Copier Industry News

Sharp considering financial options:

• Warned investors of its 3rd annual loss in 4 years
• Negotiating terms of a rescue plan with Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and Mizuho Bank, which would be 2nd major bailout since 2012
• Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision (aka Foxconn) plans to offer financial support.  In March 2012, Hon Hai made similar offer but talks collapsed when Sharp’s share price plunged
• “This is not something we announced, nor is it something we are considering”, stated a Sharp spokesperson in response to article in Sankei newspaper that reported Sharp is considering selling off its LCD manufacturing business.
• Reuters News Service reports that the company will cut 12% of its worldwide workforce to reduce costs by more than $1.7 billion
• Will lay off more than 3000 workers potentially in Asia
• Expected to book $250 million in severance costs
• Could also cut more than 2000 jobs in the Americas
• Will lower the pay scale for workers in 2015

Ricoh’s mindSHIFT launched cloud services:

• mindSHIFT Technologies, the managed IT services division that Ricoh acquired from Best Buy, now offering cloud servers
• the cloud servers will be located in Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• pricing not announced

Ricoh gives more info on new b/w A3 MFPs:

• MSRPs: $12,250 for MP 4054 (40ppm), $14,725 for MP 5054 (50ppm) and $18,925 for MP6054 (60ppm)
• Replace the MP 4002, MP 5502 and MP 6054 models
• Offwhite plastic with dark grey accents
• 2.9 second first copy out time
• 14 second warmup time
• 600x600dpi for copies, and 1200x1200dpi for prints
• Toner cartridge has yield of 37,000 pages based on 6% coverage
• Optional 200dpi fax board
• Can add optional RAM to boost fax board to 400dpi
• Comes standard with two 500 sheets paper drawers and 100 sheet bypass
• With options, can expand paper supply to 4700 sheets
• Handles up to 300gsm, duplex up to 256gsm
• Document feeder choices:
• Reversing automatic document feeder with top speed of 80opm
• Single pass document feeder with top speed of 110opm, scans both sides at same time
• Scans in color or b/w
• Comes standard with simple 9” touchscreen LCD, but users can upgrade to the Smart Operation Panel, which provides a 10.1” color touchscreen (with smartphone like features)
• Finisher options include internal stapling finisher or external stapling and/or booklet making finishers with hole punch
• Built-in print controller
• 320GB hard drive
• Optional Common Criteria certified data security kit
• 2GB RAM
• PCL print driver standard
• PS and XPS print drivers are options
• 10/100/1000BaseT & USB ports standard
• Optional wireless connect

Xerox was victim of fraud:

• Matthew Lavilla, co-owner of Clarkson Auto Electric Inc., pled guilty to committing fraud against Xerox
• He worked with Xerox mechanics in New York to place false work orders and use recycled parts while charging Xerox for new parts.
• Mr. Lavilla faces 2 years in prison and $130,000 fine

Xerox offer new optional app for its MFPs:

• Works with Xerox MFPs that offer ConnectKey Technology
• The app is XMediusCLOUD, a scan to cloud fax service
• Created by Sagemcom of France
• No fax lines of fax servers needed
• Pricing not announced

Xerox sues 3 former employees:

• Xerox filed lawsuit against three former senior executives in Connecticut federal court
• Claim they conspired to misappropriate its allegedly confidential technology info, trade secrets and intellectual property
• Allegedly used the info for their competing customer-service technology start-up, TopBox LLC
• Supposedly the three sought funding for their new venture and approached at least one potential customer who allegedly did millions of dollars in annual business with Xerox

MarketsandMarkets released study on Cloud:

• Estimates the cloud infrastructure services market will grow from $55.73 billion in 2014 to $93.5 billion in 2019
• CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 10.9%

 

3D Systems signs up distributor:

• 3D Systems, maker of 3D printers, announced it has signed up a distributor, so that copiers dealers in the U.S. can sell and service the 3D printing products
• The distributor, Impression Solutions, currently markets products to 600 dealers in the U.S.
• Will be distributing the Cube and the Cube Pro models only
• Recommends that dealers sell the 3D printers with a contract of $1000 to $1200 per month, and that includes all service and materials
• For dealers to become authorized to carry the product, they send personnel to go through a 3 day mechanical training, and 3 days of software training
• “”For dealers who want to move into this we emphasize you have to provide support for design and file size”, stated Ray Looney, VP of Sales

Carbon3D claims their new 3D printer is 100 times faster:

• Carbon3D, headquartered in Silicon Valley, CA, claims its new technology is 25-100 times faster than conventional 3D printing systems
• Traditional 3D printers use polymer-based technology that creates objects layer by layer
• Has new Continuous Liquid Interface Production technology (CLIP) uses light and oxygen to grow objects from a pool of resin
• Company has raised $40 million from investors to commercialize the technology

Kodak reports financials for its 4th quarter:

• Company reported a loss of $41 million
• Total revenue of $529 million, down from $609 million
• Announced a restructuring plan that includes a new Micro 3D Printing division, with plans to ship product later in 2015

AIIM (Association for Information and Image Management) on waste:

• Companies spend an average of $20 to file a document
• Spend an average of $120 to find a misfiled document
• $220 in labor to reproduce a lost document
• 7.5% of all documents get lost
• 3% of all documents get misfiled
• 5-15% of professionals time is spent reading documents
• 50% of professionals time is spent looking for documents
• Average document is photocopied 19 times
• Corporate users receive and send average of 120-150 emails per day
• Average cost to operate a fax machine is $6200 per year
• Average time to fax paper document is 8 minutes

 

Large production print event will move in 2016:

• Graph Expo is the country’s largest trade show for the commercial print industry
• Normally held every year in Chicago, IL, the show will be held in 2016 in Orlando, FL at the Orange County Convention Center on 9/25-28/2015

Microsoft to roll out Windows 10:

• Will offer enterprise grade biometric security
• Support for fingerprint, eye or face scanning authentication
• Will not offer Internet Explorer, as this web browser apparently will be discontinued and replaced by another product
• “We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10”, stated Terry Myerson of Microsoft.

Pitney Bowes reaffirms HP partnership:

• Has renewed global strategic alliance with Hewlett Packard
• Focus on “delivering ease of use for businesses juggling multiple providers in the printing and mailing industry”
• Enables customers to offer “accurate and personalized communication to their own audiences”

Ingram Micro makes acquisition:

• The computer products distributor announced it has acquired the Peruvian and Chilean operations from competitor, Tech Data
• Will add more than $270 to Ingram Micro’s bottom line

Panasonic and Brother to partner in Europe:

• The two companies will form a relationship to “offer field tested, fully integrated mobility printing solutions to specially selected vertical markets”
• Brother’s PJ600 mobile thermal printers will be bundled with Panasonic Toughbook and Toughpad mobile computing products

IDC reports on PC sales:

• PC shipments are expected to shrink 4.9%
• This is worse than original forecast of 3.3% decline
• Will drop from $201 billion in 2014 to $175 billion in 2019

Intel lowers its forecast for Q1 of 2015:

• Reduced it total revenue forecast from $13.7 billion to $12.8 billion
• Based on slower than expected demand for PCs in business
• Blames lack of demand on businesses choosing to make do with existing technology, rather than upgrading

 

Canon wins production print contract:

• Placed Oce’ VarioPrint 6320 b/w systems
• Installed at Nordis Direct, a commercial printer headquartered in Coral Springs, FL
• Installed 3 units, two in Coral Springs, and one in office in Las Vegas, NV
• Will be used in production of transpromo direct mail pieces

Adobe launches two new products:

• Adobe Acrobat DC, features a new tool center and a touch-enabled interface
• A set of integrated services that use a consistent online profile and a personal document hub
• Convert any paper document into an editable digital one
• Edit, export and reuse any PDF content across devices
• MS Office and MS SharePoint integration included
• Acrobat Mobile and Fill and Sign
• Users have ability to create, edit, comment on and sign documents directly on their mobile phones and tablets
• Cameras that are built into these devices can be used as portable scanners to convert any paper document into a digital editable file that can be sent for signature
• Document management and control services help users manage, track and control their documents
• Intelligent tracking offer insight as to where critical documents are in the process, including how has opened them and when
• Control features help protect sensitive information both inside and outside the firewall
• Subscription pricing begins at $12.99 per month

 

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Epic wins contracts:

• Won EHR contract from Spartanburg Regional Medical Center in South Carolina
• Will replace GE Centricity and McKesson Horizon
• Barnes Jewish College Hospital of St. Louis, MO
• Includes the Washington University Faculty Practice Plan

Epic’s new building wins national award:

• Associated General Contractors of America gave out the “Best New Building” award
• Given to the new Deep Space auditorium in Verona, WI
• Cost of $200 million to build
• Located 73 feet underground
• Seats 11,400, over 800,000 square feet
• Has a 70’x40’ projection screen
• Took 1400 employees to build

Cerner wins contract:

• Won contract from Department of Social and Health Services in the state of Washington

Meditech files its 2014 annual financial report:

• Full year revenue down 11%
• Profit down 7%
• Service revenue up
• EHR product revenue down 26%

Fujitsu and NextGen announced partnership:

• Fujitsu’s PaperStream IP document capture software is certified with NextGen
• NextGen is a popular EHR for the ambulatory care market (clinics)
• PaperStream IP works with “fi-series” of Fujitsu scanners

Surescripts grows its customer base:

• Processes 7 billion transactions and 1 billion electronic prescriptions per year
• Integrates with 700 EHRs
• 95% of all pharmacies are customers
• Works with 400 hospitals
• Offers automated clinical messaging
• Immunization registry reporting

Auxilio wins it largest contract:

• Auxilio is a nationwide provider of managed print services for the healthcare vertical
• Is headquartered in Mission Viejo, CA
• Won a 3 year, $50 million contract from an IDN (integrated delivery network) that has locations in 21 states  (Trinity Health?)

KLAS survey ranks EHRs for small practices:

• Cerner
• GE Healthcare
• Greenway
• Athenahealth
• eMD
• ADP AdvanceMD
• Amazing Charts
• Aprima
• AllScripts
• eClinicalWorks
• SRS Soft
• NextGen
• Henry Schein
• McKesson (43% plan to replace with new EHR)

Black Book survey of inpatient EHRs:

• 74% of hospital CIOs claim their selection of new EHR consisted of “significant nursing input”
• 14% of nurses felt that clinician’s perspectives were considered highly
• 19% of IT managers state that EHR used in their practice was not the best
• 65% feel they are stuck with current EHR
• 69% feel that nursing satisfaction has risen due to EHR updates implemented because of nurses’ concerns
• 10% feel that nurses’ satisfaction is improved with training
• Top 4 vendors for nursing satisfaction were CPSI, Cerner, AllScripts and Epic
• Hospitals with over 250 beds, ranked AllScripts Sunrise as top platform
• Hospitals with under 100 beds, chose CPSI
• Community hospitals, with 101-250 beds, chose Cerner

HIPAA/Data Security update:

• Sacred Heart Health System of Florida notified 14,000 patients that their PHI was exposed after an email account was hacked into.
• Premera Insurance revealed that a sophisticated cyber attack led to the PHI of 11 million to be put at risk.
• Advantage Dental of Oregon notified 151,000 patients that their PHI was exposed after a hacker breached its network.
• U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson has endorsed a settlement to force Target to pay out $10 million in fines regarding a large data breach in 2014
• Amedisys, a home health and hospice provider, notified 6,900 patients that their PHI was exposed after it discovered that 142 desktop and laptop computers went missing.