Canon has announced two Asia Pacific investments targetting digital and customer service.

A SG$20 million investment sees the creation of a 'customer engagement hub' in Singapore, while the acquisition of Converga from New Zealand Post Group will allow it to expand managed services and business process outsourcing.

The Singapore investment sees Canon move to Galaxis, a 'platinum green mark' building in One North, where it will showcase facilities and office solutions. The hub brings together all of the company's businesses, and "speaks to Canon's ambitions in south and southeast Asia" according to Canon Singapore president and chief executive Kensaku Konishi.

A new customer care centre upgrades testing and interactive facilities, and includes a 30m darkroom, claimed to be one of the longest darkrooms for lens testing in the region. A new Canon Imaging Academy broaden training facilities, including a studio catered to the training needs of amateur and professional photographers.

Products on show range from large format printers, digital production printers (Oce VarioPrint), digital multifunctional devices, production inkjet printers and surveillance cameras.

Canon Australia says Converga has more than 1300 staff based in offices and technology centres throughout Australia, New Zealand, United States and the Philippines.

Its fourth acquisition in four years reflects that robust growth will be achieved through diversification, the company says, and will make it a key player in business process outsourcing, IT managed services, digitisation and forms automation, and print management.

Canon Oceania managing director Yusuke Mizoguchi says Converga is "a fantastic company that we see growing and complementing our group long into the future".