The 'Heretical Success Story' of Fuji Xerox

My son.
Today, I will tell you the story of a company that changed the very nature of Japanese corporate society.

Its name was Fuji Xerox.
It has since changed its name to Fujifilm Business Innovation, but its essence remains the same.

This is not a story about a company that sold machines.
It is a story about a company that sold the very way people work.

The copier was a 'revolutionary weapon'

Originally, the act of copying was dull, tedious, and expensive.

Carbon paper, mimeographs, blueprints.
If you made a mistake, you had to start over. Your hands would get dirty, too.

Then, the 'plain paper copier' created by Xerox in America appeared.

With the press of a button, multiple copies of the same document would come out.

To you, this might seem obvious.
But back then, it wasmagic.

The 'heretical strategy' brought to Japan

In 1962, the Japanese company Fujifilm and Xerox joined forces, and Fuji Xerox was born.

But here is where it gets unusual.

They did not 'sell' the copiers.

They leased them.

Don't sell. Lease. And earn.

This was the revolution.

The copier itself was leased.
Furthermore,

• Charged per copy
• Toner and maintenance were all included
• Service technicians would arrive immediately if it broke down

In other words,

They turned 'the very act of copying' into a product.

In today's terms, this is a subscription.
But this was a story from an era when such a term didn't even exist.

A 'demonic group' of sales and service

My son, this is the most crucial point.

Fuji Xerox, while being a machinery company, was in reality
a mass of service industry.

Sales wasn't just about selling.

'How much is this company copying?'
'Isn't their business workflow full of waste?'

That is how theystepped into the core of the company.

And the service technicians,

・Came even at night (depending on the situation)
・Came before it broke
・Did not stop the customer's work

They went that far.

That's why the copier became more than just a machine.

It became the 'bloodstream of the company'.

It caused an explosion of Japan's 'paper culture'

What do you think the result was?

・Meeting materials increased
・Approval documents increased
・Manuals were organized

In other words,

Japanese companies became 'organizations that run on paper'.

This has both merits and demerits.

Efficiency improved.
But at the same time,

A mountain of useless documents was also created.

But listen, that was also part of the "times."

The reason they won globally

Fuji Xerox is not just a Japanese company.

It became an overwhelming presence in Asia.

The reason is simple.

・It's not just about machine performance
・The service is exceptionally strong
・They have the ability to get into the field

This, my son, is the very strength of Japanese companies.

And times change

But listen, nothing lasts forever.

Paperless
Digitization
Cloud

The times have changed.

The number of copies is decreasing, and the business model is wavering.

And then the company name change.
The relationship with Xerox was also dissolved.

But listen, don't forget.

Here is the conclusion, my son.

The essence of Fuji Xerox is this.

"Don't sell machines. Sell systems."

This applies directly to your business as well.

It is the same for PCs and networks.

Don't sell boxes.
Sell a "system that keeps moving."

When you can do that, you will no longer be just a vendor.
You will become the one who is "needed."

The drama of this company, you see,
is not a story about flashy geniuses.

It is steady, gritty, yet terrifyingly strong.

It is the story of a quiet revolution born from the Japanese workplace.