January 18, 2016
Samsung reports its 4th quarter numbers
– $44.3 billion in sales, no growth from last year, and reported less than analyst expectations
– Operating profit up 15% to $5.1 billion
– CEO Kwon Oh-Hyun warned investors about 2016
o “The territories of industries are collapsing. We have to compete in a new way that we have never experienced in the past”
o “The competition landscape is changing to software and platforms, so we need to build a new system and competence.”
– Stock price fell 7% on the news
Samsung to launch refrigerator/TV?
– On display at its booth at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas
– Called the “Family Hub”
– Has two side by side doors
– Door on right has a portrait direction 21.5” color LCD touchscreen display
– Connected to the Internet
– Equipped with speakers for playing shows/music
– Internal cameras allow LCD to display contents of refrigerator
– Pricing and ship date not announced
Samsung sues 4 former employees
– Claims that they rigged auctions and exchanged bribes and kickbacks
– Yang Kun Chung, Tom Porcarello, Yoon Chul Jang and Jin Young Song formerly managed and sold Samsung parts
– Were allegedly caught accepting cash bribes, cars and flights on private jets
Apple makes acquisition
– Announced it has purchased Emotient Inc. of San Diego, CA
– CEO is Kenneth Denman
– Is a startup that uses artificial intelligence technology to read people’s emotions by analyzing facial expressions
– Example of customer is advertising companies that use Emotient to assess viewer reactions to their ads
HP printer cartridges washing up on shore
– The countries of England, Ireland, France & Portugal are reporting that thousands of HP printer cartridges are washing up on western and southern shores.
– HP said in a statement that the cartridge spill was the result of an Atlantic ocean storm more than a year ago
– The company estimates that 370,000 cartridges were lost at sea
– HP is finalizing the details of financial package to aid in the cleanup
HP wins production print contracts
– Award from CP Graphics of Tucson, AZ
o Installed an HP Indigo 7600 production color system
o Used to produce variable data direct mail, and jobs from web-to-print solution
– Award from Bennett Graphics of Tucker, Georgia
o Installed an Indigo 10000 production color system
o Used to print catalogs, leaflets and post cards
– Award from Rethink CMYK of England
o Installed an Indigo 7800 production color system
o Used to produce full color brochures and business cards
HP reveals more about future 3D printers
– Sometime in 2016 will launch MultiJet Fusion 3D printers
– Advertised as a full color 3D printer that operates up to 10 times faster than current 3D printers
– Will use two separate thermal inkjet arrays
o First array will lay down the basic building blocks and structure of the part
o Second array combines the coating, color and fusing steps to solidify and give the part strength and texture
o During first pass, the first array will run left to right while second will run top to bottom
o After each layer, both arrays will change direction to maximize productivity
– 600dpi to 2400dpi resolution
– 42 microns down to 11 microns
Intel & 3D Systems to help design shoes
– New Balance Corp. announced it is partnering with Intel and 3D systems to produce customized sneakers
– Intel will provide RealSense 3D, a depth-sensing camera with 3 lenses, to give ability to measure and capture distance between photographed objects, which allows New Balance to design midsoles that are custom fitted to a customer’s walking style
– 3D Systems printers will produce the midsoles for the shoes
– Pricing and availability not announced
3D Systems launches new printers
– Launched the ProX DMP 320 series
– Is a high throughput direct metal 3D printer
– Uses titanium, stainless steel or nickel super alloy
– Can create objects up to 275mm x 275mm x 420mm
– Pricing not announced
Mcor launches new 3D color printer
– Launched the ARKe, claiming it is world’s first full color 3D printer that fits on desktop
– 4800x2400dpi
– Selective Deposition Lamination technology, meaning the devices glues together pieces of paper to create the image
– Touchscreen color LCD display
– MSRP of $5995
CONTEXT Consulting details 3D market
– Market share for desktop/personal 3D printers worldwide
o 28,300 units = XYZ Printing
o 20,290 units = 3D Systems
o 15,426 units = MakerBot
o 14,734 units = Ultimaker
o 14,436 units = M3D
– Market share for industrial/professional 3D printers
o 4,308 units = Stratasys
o 1,938 units = 3D Systems
o 866 units = envisionTEC
o 326 units = EOS
o 265 units = mCor
Muratec announces PLS digital presses
– Precision Label Series
– Models PLS-2112 press and and PLS-2112F Finisher
o Roll fed or cut sheet
o Up to 8.5” wide
o Up to 25 feet per minute
o Full color output
o Digital contour die cutting
o Laminating
– Models PLS-5150 press and PLS-5150F Finisher
o Higher volume and larger media than 2112
o Roll fed or cut sheet
o Up to 12.5” wide
o Up to 30 feet per minute
o Digital contour die cutting
o Laminating
– Target is short run, high-definition digital color labels
– Wasatch SoftRIP included
– Media includes polyester, vinyl, matte, gloss, semi-gloss, silver and gold foils, and more
– Support through Muratec Dealer Network
DocuWare wins ECM contract
– Award from Porter County, Illinois
– Also involved back file conversion of paper documents contained in 26 pallets of bankers boxes
– Total cost of $84,435
Tyler Technologies wins ECM contract
– Award from Wichita County, Texas
– Total contract value = $552,730
– will enable employees to share critical data throughout the justice system, including the courts, prosecutors, supervision, law enforcement and jail.
ECM opportunity?
– New York City major, Bill De Blasio, admitted that local governmental agencies currently house some 2.8 million boxes of documents
– The Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) is working on plan to tackle the problem
– Initial plan will eliminate 169,000 file boxes
– DORIS commissioner Pauline Toole stated that she expects to be able to process around 700,000 file boxes by 2017 for a cost just under $10 million
EFI wins wide format award
– EFI announced that its H1625 hybrd wide format color inkjet printer won the “2015 Product of the Year” award from SGIA
– SGIA is the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association
Ricoh makes acquisition
– Company announced it purchased AnaJet Inc. of Costa Mesa, CA
– Manufacturer of wide format color inkjet printers that print on garments, such as t-shirts
– Ricoh was already the provider of the inkjet printheads used in the AnaJet printers
– Ricoh believes that it can grow AnaJet’s business by selling into CRDs at universities and school districts
– Purchase price not announced
Ricoh signs up new dealer
– Announced it has authorized Space City Copiers of Houston, TX to become a full line Ricoh dealer
– Space City was already a dealer for Kyocera
Xerox wins large production print order
– Award from the DATA Group, a commercial printer headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, Canada
– Total order worth $6.7 million
– Also included location in Chicago, IL
– Equipment included:
o Two iGen 5 production color toner systems with 5th toner station (orange, green or blue toner)
- Replaced two HP Indigo systems
o Versant 80 production color system
o Color C75 production color system
o DocuPrint 180MX production b/w system
o D125 production b/w system
o D126 production b/w system
o C. P. Bourg booklet making system
– Also won award from John Brailsford Printers of England
o Installed a Versant 2100 production color system and a D136 production b/w system
Xerox cracks down on counterfeit cartridges
– Conducted raids and seizures in India, Middle East and Africa, including Morocco, Turkey and Romania
– Confiscated tens of thousands of fake printer cartridges
– Up to $10 million worth of fake product
–
Toshiba expands sales force for displays
– Toshiba announced it is expanding its sales force to grow sales of its commercial flat screen HDTV display business
– Company hired 10 independent sales rep firms to provide coverage for all 50 states
– Headed up by Scott Ramirez, VP of Marketing
Gartner publishes new Magic Quadrant
– Released its Winter 2015 version of its “Magic Quadrant For Managed Print and Content Services”
– It published for companies who are considering a vendor to “take over their printers and manage them more efficiently and effectively……….and help eliminate paper….”
– The vendors who were awarded with “Leaders” category status:
o Ricoh
o Lexmark
o Xerox
o HP Inc.
New managed print services program
– Cartridge World, which operates stores across the U.S. that sell refurb/refill printer cartridges, announced the “No Cost Printer Lease” program
– For companies that complete an online questionnaire to describe their printing and copying needs
– “Cartridge World’s program revolutionizes the way copier companies and superstores trained corporate America to buy printers”, stated Tom McLaughlin, Director
– “With the No Cost Printer Lease, business customers will not only use printers for free, but also benefit from saving 20-30% on printing supplies. They can save hundreds to thousands of dollars annually”
– If the customer’s company’s printing volume meets minimum requirements, Cartridge World will present various equipment and supply options, including equipment from HP, Brother and/or Canon.
– Pricing is locked for 1 to 2 year plan.
– Program includes free next day delivery of supplies, cartridge recycling
– Includes next day service and support
– Does not describe who the technicians are that provide the onsite service
Lexmark executive leaves
– Kentucky governor, Matt Bevin, announced he hired Daniel Bork as his new Commissioner of Revenue
– Mr. Bork was formerly the VP of Tax for Lexmark
– While at Lexmark, he was involved in an audit of the company’s accounting controls for income taxes
– Discovery of “material weakness”
– “could result in misstatements” of profits and other financial data
– Lexmark stated; “did not maintain effective monitoring and oversight of controls over the completeness, existence, accuracy and presentation and disclosure of our accounting for income taxes”
One copier dealer acquires competitor
– Exterus Technology for Business, a Xerox dealer in Shelburne, Vermont, has been acquired by Usherwood Office Technology
– Usherwood is a Canon dealer, and is headquartered in Williston, Vermont
– Exterus staff will move to Williston office
– Usherwood president and CEO is Louis Usherwood
One copier dealer acquires competitor
– Phillips Office Solutions (POS) of Harrisburg, PA announced it has acquired Phillips Supply House (PSH) of Williamsport, PA
– The two families have no relation even though have same last name
– POS is a Konica Minolta, Sharp and Lexmark dealership
– PSH is a Sharp dealership
Large copier dealer makes acquisition
– Visual Edge Technology (VET) announced it has acquired WBS Technologies for an undisclosed sum
– WBS is a Canon/Kyocera dealer headquartered in Sunrise, FL and covers the metro Miami area
– VET is headquartered in North Canton, OH and is run by CEO Austin Vanchieri
– Also acquired LEXNET, a managed IT services dealer in Lexington, Kentucky
Feds block merger
– The Federal Trade Commission has rejected Staples proposed acquisition of rival Office Depot
– Staples offered to sell $1.25 billion of existing office supply contracts, as part of its $6.3 billion acquisition proposal
– The FTC is concerned that the 2 companies hold too much sway over the market for office supplies sold directly to business
Sharp reveals more on new color A3 MFPs
– Models are the Color Essential MX-3050N, 3550N, 4050N, 5050N and 6050N
– Replace the MX-2640N, MX-M2615N, MX-3115N, MX-4140N and MX-5140N
– Ship date and pricing not announced
– Speeds are 30ppm, 35ppm, 40ppm, 50ppm and 60ppm respectively
– These models are known as the “Essential” series, and are similar to the “Advanced” series above except they are lower priced and have a lesser featured color LCD touchscreen display
– 600x600dpi
– Auto reversing document feeder holds up to 100 originals, and does not scan both sides of original at the same time
o Top speed of 80opm
– Built-in print controller has a dual core processor instead of quad core
Sharp reveals more on 5 new color A3 MFPs
– Models are the Sharp Color Advance MX-3070N, 3570N, 4070N, 5070N and 6070N
– Replace the MX-3140N, MX-3640N, MX-4141N, MX-5141N
– Speeds are 30ppm, 35ppm, 40ppm, 50ppm and 60ppm respectively
– MSRPs of $12,925 for MX-3070N, $15,675 for MX-M3570N, $18,425 for MX-4070N
– These models are known as the “Advanced” series, as they feature a newly designed 10.1” color LCD touchscreen control panel with “Easy Copy” and “Easy Scan” screens
o Integrated on-board operation guide
o Integration with optional apps and connectors
– All share same toner cartridges
o Cartridges stay locked in machine until they are completely empty, to prevent customers from replacing toner cartridges that still have toner left in them
- The MX-5070N and MX-6070N will offer ability to change toner while unit is running
o Micro-fine toner (pulverized)
– Advanced Image Process Control to monitor ongoing image quality and automatically makes adjustments
– Developer Auto Refresh System, which mixes small amount of carrier with toner, to extend developer life and help maintain image quality between maintenance cycles
– All have off white striated plastic exteriors with dark gray plastic accent
– Comes standard with retractable 101 key keyboard
– Comes standard with 500 sheet paper drawer and 150 sheet stack bypass
– Maximum paper capacity with options of 6,300 sheets
– Auto duplex standard
– Maximum paper size of 12”x18”
– 1200x1200dpi
– Walkup sensor to automatically bring out of sleep mode
– Document feeder scans both sides of originals at same time
o Top speed of 100opm or 200ipm
o Holds up to 150 originals
– 10 second wakeup from sleep mode
– Walk-up motion sensor to wake machines from sleep mode
– Finishing options include:
– Inner stapling finisher
– Floor standing stapling finisher
– Booklet making
– Hole punch kit
– Built-in print controller:
o 10/100/1000BaseT & USB ports
o 500GB hard drive
- Data security kit is standard
o Quad core processor
o Comes standard with scan to OCR board
MGI wins production print contract
– Award from Naples Print Source of Florida
– Installed a MGI Meteor DP8700XL production color system (uses a Konica Minolta made engine)
– Reasons given for choosing the unit:
o Ability to print variable data on both sides of an envelope
o Ability to print on synthetic substrates
o Ability to print on sheets as long as 40”
o Ability to print on textured stocks
– Will be used to produce materials for the restaurant, hospitality and real estate vertical market customers
Nuance to write software for BMW
– Will create custom version of its Dragon voice recognition software for the infotainment system of new 2016 BMW automobiles
– A conversational user interface
– Drivers are able to say commands in one phrase, such as text messaging, or asking for directions
Dell may have found buyer for MIT division
– Company is looking to sell assets so it can acquire EMC Corp. for $67 billion
– In 2009, company spent $3.9 billion to acquire Perot Systems, a managed IT services company
– According to industry analysts, the leading bidder for Perot Systems is Atos Corp, a managed IT services company
– Atos is headquartered in France, and has offices in Purchase, NY and Arlington, TX
– Atos is rumored to have bid $4.3 billion
Canon launches new solution for law firms
– Launched new version of CaseData, an eDiscovery solution
– Web-based document review system
– Keyword reporting
– Provides reports containing info that helps identify false positives
– Users can share search results to others in discovery process
– Ability to modify the value of fields in database for large number of documents
InfoTrends study on value of print
– 62% of consumers receiving a print full color catalog made a purchase, and said they were influenced by the catalog
– Favorite catalogs are:
o LL Bean
o IKEA
o Victoria’s Secret
o Crate and Barrel
o Cabela’s
o Bed, Bath & Beyond
– 66% of all direct mail is looked at according to consumers
– 40% of consumers who made a purchase in last 3 months said they were influenced by a direct mail piece
InfoTrends study on smartphone printing
– 63% use a smartphone as their primary camera
– 20% use a digital point and shoot camera
– 34% say they do not know how to print a photo from their smartphone
– 15% say it is too difficult to print a photo from smartphone
– 12% say their smartphone does now allow printing
– 14% say they tried printing, but were unhappy with image quality
IT Strategies report on digital books
– 71.4% of book publishers feel it will be 5+ years before a zero-inventory business modem becomes “urgent”
o 47.5% say current culture prevents zero inventory model
o 32.3% say there is a lack of infrastructure
– Percentage of books printed via digital print (toner or inkjet) is estimated to grow 6% today to 12% in 2019
– Offset press book production will decline 2% per year
– Production inkjet systems allow book manufacturers to print 1,000 copies of a title cost effectively
– In 2016, inkjet will grow to surpass toner, growing 29% year over year
o Toner will grow 3% per year
o Digital pages account for 5% of book market
PIA survey results on print media usage
– Results of survey of business executives
– 99% use printed marketing materials in last 12 months
– 90% rely on commercial printers for some of their business printing needs
– Reasons to use commercial printers
o 74% = business cards
o 64% = brochures
o 64% = direct mailers
o 49% = banners
o 21% = menus
– Top reasons to choose commercial printers
o 92% = Product quality
o 88% = Volume considerations
o 87% = Cost issues
o 87% = Color consistency
o 86% = Color accuracy
o 82% = Ease of coordinating
o 81% = Turnaround time
o 81% = Print on demand
o 70% = perform mailing and shipping
Print output management software grows
- Plus Technology recently reported its growth
- Company provides “follow me” type solutions and competes with Nuance Output Manager, Equitrac, Pharos, Y Soft, Papercut, etc.
- President is Mike Visser, with headquarters in Dayton, Ohio, with 20 employees
- Focus is on healthcare facilities that use Epic EHR
- Revenue up 25%, and is adding between 50-100 customers annually
- Customers include:
o Abbott Laboratories
o Wellmont Health Systems
o Baptist Health
o Sisters of Mercy Health Systems
o The Hospital for Sick Children of Toronto, Canada
o Gwinnett Medical Center
o University of Maryland Medical Center
o Kaiser Permanente
