As India’s printing ecosystem evolves with connected workplaces, rising SME adoption, and growing demand from Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, printing is increasingly becoming an integral part of digital business workflows. In this exclusive conversation with Rajeev Ranjan, Editor, Digital Terminal, Alok Nigam, Managing Director, Brother International India, shares his perspective on Brother India’s growth journey, product innovation and the company’s vision for the future of smart, connected printing in India.
Rajeev: How do you see Brother India's current growth trajectory in the evolving printing market?
Alok: India remains one of the few printing markets globally that is still on a genuine growth path, and our business here reflects that momentum. Over the past nineteen years, Brother India has grown twenty one times, a pace that continues to outstrip several mature markets where print demand has plateaued.
This growth is being driven by strong performance across our ink tank and laser categories, along with rising demand from small and medium businesses, home offices, and Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. We are working to expand our ink tank market share from around 8% to 25% by 2026, while laser printers continue to be a core strength, especially in the corporate and government segments.
At Brother, we see this trajectory as the result of consistent investment in product innovation, service reliability, and a channel ecosystem that understands local market needs. We remain confident that India will continue to be one of our most strategically important growth markets globally.
Rajeev: Can you share insights into your upcoming product roadmap for Indian customers?
Alok: Our product roadmap for India is built around three priorities, expanding connected and intelligent printing, deepening our labelling portfolio, and designing every device around the real needs of Indian businesses. We recently introduced 17 new laser and LED printers and six new ink tank printers, each built for affordability, wireless connectivity, and lower running costs.
We are also investing in AI driven personalization and predictive insights across our print and workflow solutions, alongside our Mobile Connect app, professional labelling range, and Managed Print Services, so that customers spend less time managing devices and more time on their actual work.
At Brother, we remain focused on advancing connected, cloud enabled, and mobile first printing solutions that align with the evolving needs of Indian businesses. Our continued investment in innovation is aimed at delivering smarter, more efficient, and user friendly printing experiences that support the way customers work today.
Rajeev: What are the biggest shifts you are witnessing in customer expectations, and how is Brother adapting its solutions to meet these changing demands?
Alok: The biggest shift we are seeing is that customers no longer think of printing as a standalone purchase, they think of it as part of their broader digital workflow. Businesses want predictable costs, high uptime, and devices that integrate seamlessly with how they already work, rather than simply the fastest or cheapest machine on the shelf.
We are responding to this shift by moving beyond product marketing toward predictive insights and digital first engagement, building connectivity driven devices, mobile enabled capabilities, and software integration frameworks that support industry specific applications in sectors like logistics, healthcare, retail, and education.
At Brother, we believe printing now sits at the center of workflow integration rather than at the periphery of office infrastructure, and our solutions continue to evolve to meet customers where their real business processes are, not just where their devices sit.
Rajeev: Please tell us about your partner ecosystem and strengths. How are you educating, enabling, and rewarding partners to drive long-term growth?
Alok: Our channel ecosystem is one of the most important growth engines for Brother India, and our partners function less like distributors and more like trusted advisors for local enterprises. We are scaling our dealer network from around 5,000 to 10,000 partners, with a particular focus on reach into Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets.
We are enabling partners through structured training, technical enablement, marketing support, and digital partner platforms, while also helping them transition from hardware led selling toward annuity based models such as managed print services, enterprise deployments, and lifecycle support. This shift allows partners to compete on reliability and total cost of ownership rather than discounting alone.
At Brother, we recognize that sustainable channel growth has to be built on differentiated value, so every part of our partner strategy, from onboarding to rewards, is designed around long term profitability and customer retention rather than short term volume.
Rajeev: How are you strengthening the service and support infrastructure to enhance customer experience across different market segments?
Alok: Service reliability is central to how we differentiate Brother in India, particularly as we expand deeper into Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets where responsiveness matters as much as product performance. We operate through a strong Authorized Service Provider network across the country, supported by our regional service teams.
We are strengthening this infrastructure through faster product availability, expanded distribution coverage, and multiple customer support channels including toll free numbers, email support, and chat based assistance, alongside dedicated showrooms in cities such as Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, and Lucknow.
At Brother, our goal is to ensure customers experience the same level of trust and support whether they are in a metro city or a smaller town, because in these markets, service uptime often matters more than pricing.
Rajeev: What strategic initiatives are helping Brother India strengthen its market leadership?
Alok: A number of strategic initiatives are shaping our path to market leadership in India. These include our push to grow ink tank market share from 8 percent to 25 percent by 2026, continued strength in our laser portfolio, and deeper penetration into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities where SME formalization is creating strong demand.
We are also investing in sustainability as part of our global At Your Side 2030 vision, in AI driven digital engagement and predictive insights, and in expanding our product portfolio and connected printing solutions, all while strengthening our dealer and Authorized Service Provider networks.
At Brother, our commitment to reliability, innovation, and long term partnership with Indian businesses continues to guide every strategic decision we make, and we remain confident that these initiatives will keep us firmly at the center of India's evolving printing and labelling market.
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