna reseller and NCR.
Koeck holds an engineering degree in Computer Science from the Vienna Technical University.
About HP
HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended July 31, 2005, HP revenue totaled $85.2 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.
About HP Middle East
HP is the largest IT company in the Middle East employing about 500 professionals in the region. HP has been present in the Middle East since 1968, and opened its first regional office in 1994 and has offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah and Khobar, Cairo and Ramallah servicing the GCC, the Levant and Egypt. For more information about HP in the Middle East, please visit www.hp.com/me and www.hp.com/me/gitex/.
