THE high demand for digital Filipino artists will lead to the demand for more digital pens, a Japanese company that makes them said.
“We all know that the Philippines is the top source for talents of studios, such as Disney, Hannah Barbera and Pixar,” Antonius Malabanan, Philippines country manager of Wacom Co. Ltd., said in an interview. “Education and animation are the growth drivers.”
According to Malabanan, the company sees the animation industry in the region will need 5,000 new artists to meet the requirements of studios in the next three years.
He said Wacom will target the creative and consumer markets to boost the sales of its products in the Philippines.
For the consumer segment, Malabanan cited an IoS-based pen for Apple users and a top-of-the-line product (“Bamboo”) for professional artists. The Kazo, Saitama, Japan-headquartered company also has a pen with a fine tip and ideal for sketching, drawing and painting on an iPad. “Our potential users here are the major studios and the gaming developers in the Philippines,” he said.
Since the Philippines is gradually veering away from the traditional voice-based services in the information-technology-business-process management industry, Malabanan said Wacom is expecting an upsurge in the demand for digital pens, as more people will be assigned to handle knowledge-based jobs in the transition to knowledge-process outsourcing.