January 11, 2016

Is 2016 the year for less copier makers?

Toshiba – According to reports from Japanese newspapers, the company is considering selling off its TEC division, which includes MFPs and printers

Xerox – First the company reported a large loss, then legendary corporate raider, Carl Icahn, became a large shareholder, and now company CEO, Ursula Burns, announced she is “undertaking a comprehensive review of structural options for the company’s portfolio”

Sharp – With $6.3 billion in debt, the company originally rejected an offer to sell copier division in late 2012 to Samsung of Korea, but now reports are that company is considering an offer to sell entire company to Hon Hai Precision (aka Foxconn) of Taiwan for $2.45 billion.

Lexmark – On 10/23/2015, the company announced it hired financial advisory firm Goldman, Sachs & Co, as the company wants to “explore strategic alternatives as the next step to unlock value”

 

Toshiba looking for new credit line

– Company announced it intends to ask for a new $2.49 billion credit line by end of January, 2016, to fund a large scale restructuring of the company

– Has approached Japanese banks including Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.

– In September, 2015, the company secured a $3.3 billion credit line

– If the second loan is granted, the company would have $8.3 billion in debt

– The company forecasted a record 550 billion yen annual loss

– Toshiba America Business Solutions (TABS) chief marketing executive denied that Toshiba’s woes are impacting TABS, stating that the division “continues to generate record results for our parent company and is continuing to invest heavily in product development and in the infrastructure to support our clients”

 

Dealer wins county government MFP deal

– Topp Copy, a Ricoh/Canon dealer in Pennsylvania, won an RFP from Luzerne County, PA

– New contract will supposedly cut copier expense by $60,000 annually over the next four years.

– $171,400/year contract, which runs through 2019

– The number of machines will be reduced from 738 to 563

– Contract includes 175 new multi-function copier/printer/fax devices

– Includes 7.5 million copies per year, overage cost not published

 

Muratec Launches New A4 b/w MFP

– Muratec announced the release of the MFX-3595

o 80-sheet duplexing automatic document feeder

o 37 page-per-minute monochrome output

o (2) 500-sheet paper cassettes (both can handle statement, letter & legal-size documents)

 Optional paper cassettes increase paper capacity to 2,100 sheets

o Mixed original detection supported

o 100-sheet multipurpose bypass tray

o 7” color touchscreen

o Color scan to e-mail, network, FTP and USB drives standard

o Scan to cloud connectors for Dropbox, Evernote, Box and Google Drive

o Standard 33.6 Kbps fax modem

o Blank page detection and elimination (scan & fax modes)

o Finishing standard

 Built-in convenience stapler

 Offset stacking

o PCL & GDI drivers Standard

 PostScript Option available

o 10/100 BaseT & USB ports standard

 Wireless connectivity option

 Muratec Mobile print app for iOS and Android (downloadable)

 Mobile Printing Hub option for direct printing (iOS / Android Supported)

o Supports PaperCut print management software

 

Ricoh gives more details on its U.S. reorg

– Changes intended “to simplify its US services delivery and sales organizations”

– Consolidated all organizational and operational responsibility for its various service offerings into a single group headed by Mona Abutaleb

– Ms. Abutaleb is CEO and president of Ricoh’s mindSHIFT division (a managed IT services company that Ricoh acquired from Best Buy)

– The new group consists of:

o Break-fix service technicians of Ricoh Direct branches

o IT services

o Managed services

o Commercial imaging services

o mindSHIFT

– responsible for services delivered by both Ricoh branches and Ricoh/Savin/Lanier dealers

– “will accelerate a shift toward a services-led delivery model”

– Since SVP David Greene was let go, all various vertical, commercial and global account sales team in Ricoh Direct now report directly to Martin Brodigan, CEO of US

 

US dealer organization is led by Jim Coriddi, who reports to Tim Velleck, SVP of Marketing.

Kyocera set to disrupt the A3 MFP market?

– Kyocera (aka Kyoto Ceramic Company) is set to starts shipping a new line of A4 MFPs, that look like A3 models, and offer similar accessories as A3 models. (most A4 product available in market usually is for desktop or counter top low volume usage, due to lack of large paper supplies, and floor standing finishing options)

– The new Kyocera TASKalfa 406ci series is advertised as “only A4 devices with advanced paper handling options for high volume printing”

o Color A4 MFPs are called the TASKalfa 306ci, 356ci and 406di featuring: (subject to change)

o Dark grey plastic exterior with black accents

o Designed to be floor standing, and cannot be placed on desktop or counter top

o 4 tandem ASi drums with 300K yield (amorphous silicon or “ceramic” technology instead of traditional organic photoconductor coating on drums)

o Color laser, not LED, technology

o 7” color touchscreen LCD display control panel

o Top speed of 30ppm for 306ci, 35ppm for 356ci and 40ppm for 406ci

o Print resolution is 600x600dpi at top speed

  • At 1200x1200dpi setting speed is reduced by 50%
  • Does not offer true 8 bits per pixel technology

o 100K/month max duty cycle for 356ci, and 150K/mo for 406ci

  • 24 second warmup time with 6.9 second first color copy out time

o Black toner yield of 18,000 pages based on 5% coverage per page

  • Color toners have yield of 12,000 pages each
  • Optional 600dpi fax board with optional Internet fax kit

o Comes standard with 100 sheet stack bypass and 500 sheet paper drawer

  • Drawers hold up to legal size (8.5”x14”) size paper
  • Bypass can hold 72”L banner sheets that are only 8.5” wide
  • Holds up to 220gsm media weight only
  • Can add up to 2 more 500 sheet drawers, or a 2000 sheet letter size paper deck
  • Auto duplex up to 220gsm only

o Optional reversing automatic document feeder holds up to 75 originals

  • Optional document feeder that scans both sides of original at same time for top speed of 120imp or 60opm

o Finishing options include:

  • Job separator tray
  • 5 bin mailbox sorter
  • Internal stapling finisher
  • Floor standing stapling finisher
  • Hole punch kit
  • No option for booklet making

o Built-in print controller

  • Actual maker unknown
  • Freescale QoriQ P1022 dual core 800MHz processor
  • 2GB RAM standard
  • Optional 320GB hard drive

 Optional “Data Security Kit E”

  • 10/100/1000BaseT & USB ports standard
  • PCL, PostScript & XPS print drivers standard
  • Optional card authentication
  • Scan to email/FTP/SMB/USB/HDD/TWAIN/WSD standard

 Optional scan to OCR board

 

3D Systems discontinues entry level model

– Company announced it will no longer offer the “Cube”, an entry level 3D printer that has an MSRP of $999

– The consumer platform, www.cubify.com, will also be closed down

– “increasing focus on professional and industrial applications”

 

New entrant into the 3D printing market

– New company is “Xjet”, headquartered in Israel

– Plans on launching the world’s first direct metal 3D printer that will use an inkjet-style application technology

– “Using out inkjet technology we will be able to make customized metal manufacturing affordable for even small companies.”; stated Dror Danai, the company’s CBO

– CRO, Hanan Gothait, formerly worked for competitor, Objet.

– New printer is based on Nano Metal Jetting technology, using liquid metals instead of powdered metals

– To launch sometime in late 2016

 

Canon to launch new A3 b/w MFPs

– Will launch the new imageRUNNER ADVANCE 6500 and 8500 series in February, 2016

– Will all have a white plastic exterior, with black plastic exit trays

– Specifications subject to change

– 10.1” full color touchscreen LCD display control panel

o features smartphone like features, such as “flick”, “pinch in” and “pinch out”

o can be customized by end user

– Equipped with a “human sensor” that will return from sleep mode by approach of an end user

– Uses an 8 beam laser

– ASi (amorphous silicon, aka “ceramic”) drum technology

o pO toner (is this pulverized technology?)

o uses induction heating fusing technology instead of fuser lamps

– Document feeder scans both sides of original at same time

o Top scan speed of 120opm, or 220ipm

o Scans in color and b/w

o Automatic blank page skip

– Top speed of IR-8505 is 105ppm, IR-8595 is 95ppm and IR-8585 is 85ppm

o Top speed of IR-6575 is 75ppm, IR-6565 is 65ppm and IR-6555 is 55ppm

– First copy out time of 2.7 seconds

o 60 second warmup time

– Comes standard with two large capacity letter size tandem paper drawer, two A3 sized paper drawers and stack bypass

o Paper drawers handle up to 220gsm

o Stack bypass handles up to 256gsm

o Optional side mount paper deck holds 4000 sheets

o double sheet feed detection, to prevent paper jams

– Finishing options include:

o Inner stapling finisher

o Floor standing stapling finisher

o Optional saddle stitch

o Optional trimmer (for 8500 series)

o Optional cover inserter

o Optional z-folder (for 8500 series)

o Optional hole punch

– Fax board optional

– 1200x1200dpi output resolution

 

 

– Built-in print controller

o Actual maker unknown

o 16GB hard drive standard

  • Can upgrade to 480GB
  • Data security kit standard

o 10/100/1000BaseT & USB ports standard

o PCL and PS print drivers are optional

o Scan to email/FTP/SMB/WebDAV standard

 

Canon makes acquisition

– Announced it has acquired Converga Inc., a managed IT services company

– Headquartered in Sydney, has 1300 employees

– Has 120 locations in Australia, New Zealand and the Phillipines

– Also has small locations in Madison, WI and Naperville, IL

– Annual revenue of $72 million

– Announced it acquired Efficient Mailcom of Singapore which provides integrated outsourcing data and document processing services

o Also acquired the Efficient Softech division, which provides managed IT services

 

Who actually makes the toner?

– According to Galliford Consulting and Marketing of Oxnard, CA, not all MFP manufacturers make their own toner.

– Some of the toner used in Ricoh MFPs is actually made by Sanyo Chemical of Japan

– Some of the toner used in Toshiba and Okidata MFPs is actually made by Zeon Corp. of Japan

 

MFP market continues to decline

– International Data Corporation published its findings for third quarter of 2015

– Overall worldwide hardcopy peripherals market down 6.3% to 25.8 million units (this includes all printers and MFPs, home use and business use, including inkjet, toner, etc.)

o Overall market sales fell 5.7% to $13.8 billion

o Business inkjet and inkjet MFP shipments up 16.3% to 2.2 million units

o Shipments of basic and MPS devices up to 380,000 units

– The market in the United States grew slightly to 5.6 million units

– High end color laser devices with minimum of 45ppm speed up 15.3%

– Performance by brand

o Kyocera up 6.1% to 415,000 units shipped worldwide

o HP down 7.9% to 9.9 million units

o Canon down 6.5% to 5.3 million units

o Epson down 1.3% to 4 million units

o Brother down 3.2% to 1.9 million units

o Samsung down 21% to 1 million units

 

Hewlett Packard to enter cell phone market?

– According to report from Bidnessete, HP will introduce a smartphone powered by Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system

– Code-named “Falcon”

– 5.8” QHD touchscreen color display

– Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset

– 64GB RAM

– 20 megapixel camera in rear, and 12 megapixel camera in front

– Pricing unknown

 

Hewlett Packard gets lawsuit tossed

– The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit announced it has rejected a claim made by a former HP sales rep that he was underpaid commissions

– Carl Barton claimed he should have received $733,477.54 in commissions for sales in 2012, but was actually only paid $539,452.

– The argument was in regards to the $8.28 million sale of Vertica software to General Motors, which Mr. Barton claimed counted towards a commission accelerator, but HP claimed it did not.

– Mr. Barton’s base commission rate was 6.52% of revenue, but the accelerated rate was 18.25%.

 

Samsung to open new plant in Vietnam

– The Vietnam government approved new production facilities in Ho Chi Minh City’s Saigon Hi-Tech Park

– Samsung will invest an additional $600 million, on top of the $1.4 billion it has already spent

– Will be used to produce smart TVs and electronic goods

 

Holograms to become reality?

– Samsung of Korea was awarded a patent to manipulate specific wavelengths of light to create 3D holographic images using a future Galaxy style smartphone

– Apple also secured a patent for technology using lasers, micro lenses and sensors to project 3D images, and may be incorporated into future iPhones and iPads

 

Xerox wins production print contract

– Award from Minuteman Press location in Bath, England

– Installed Xerox Digital Color 1000i and a Versant 80 production color systems

– Will be used to produce brochures, variable data direct mail, business cards and flyers

– Also included the gold, silver and clear toner options for the 1000i

 

Country of Italy publishes large RFP

– Italy’s civil service department issues an RFP on 12/22/2015 to lease MFPs:

– 2,500ea of A4 b/w print only devices

– 8,500ea of A3 b/w print only devices

– 6,500ea of A3 b/w MFPs

– 2,500ea of A3 color MFPs”

 

Businesses holding onto old hardware

– Article in Business Insider magazine details on how businesses in U.S. are holding onto older equipment, rather than upgrading, even though interest rates are very low

– “American businesses figured out how to make do with their existing equipment”

– “as for that cheap money, there is evidence that companies used at least some of it to finance share buybacks, thus boosting shareholder value through nothing but financial engineering”

– “economic growth has been lackluster…..it’s understandable why executives and managers have been chickening out when it comes to investing in big growth projects”

 

Survey of CFOs plans for 2016

– Released by Bank of America Merrill Lynch

– Most forecast their companies will grow in 2016

– 50% expect growth of 1%-5%

– 11% expect growth of 11% or more

– 50% expect profit to remain same

 

 

– 39% said healthcare costs are top concern

– 98% will implement one or more growth strategies

– 54% say lack of cooperation from target company is biggest obstacle to making acquisition

– 54% plan on hiring more workers

– On average 6% of total budget is allocated to upgrading or replacing technology

 

Gartner Group survey results

– In a typical firm with 100-500 employees, an average of 7 people are involved in buying decisions

– 50% of sales go to first salesperson to successfully meet with decision maker

– Only 17% of buyers are getting information from industry publications (using online searches instead)

– Visuals/graphics are processed 60,000 times faster than text

– After a presentation, 63% of customer remember stories, but only 5% remember statistics

– 70% more likely to get an appointment on an unexpected sale if you join LinkedIn Groups

– 91% of customers surveyed said they would give referrals if asked, but yet only 11% of sales people ask for them

– Currently, it takes an average of 8 cold call attempts to reach a prospect (only 4 attempts in 2007)

– Average sales rep only makes 2 cold call attempts to reach a prospect

– 80% of sales are made after 12 contacts

– 70% of customers make a purchasing decision to solve a problem, while 30% make a decision to gain something.

– 92% of all customer interactions happen over the phone, and 85% of customers report being dissatisfied with the phone experience.

– 71% of buyers who see personal value will purchase a productc

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