August 10, 2016

Lexmark sued by ECM customer

– Forest River Manufacturing, a recreational vehicle manufacturer in Indiana, filed a lawsuit against Lexmark over a failed ECM solution install
– Claims that it spent $250,474 on the software, $50,091.30 for maintenance and support, and $159,573 on professional services
– Claims that the document capture solution could only process 30% of its invoices accurately, even though it was promised 70-80% accuracy
– Company experienced system crashes
– Accuses Lexmark of breach of contract and fraud and asking for $1 million in damages

Lexmark to have large layoff?

– An anonymous group named Lexmark Employees for Ethical Conduct sent out a letter claiming that once company is taken over by Chinese group (Apex), layoffs will occur
– Claims that workforce will be reduced by 45%
– The R&D department will be absorbed and moved to China
– Warns that China could hack into Lexmark printers and MFPs used by government agencies in the U.S.
– Supposedly U.S. employees are being advised to seek employment elsewhere
– Other claims made: o Software division is being prepped for sale
o New office in Lenexa, KS will close and building will be sold
o Toner manufacturing moved to China and then flood the market with low cost generic toner that could unravel the entire profit model for industry

Huge technology acquisition

– Verizon, best known for its cell phone service, announced it acquired Yahoo! Corp.
– Purchase price of $4.83 billion
– Yahoo claims it has 1 billion monthly active users, including 600 million monthly who access its content from a mobile device, and 225 million who use its email service monthly
– It will be merged into Verizon’s AOL division, which it acquired previously

Sharp operating loss

– News outlets in Japan report that Sharp will report a quarterly operating loss of $47.7 million
– Total revenue down 32%
– Has not yet released its results for quarter as it waits to be acquired by Hon Hai Precision (aka Foxconn of Taiwan)
– Company is already reviewing its list of parts makers and taking other steps to cut costs
– Waiting for Chinese antitrust authorities to review acquisition deal
– Some report that once acquisition is approved, up to 7000 people may lose their jobs

Xerox’s new CEO salary

– Once company splits into two firms, the office technology division, to retain the Xerox name, will have Jeff Jacobsen as the CEO
– In SEC filings, it was revealed that his base salary will be $1 million

Wakefield Research survey results

– Results of survey of small business owners in the U.S.
– 58% of daily work tasks require physical office presence
– 91% have printer, fax, copier and scanner
– 43% use printer an average of 10 times per day
– 21% plan to invest largest portion of IT budget on cloud-based file sync and share solution
– 28% will spend most of IT budget on mobile devices for remote employees
– 30% will spend most of their IT budget on data security solutions

Apple to launch an electric car?

– TechCrunch magazine reports that Apple has promoted Bob Mansfield to be in charge of Project Titan, reporting directly to CEO, Tim Cook
– Previously he was in charge of Apple Watch project
– Project Titan supposedly is the electric car program at the company
– The company is also apparently considering adding iris sensors to future iPhone models

Ricoh update on its financial irregularities

– Company admitted that its division in the country of India violated accounting principles and falsified its books
– “Ricoh has been carrying out an internal investigation for ascertaining the true and fair accounts of the company for quarter ended 12/31/16 and FY16.  The acts of omission and commission have caused a grave loss to the company and its shareholders”
– Has agreed to infuse funds in the division to the extent of the loss suffered
– “The law will take its own course of action by punishing the fraudster but it cannot reduce the loss of the minority shareholders.”; stated J.N. Gupta, founder and managing director of SES, a proxy advisory firm.

Heidelberg to lose its CEO

– Dr. Gerold Linzbach announced he will not renew contract when it expires 8/2017
– Led successful turnaround of company

Kodak wins production print contract

– Award from Toppan Forms of Hong Kong
– Installed its fifth Kodak Prosper 6000C production color inkjet system

Ricoh launches new wide format printer

– Now shipping the new CW2201SP
– Piezo crystal inkjet printhead technology
– Uses GEL ink with zero drying time
– CMYK inks
– Top speed of 2.1ppm (A1 sized pages based on 5% coverage per color per page

Toluna Inc. publishes paper usage survey

– 79% want option to continue to receiving printed information as a  more permanent record
– 77% would be unhappy if they were forced to pay a premium for a paper bill/invoice
– 79% say it is easier to read something on paper than a computer screen
– 85% believe that real reason for companies to use environmental claims such as “Go Paperless – Save Trees” is to save company money
– 57% question the validity of paperless claims
– 91% agree that paper can be a sustainable way to communicate when responsibility produced and used
– 55% believe that forests in the U.S. are shrinking (they actually have 58% growth in density and 3% in total area in past 60 years according to US Forest Service)

HP Inc. booth at photo tech show

– At the Photokina Show on 9/20-25/2016 in Cologne, Germany
– On display will have: o Indigo 12000 production color system with new light black ink and High Definition Laser Array for less grain in color photo prints
o Latex 570 wide large color inkjet printer
o DesignJet  Z3200 and Z6800 wide format color inkjet printers

Ricoh signs reseller agreement with SAP

– SAP will now resell Ricoh image recognition platform as add-on for SAP Hybris Cloud for Customer
– Will allow field representatives to capture images of store shelves to reduce out of stock situations

Ricoh ships new A3 b/w MFPs

– Launched the MP 6503SP, 7503SP and 9003SP
– Top speeds of 65ppm, 75ppm and 90ppm respectively
– Offwhite plastic exterior
– Base MSRPs of $24,499, $30,999 and $38,999
– Replaces 6002, 7502 and 9002 models
– 10.1” Smart Operation color LCD touchscreen display (uses Android system)
– Document feeder holds up to 220 originals o Scans both sides of original at same time
o Top speed of 120opm

– Motion sensor to detect when user approaches to wake from sleep mode
– Optional fax boards
– Finishing options include stapling, hole-punch, booklet making
– Built-in print controller o Actual maker unknown
o NFC support
o 1.75GHz Intel Atom Bay Trail processor
o 2GB RAM
o 320GB hard drive § Optional Data Security kit

o 10/100/1000BaseT & USB ports
o PCL print driver standard § PS and XPS is optional

o Optional file format converter needed for store to HDD

EFI reports on last quarter’s earnings

– Q2 had record revenue of $245.7 million, up 21%
– GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) net income up to $5.2 million
– “The Drupa momentum is feeding into the strength we are seeing in the Industrial Inkjet and Productivity Software segments which keep us on track to deliver our stated goal of $1 billion in revenues for the year.”; stated Guy Gecht, CEO

Equipment leasing firm up for sale

– Bloomberg News reported that EverBank of Jacksonville, FL is up for sale
– Apparently working with UBS Group AG to solicit offers

Canon concludes solution roadshow

– Held events in Melville, NY, Irving, TX, Atlanta, GA, Chicago, IL and Irvine, CA
– Led by Tom O’Neill, Director of Product Marketing
– Products demonstrated included uniFLOW, Therefore, Netaphor, and imageRUNNER ADVANCE Desktop

Canon quarterly earnings report

– Net sales down 11.7%  o b/w copiers down 9.6%
o color copiers down 10.2%
o printers down 24.3%

– Net income down 21.6%
– Due to “the prolonged economic slowdown”
– “negative impact of the revised foreign exchange rate assumptions”
– Projects full year sales down 7.4%, and operating profit down 25.4%
– 

Lexmark ships new solution

– Launched AcceRead Automate 2.0
– Option for Lexmark CX7 and CX8 series of smart MFPs
– Captures, automatically classifies and routes documents
– Extracts key info for file naming and indexing with OCR
– Pricing not announced

MPSA gives out Global 2016 Awards

– MPSA is the Managed Print Services Association
– President is Kevin DeYoung
– Best MPS Innovation = Clover Imaging
– Best Independent MFP Plus Provider = Xtandit
– Best Managed Print Infrastructure Provider = Supplies Network
– Best Regional MPS Provider = Xtandit
– Best MFP Software Provider = Print Audit
– Best MPS Professional Services Provider – GreatAmerica Leasing
– Best Direct MPS Provider = Canon USA

Xerox reports quarterly earnings

– Total Q2 revenue down 4% to $4.4 billion
– Operating margin of 9.3%
– Services revenue down 1%
– Printer/MFP/PPS division revenue down 7%
– Supplies revenue down 6%
– A4 color MFP installs down9%
– Midrange color MFP installs up 6%
– PPS color installs up 14%

Fujifilm reports lower sales from Xerox

– Company makes most printers and MFPs sold with Xerox name
– Reported that its quarterly profit was down 24% to $260 million
– Stated that printer/MFP operating income is down 39.2% due to declining shipments o Net profit down 54% to 11.1 billion yen
o Revenue down 8.8%

MPS market to continue to grow

– Market report published by Transparency Market Research Inc.
– Managed print services market to reach $94.97 billion by 2024
– CAGR (cumulative annual growth rate) of 14.8%
– North America “dominates MPS market”
– Security and mobility are seen as the “key focus areas” during coming years

Thousands waiting for commission checks?

– Article in Business Insider magazine describes turmoil at Hewlett Packard Enterprise
– Apparently, company is having issues with “myComp” sales compensation software, since November, of 2015
– CEO, Meg Whitman, had emergency meeting with top sales managers to discuss
– Apparently, up to 4,000 employees have not been paid correctly in 6 months
– Some sales people claim that they can not make mortgage payments and are now in foreclosure
– Some sales people supposedly received letters from HPE stating that they owe company money from overpayments
– “The problem is there are no real numbers to deal with.  Not a daily bookings report.  Not even a weekly report coming out of distributors.”; stated on sales manager.
– The situation apparently become public after a top salesperson sent an email to outsiders and “went all over the industry”

Nuance makes acquisition

– Purchased TouchCommerce for $215 million
– Provider of digital customer service solutions such as online live chat and ecommerce sales

Epson reports its quarterly earnings

– Total revenue down 8.4% to $2.3 billion
– Profit down 60.8% to $62.9 million
– Printer/MFP division revenue down 8.5%
– Profit down 33.2%
– Inkjet printer volumes up 8%

Microsoft gets rid of more employees

– Announced it will lay off 2,850 workers
– 900 have already been notified
– Most are from the smartphone business it acquired from Nokia in 2014 for $7.2 billion

Canon partners with mail software firm

– Announced it will be a reseller of Mail Manager software from BCC Software of Rochester, NY
– To bundle with production print hardware sales to allow customers who are printing variable data direct mail pieces to optimize postage costs

Canon wins production print contracts

– Award from Corus, a commercial printer in France o Installed two Oce’ ColorStream 6500 Chroma production color continuous feed inkjet systems
o Will be used to produce personalized direct mail and transpromo pieces

– Award from PCI Group, a commercial printer in South Carolina o Installed two Oce’ JetStream b/w inkjet systems, Oce’ ColorStream 3900 production inkjet system and Oce’ VarioPrint i300 production color inkjet system
o Used primarily to produce transpromo documents
o Produces a total of 1.2 million pieces each day

Canon solution gets Oracle endorsement

– Canon achieved Oracle Validated Integration with Oracle’s PeopleSoft ERP for Canon’s accounts payable automation solution
– The AP solution is based on Canon Enterprise Imaging Platform middleware

Post Drupa Report event sponsors

– To be conducted by Printing Industries Alliance
– Held at Club 101 in New York City, NY on 8/18/16
– Presentations on new production print technologies from Konica Minolta, Canon, Xerox and others

Study on where people get their news

– From Pew Research
– 72% read news from mobile device
– 79% get news from laptop/desktop PC
– 7% decrease in newspaper circulation
– 8% increase in cable TV news viewership
– 2% decline in network TV morning news viewership
– Have relatively little trust in social media as a news source

Amazon updates its Kindle eReaders

– In attempt to increase usage, announced “PageFlip” capability
– “a re-imagined Kindle navigation experience that makes it easy to explore books”
– Allows users to easily flip back and forth between pages
– Also launched “Kindle Singles Classics”, for $0.99 each single articles and stories from famous authors

Barnes & Noble updates its eReaders

– In attempt to increase usage, announced  Press print platform for its Nook eReader platform
– Provides authors with a self-service program that enables them to order hardcover and paperback books for customers to purchase
– Limited to authors who single title eBook sales reached or exceeded 1,000 in past year

Study on those that focus on verticals

– Study conducted by Bain & Company
– Dedicated sales specialists in Healthcare, Technology & Financial Services contributed an ROI (return on investment) of more than 1000%
– Higher-performing companies have differentiated sales resources to better reach specific customer segments
– “Customers don’t just want a good product.  They wants a business partner who can make them more competitive”
– Going vertical will “create additional stickiness to the existing relationship and open up opportunities that did not exist before”

Toshiba wins contract

– From New UK, a newspaper publisher in England
– Includes MFPs in 8 locations
– Includes 5 onsite engineers
– Service provided 7am-7pm seven days per week o Includes 1 hour response time for “VIP” labeled MFPs

– Included PaperCut FollowMe solution

3D Systems has stock downgraded

– Downgrade after report from Troy Jensen, an analyst with Piper Jaffray Corp.
– Suggested that company experienced notable slowdown in demand during last quarter
– “3D Systems’ challenges go much deeper than an overall spending slowdown, and we believe system quality issues and unhappy channel partners continue to negatively impact system demand”

Large dealer makes acquisition

– Loffler Companies, headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, announced it has acquired Cartridge Care of Roseville, Minnesota
– Cartridge Care, formerly owned by Charlie Pydych, is a remanufacturer of print cartridges and printer servicing company
– Will allow Loffler to expand it managed print services to areas it covers
– Purchase price not announced

Visual Edge Technology buys another 

– Run by CEO, Austin Vanchieri, and has locations in Kentucky and Ohio
– Headquartered in North Canton, Ohio
– Acquired Axion Business Technologies of Cranston, Rhode Island, with branch locations in Worcester, New Bedford, and West Yarmouth, MA and is authorized for Konica Minolta, Toshiba, Okidata and HP.  Former owner is Robert Ferland, who will continue in current capacity

Ricoh wins copier contract

– Award from Cape May County government office on New Jersey o Included 88 new MFPs
o Includes 449,000 clicks per month
o Will phase out single function printers
o Reasons given by Bess Dyer, MIS Director was “most efficient and cheapest”
o Will use PIN codes with “follow me” solution
o Included automated solution where MFPs “call home to Ricoh” for service and supplies

– Award from B Print and Display Group of London, England o Includes Pro C9110 and C7110X(with 5th toner option) production color systems

Apple to launch new version of its watch

– Industry reporters claims the Apple Watch 2 to launch in September, 2016
– Gartner predicts smartwatches will generate $11.5 billion in revenue by end of 2016 o Apple claims 52% marketshare

– Supposedly changes will include: o New version of Apple S1 chip with higher performance
o Upgraded version of Apple S1 system in package
o Micro LED display instead of OLED display

Xerox wins managed print services contract

– Award from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan
– Won a “Services Quality Supplier of the Year” award from customer
– Includes 3,000 printers across 53 locations in U.S., Mexico and Canada
– Claims to have reduced total print costs by 7.4% annually

Photizo Group trivia on printers in 1976

– Article on price performance of b/w laser printers offered 40 years ago
– IBM 3800 sold for $345,000 and had top speed of 180ppm
– Xerox 9700 sold for over $500,000 and had top speed of 120ppm

IDC names Nuance as the leader

– Nuance named the market share leader for print management solutions
– “Nuance continues to lead the print and document management software vendor market with its Equitrac, SafeCom and Output Manager solutions”; stated Holly Muscolini or IDC o “Nuance products are often the product of choice for larger enterprises with extensive fleets”

Fuji to open shop in Times Square

– Fuji Corp. of Tokyo, Japan announced it will open a “Wonder Photo Shop”
– (Fuji makes most of the Xerox branded MFPs and printers)
– Will sell coffee, cameras and prints of customer’s photographs

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