OEM drops talks with Samsung over potentially setting up a joint copier sales company following opposition from other Japanese OEMs.
The Baltimore Sun reports that Sharp is no longer considering the idea of jointly setting up a copier company after fellow Japanese OEMs such as Canon warned against the plan amid concerns that “key technology would fall into the hands of the South Korean giant”, with around 80 percent of global copier sales coming from Japanese companies such as Canon, Ricoh, Konica Minolta and Sharp.
The notion of setting up a joint copier company came after Sharp rejected Samsung’s offer of purchasing its copier business in March following Samsung investing in a three percent stake in the company at a cost of ¥10.4 billion ($108.2 million/€83.2 million) as well as providing the company with “a stable supply of large LCD panels” to strengthen its business.
It was also reported in May that Samsung was considering buying more shares from Sharp and becoming its biggest shareholder; while in June Sharp announced that it would provide Samsung with MFPs and potentially collaborate with the OEM in “coupling their copier business together”.