As the leader in Boston copier sales, leasing and short term rentals, Copitex likes to provide our customers with the latest copier industry news. Feel free to contact us with any questions.

 

Kyocera reports on last quarter’s earnings

  • Total revenue up 23% year over year to 520.2 billion yen ($3.52 billion)
  • Operating profit down 6% to 35.1 billion yen ($238 million)
  • Profit down 21% to 6 billion yen ($173.62 million)
  • Document Solutions division (printers, MFPs, ) revenue for past 6 months up 17.6% to 206 billion yen ($1.39 billion)
    • Business profit down 8% to 13.26 billion yen ($89.92 million)
    • Announced it is expanding a plant in Vietnam to 108,871 square meters so it can increase production of MFPs and laser printers

 

Kyocera launches new solution for auto makers

  • Now offering the Automotive Night Vision System
  • Accurately identifies collision-risk objects in low-visibility driving conditions
  • Expected to reduce traffic accidents

 

Kyocera has yet another security issue

  • Article published by JVN News
  • The web interfaces of some Kyocera MFPs and printers apparently contain multiple security vulnerabilities
  • A hacker could log into the device and modify settings without authentication
  • Arbitrary script could be executed
  • Vulnerabilities found by researchers at Yokohama National University of Japan
  • New firmware can apparently resolve the issues

 

Toshiba turmoil continues

  • Japan investment (JIC), a potential bidder to buy Toshiba Corp, has expanded its offer to 900 billion yen ($6.11 billion) according to report from Reuters News
  • It is bidding against Japan Industrial Partners
  • JIC group includes Bain Capital and MBK Partners

 

Xeikon opens new PPS headquarters

  • While main headquarters is in Belgium, it announced a new North American headquarters for its Xeikon North America division
  • New facility located in Elgin, Illinois, and is 39,000 square feet total
  • Includes the “Innovation Center” product showroom
  • Systems on display include toner and inkjet technology

Signs of recession?

  • Amazon announced that its Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud services business grew 28% during last quarter, which is less than 39% growth in same period of last year
    • Amazon stock shares slumped 12%
    • Lost $140 billion from its market value
    • “The AWS slowdown is a clear sign that businesses are beginning to trim ”; stated Andrew Lipsman, analyst at Insider Intelligence
  • Microsoft announced that its Azure cloud storage business dropped to 35% growth from 50% last year
  • Alphabet reported that its Google cloud services revenue grew by 38% last quarter, which is down from 45% a year earlier
  • Intel Corp. stated that its last quarter revenue from selling computer chips for data centers was down 27%
  • Bloomberg News is reporting that employee productivity, or measure of how much output in goods/services an employee can produce in an hour, plunged by the sharpest rate on record going back to 1947
    • “The leaders are not seeing what they want, and they are starting to get ”; stated Kathy Kacher of Career/Life Alliance Services
    • “People are missing their work hours, they are showing up late for their shifts, but companies cannot do anything about it because they know it is so hard to replace those workers right now”; stated Sinem Buber of ZipRecruiter
      • “Back in 2019, the policy was one strike and you are out, I will get a better person to do the job”
        • “Right now it’s 10 strikes, maybe you will be out”
      • Glassdoor is reporting that on its site, mentions of employee burnout are up 42%
        • Mentions of overwork are up 12%
        • “You have to expect that takes a toll on people’s productivity”; stated Aaron Terrazas of ZipRecruiter
      • Staples published results of survey of small business owners:
        • 53% state that cost increases due to inflation have had a major impact
        • 30% say supply chain disruption is a major challenge
        • 25% cite employee turnover and hiring
        • 17% claim adapting workplaces for hybrid work
        • 16% struggle getting employees to return to work
        • 33% lack confidence in accessing expertise to address inflation
      • Article written by Henry Willmore in recent Cannata Report
        • Electricity pricing is up 5% in past year
        • Food pricing up 2%
      • LendingTree publishes results of survey:
        • 29 million US households already cannot pay their bills
        • 23% could not wholly pay an energy bill during past year
        • 34% skipped groceries or other basics to settle their utilities
        • 20% say home temperature is unsafe or unhealthy due to costs
        • 28% increase in home heating bills expected this winter
      • DoubleLine CEO Jeffrey Gundlach at Schwab Impact meeting:
        • “”conditions are likely to change noticeably over the next 6 months as the variable lags from higher interest rates”
        • “couldn’t find any part of the economy that is going to plug the gap or pick up the slack”
        • “credit card usage is way up”
        • “when the housing goes negative, the economy could lose several million jobs:
        • “mortgage refinancing industry is completely dead”
      • US Bureau of Labor Statistics:
        • Fed unemployment rate now up to7%
        • The U6 rate, which is more complete measurement of unemployment, is now up to 8%

Commercial printer market growth

  • Report published by Future Market Insights
  • Commercial printer market expected to expand at 3% CAGR (cumulative annual growth rate)

–     From 2022 to 2032

  • Will reach $789.5 million in 2022
  • Will reach $987.9 million by 2032

 

Document capture solution market growth

  • Report published by MR Accuracy Reports
  • Expected to grow by 6% CAGR by 2032
  • Will expand $2.5 billion
  • (includes solutions such as AutoStore, AccuRoute, Phoenix Dispatcher, eCopy, )

 

Ringdale to move its headquarters

  • Ringdale is provider of the FollowMe secure print release/print management solution
  • Opened new facility in a 10 acre business park in Granger, Texas

 

HP Inc. wins production print contract

  • Award from Precision Proco of Sheffield, England
  • Installed new Indigo 10K production color system
  • Used to secure contract with Kellogg’s cereal for personalized cereal boxes

 

Xerox spins out division

  • Announced it has spun out Novity, which developed an industrial predictive maintenance technology
  • The TruPrognostics engine provides predictions on plant assets and equipment for industrial manufacturers
  • Xerox will maintain a minority stake

 

Dealer acquisition/merger update

  • Gordon Flesch Company (GFC), headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, announced it has acquired Oshkosh Office Systems of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
  • GHC also has locations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio and South Dakota

 

Production print event held in Alabama

  • The In-plant Printing and Mailing Association held an event at the in-plant print shop at Encompass Health in Birmingham, Alabama
  • Presentations made by representatives from Ricoh, Canon & Xerox
  • (Encompass Health System is a production print customer of Xerox)

 

Ricoh reports on last quarter’s earnings

  • Net sales up 8% to 514.1 billion yen ($3.5 billion)
  • Operating profit up 9% to 13.8 billion yen ($94.12 million)
  • Profit up 15% to 3 billion yen ($49.8 million)
  • Total current liabilities = 1,125,039 million yen ($7.6 billion)

Microsoft warns that hackers target printers

  • Article published by ZDNET magazine
  • Microsoft is warning that connected IoT (Internet of Things) devices, such as printers, MFPs, video cameras, routers, , could be leaving customer networks vulnerable to cyberattacks because they are not currently secured
  • Hackers are using remote code execution attacks to deploy Mirai botnets
  • “Once attackers establish device access, remote code execution vulnerabilities such as CVE-2020- 8515 can then allow attackers to run malicious commands on devices, move laterally within the network, and access other vulnerable devices that were not directly exposed to the Internet such as SCADA systems”
  • O’Reilly Cybersecurity survey shows that only 33% of HR decision makers are willing to spend more than $10,000 on cybersecurity solutions, even though 50% of cyber attacks cost businesses upwards of

$100,000 per instance

  • (more reason to discuss the value of the Konica Minolta bizhub SECURE templates with customers)

 

28 thousand printers/MFPs hacked?

  • Updated report in CyberNews magazine
  • Cybersecurity experts claim to have hijacked close to 28,000 printers and MFPs worldwide
  • Forced them to print out a guide on printer security

 

Scodix wins production print contract

  • Award from Curtis Packaging of Sandy Hook, CT
  • Installed a new Scodix Ultra 6000 embellishment press
  • Offers foiling and spot embellishment

 

Sharp’s parent struggles to produce iPhones

  • Foxconn, aka Hon Hai Precision, and owner of Sharp, is main assembler of Apple iPhones
  • Its plant in Zhengzhou, which employs 200,000 people in China, has been rocked by employee discontent, according to report from Reuters News
  • Caused by stringent measures enforced by Chinese government to stop spread of COVID-19
  • Workers have been seen fleeing the plant
  • The company is denying reports that 20,000 workers had been put in COVID quarantine
  • Production of iPhones could plummet as much as 30% as a result
  • Company now offering up to 400 yuan ($55) per day bonus to retain workers
  • 45% of Foxconn’s total revenue is from the Apple iPhone contract

 

Sharp reports last quarter’s earnings

  • Sharp is a division of Foxconn, aka Hon Hai Precision of Taiwan
  • Total net sales up 7% to 695.8 billion yen ($4.74 billion)
  • Operating loss of 6 billion yen $24.54 million)
  • Loss of 5 billion ($112.51 million)
  • 8K Ecosystem division, which includes MFPs, had net sales up 3% to 155.6 billion yen ($1.06 billion)
    • Operating profit down 5% to 3.7 billion yen ($25.24 million)

 

 

 

 

 

 

CYBERSECURITY & HEALTHCARE VERTICAL NEWS

Healthcare is target of hackers

  • The US Senate Intelligence Committee published new report
  • “Unfortunately, the health care sector is uniquely vulnerable to cyberattacks and the transition to better cybersecurity has been painfully slow and inadequate”
  • “The federal government and the health sector must find a balanced approach to meet the dire threats, as partners with shared responsibilities”
  • Report recommends strengthening HIPAA regulations

 

Healthcare industry influenced by lobbyists

  • JAMA Health Forum published new report
  • Total spend on healthcare lobbying “ballooned 70% from 2000 to 2020
  • Total expenditures hit $713.6 million in 2020
  • Health product manufacturers spent the most

 

Epic wins EHR contracts

  • Award from Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center of Baton Rouge, LA
  • Award from Lane Regional Medical Center of Zachary, LA
  • Award from Summa Health of Akron, Ohio
  • Award from Riverwood Healthcare Center of Aitkin, MN

 

MEDITECH wins cloud-based EHR contracts

  • Award from Bingham Memorial Hospital of Blackfoot, ID
  • Award from Manhattan Surgical Center of Kansas
  • Award from Townsen Memorial Hospital of Humble, TX
  • Award from The Bellevue Hospital of Ohio
  • Award from Bradley County Medical Center of Warren, AR
  • Award from Moore County Medical Center of Dumas, TX
  • Award from Baker County Medical Services of McLenny, FL
  • Award from Russell Medical Center of Alabama
  • Columbia County Health System of Washington

 

Oracle Cerner to close two campuses

  • Oracle acquired electronic health record (EHR) vendor Cerner, which had its headquarters in Kansas City area, for $28.4 billion
  • Announced it is closing the “World Headquarters” building in North Kansas City, MO and the “Realization” campus in Kansas City.

 

etherFAX wins solution contract

  • Award from North Georgia Pediatric Therapies of Fort Oglethorpe, GA
  • Was included in contract for new Lexmark MFPs with panel integration

 

Fax to be banned in England?

  • The government amended the Electronic Communications Order 2003 to remove fax from the order starting 10/1/2022
  • Giving organizations 30 days to explain why they should be able to stick with analog fax

Healthcare fraud in the news

  • John Holland, a former Tenet Healthcare executive, is charged with allegedly sending in $400 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
  • Billy Joe Taylor or Arkansas pleaded guilty to submitting $130 million in fraudulent claims to
  • Oswego Health of New York agreed to pay $100,000 fine for allegedly submitting fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid
  • Daniel Canchola of Texas pleaded guilty to submitting $54 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
  • Maria Kokolis, former owner of wellness center in Williamsburg, VA, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for submitting fraudulent claims to Medicaid.
  • Nagaindra Srivasta of Tampa, Florida pleaded guilty to submitting $25 million in fraudulent claims to
  • Alexander Istomin pleaded to submitting $4.38 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare in Rhode Island, New York and Florida.
  • Sutter Health of Sacramento, CA agreed to pay $13 million to settle allegations of improper billings for lab tests.

 

Best Buy’s Geek Squad to pursue hospitals

  • This service group is normally associated with fixing personal computers and installing home theater systems
  • Now plans on selling services to connect remote patient monitoring devices to hospitals

 

PointClickCare EHR offers Direct Messaging

  • PointClickCare (aka PCC), is the market leader for EHRs in the extended care market
  • Has partnered with Secure Exchange Solutions, to offer integrated Direct Messaging to send and receive with its EHR
  • Dashboard alerts notify employees when a Direct Message arrives
  • PHI (protected health information) attachments received are easily matched and stored within the patent chart (electronic record) inside of PCC
  • Continuity of Care Documents (CCDs) can also be sent via Direct Messaging from chart to a hospital, practitioner or health insurance company
  • (Konica Minolta’s Healthcare MFP, powered by Kno2 connector, allows the bizhub MFP to scan and send PHI documents as Direct Messages to EHRs such as PCC rather than fax)

 

HIPAA/cybersecurity breaches in the news

  • The Biden White House has scheduled the second International Counter Ransomware Summit
    • Includes representatives from 36 countries
    • Also included private sector security solution firms
    • Goal is to develop best practices to fend off ransomware
  • KELA Cyber Intelligence published report that shows hackers are selling access to 576 corporate networks for cumulative sales price of $4 million

o Other hackers will buy to gain access to steal info and/or install ransomware

  • Average selling price of $2800.00
  • 4% of all offerings are for firms in the U.S.
  • Chegg Educational Technology is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly having lax data security practices that led to large breach exposing info of 40 million people.
  • The Fulton City Police Department of New York notified an unknown number of people that their info was exposed after a cyberattack.
  • Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc. notified an unknown number of customers that their info may have been exposed after email phishing attack.
  • The Mount Laurel Police Department of New Jersey announced that a former officer was arrested after illegally accessing the records of a local woman.

  • Union County Public Schools of North Carolina notified an unknown number of students that their info was exposed after cyber attack.
  • Mackenzie Braswell Sherman of Georgia was sentenced to 2 years in prison for stealing identities in attempt to get a Mercedes Benz car loan.
  • Fortinet Security Solutions announced that 16 different vulnerabilities were discovered in its
    • Patches now
  • Dropbox revealed that it suffered a data breach that exposed info on some
  • CNBC is reporting that organizations in the S. paid out $1.2 billion in payments to ransomware hacking groups so they could regain control of their networks, up 300% from 2020.
  • National Cyber Security Centre is reporting that not enough organizations, who are victims of ransomware, are reporting the attacks.
  • Mandiant Cybersecurity is warning that hackers have taken old malware, named Ursnif aka Gozi, and modified it so it can be used for ransomware attacks, and renamed it LDR4.
  • Symantec Cybersecurity reports that hackers can spend more than 18 months inside a customer’s network, possibly extracting valuable info, before they are discovered, or launch ransomware
  • Tift Regional Health System of Georgia notified 500 patients that their PHI was exposed after
  • University of Chicago Medical Center in Illinois is being sued by patients after their PHI was allegedly exposed when it was shared with Facebook.
  • Mediko Inc. of Richmond, VA notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after its claim processor, CorrectCare, after it was accidentally left on publicly accessible website.
  • Multi-Color , maker of labels, notified an unknown number of employees and customers that their info was exposed after data breach.

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