Supporting 80+ Countries from Dubai: What Epson Has Learned About the Middle East & Africa's Growth Potential

Seiko Epson Corporation was founded in 1942 in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, initially as a watch manufacturer before evolving into a global technology company delivering printing, visual communications and manufacturing solutions worldwide. In fiscal 2025, Epson reported consolidated revenue of ¥1,413.3 billion and employed 74,619 people globally as of 31 March 2026. Epson's operations across the Middle East, Africa, Central & West Asia and Türkiye are managed through Epson Middle East FZCO, headquartered in Dubai Airport Freezone (DAFZ).

During the "Promoting Japanese Corporate Entry into DAFZ" webinar held on 2 September 2026 and co-hosted by Dubai Airport Freezone (DAFZ) and Biz Easy, Ryo Tachimori, Vice President of Business Operations at Epson Middle East FZCO, shared insights into the company's regional growth journey, the decision to establish Dubai as a regional headquarters and the lessons learned from supporting customers and partners across more than 80 countries.

Today, Epson Middle East serves as a strategic hub supporting customers, channel partners and business operations throughout a highly diverse region spanning the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and Türkiye. The organisation has grown significantly since opening its Dubai branch in 2017, reflecting the increasing importance of the region within Epson's long-term global strategy.

Ryo Tachimori

Epson Middle East FZCO　Vice President, Business Operations

01How Epson Shifted from a Europe-Led Structure and Gained Faster Decision Making in Dubai

Epson established its initial presence in the Middle East and Africa in 2017 through a Dubai branch operating under the oversight of its European regional headquarters. A significant milestone followed in August 2023 with the establishment of Epson Middle East FZCO as a regional headquarters serving the wider region.

According to Tachimori, three factors influenced the decision to establish the regional headquarters in Dubai.

The first was proximity to high-growth markets, enabling closer engagement with customers and partners and allowing the business to respond more effectively to local market requirements. The second was access to a diverse and highly skilled talent pool. The third was Dubai's well-developed logistics and infrastructure network, which supports efficient regional operations. The city's position as a major international aviation hub also provides connectivity to a geographically extensive region.

The establishment of Epson Middle East FZCO in 2023 marked a major organizational shift. Epson moved from a Dubai branch under its European regional structure to a sales company headquartered in Dubai and reporting directly to Japan. This brought decision-making closer to customers and partners, strengthened regional accountability and positioned Dubai as the strategic hub for Epson's operations across the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and Türkiye.

Epson's decision to locate within DAFZ was also shaped by its experience in the free zone since 2017. Tachimori noted that DAFZ's support helped create the conditions for business continuity, organizational growth and future regional expansion.

02Scaling Operations: From Approximately 20 to 130 Employees

When Epson opened its Dubai branch in 2017, the team had around 20 employees. By 2023, becoming a regional headquarters required rapid expansion across office space, recruitment and visa processing, while building the capabilities needed to support a growing regional organization.

The hiring process, including visa issuance, turned out to be a bigger hurdle than expected, Tachimori recalled. Even so, the expansion moved forward without major delays, which he attributed to DAFZ's approach.

Beyond headcount growth, Epson focused on developing capabilities across sales, marketing, operations, customer support and business management functions to ensure customers and channel partners receive consistent support across the region.

Operational foundations such as recruitment, visas and workspace expansion directly affect the speed and success of regional growth. For organizations scaling across markets, these capabilities support continuity, customer service and long-term expansion.

03Prioritizing Across 80 Countries: Balancing Investment Across Diverse Markets

With operations spanning more than 80 countries, Epson adopts a structured approach to market prioritization. Rather than allocating resources evenly across all markets, the company evaluates opportunities based on factors such as market maturity, customer demand, digital transformation trends, infrastructure readiness and long-term growth potential.

The result is a balanced strategy that supports sustainable growth while maintaining focus on customer requirements across a highly diverse region.

04Managing over 40 Nationalities: Building a Multicultural Organization

Beyond the practical challenge of hiring, Tachimori pointed to something he says he's still grappling with today: managing a genuinely multinational organization.

As Epson has scaled, building a unified culture while enabling market-level decision-making has become a strategic priority. Achieving this across a diverse workforce requires sustained focus on communication, leadership development and inclusion.

For Epson, this diversity is a competitive strength. It brings broader perspectives, deepens understanding of local markets and supports better-informed decisions across the organization.

05Bonus Q&A: How Epson Is Navigating Change and Looking Ahead

With limited time on the day, we followed up separately with Tachimori on two points we felt mattered most to Japanese companies.

1) On responding to geopolitical risk

How does a regional hub respond when the unexpected happens, the kind of event no one plans for when they first set up? We asked Tachimori directly.

For Epson, Dubai represents a long-term strategic commitment. While geopolitical disruption may require tactical adjustments, the regional strategy remains focused on customer support, growth and business continuity. The experience reinforced the importance of resilient operating models that can adapt without compromising long-term objectives.

2) On Epson's future vision

Epson's regional strategy is closely aligned with the organization's broader long-term vision. During the discussion, Tachimori highlighted how the company's global priorities provide a framework for future growth and value creation across the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.

Epson's priorities closely align with regional ambitions in education, productivity and digital transformation. Its regional headquarters helps translate the company's global vision into locally relevant strategies and solutions that respond to the diverse needs of markets across the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.

The region is an important part of Epson's long-term growth strategy, supported by economic development, demographic change, digital transformation and rising demand for innovative technology. These opportunities reinforce Epson's commitment to continued investment, local partnerships and sustainable growth across the region.

06What Epson's Regional Growth Journey Reveals About Building a Successful Regional Headquarters

• Lesson 1: Bring decision-making closer to customers
  The establishment of regional headquarters enabled faster decisions and deeper market understanding across a highly diverse region.
• Lesson 2: Invest in people and capabilities early
  Scaling from approximately 20 employees to around 130 required long-term investment in talent, operational capabilities and organizational structure.
• Lesson 3: Prioritize strategically
  Success across more than 80 countries requires disciplined market prioritization and careful allocation of resources.
• Lesson 4: Build resilient multicultural teams
  Leading an organization comprising more than 40 nationalities requires continuous investment in culture, communication and leadership.
• Lesson 5: Think long term
  The transition from branch office to regional headquarters demonstrates the importance of building for future growth rather than focusing solely on short-term opportunities.

The evolution of Epson Middle East from a branch operation into a regional headquarters reflects the importance of aligning organizational structures with market opportunities. By bringing decision-making closer to customers, investing in talent and capabilities, and maintaining a long-term perspective, Epson has built a platform to support customers and partners across a highly diverse region. As markets throughout the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and Türkiye continue to evolve, the company's experience offers valuable insights for organizations considering regional expansion from Dubai.