Print.IT Reseller - issue 56

01732 759725 VOX POP 52 ...continued James Spencer, Director, Systems Technology : “I do believe there are too many vendors operating, with only a few that offer true end-to-end service where the customer comes first. With relatively low barriers to entry and the power of the internet, many pop-up companies present as established businesses however they are simply unable to offer the same level of service that more established players can offer, diminishing the industry’s reputation with poor call-out times, un-skilled technicians and non-original parts. “The most common complaint I hear when walking into a new business opportunity is that devices are always breaking down and causing operating issues – this shouldn’t be the case and is something that’s close to eliminated with our unique preventative maintenance service. We value high quality service and helping businesses create efficiencies and work at optimum levels.” Alastair Adams, Director , Commercial Group and Divisional Director of its MPS business : “I think that’s true, the whole office services arena is quite saturated. The industry is characterised by lots of small independent vendors, large manufacturers and large vendors selling both via the channel and directly. It’s extremely competitive, and we’re seeing increasing commoditisation, which will continue as the way customers buy products continues to change. “It is essential for us to understand what our differentiators are, and try to persuade customers to spend a little bit more. Isn’t that what salespeople are meant to do?! We need to really understand our customers’ requirements well and prove our expertise and relevance to them. We need to be agile in what we can offer them, which is a suite of services beyond print.” Damien Evans, MPS Key Account Director, ZenOffice : “There are currently vendors who I don’t see how they can survive in the future unless they fundamentally change. From a selfish point of view, it would be great to see companies merge to reduce the number in the marketplace and the ones that remain ‘up their game’ and offer improved products and services.” Julian Stafford, Managing Director, Midshire Business Systems Northern : “I don’t think there are currently too many vendors. You can’t have too much choice in a market.” Elia Giovanni, Head of Marketing, Sharp Business Systems UK : “Each vendor owns a different value proposition, and furthermore, some vendors are choosing to seriously evolve that value proposition beyond the core of print. So there’s more variety. For me it’s more about which OEMs / channel partners are developing meaningful propositions to keep up with market expectations.” Jamie Brothwell, General Manager Print, Exertis : “Ultimately the market in its current guise has existed with a broad spectrum of vendors for several decades. Of course, competition and choice are welcome, but we have seen very few changes amongst vendors during this time. “The headline mergers that spring to mind are Konica and QMS, Xerox and Techtronics and more recently HP and Samsung. This would suggest that brand consolidation is not commonplace with vendors, unlike the dealer market where this is more prevalent. My personal opinion is that the market and ultimately the end-user benefit from mergers that bring brands together to create an ecosystem that provides an end to end solution.” Steve Hawkins, Chief Executive, Xeretec : “I don’t think the office print market is declining quite as badly as the industry makes out, and any consolidation that is happening is probably within the parameters of industry norms. Consolidation is a natural occurrence across any business sector, especially where there is over supply in a segment; like the A3 market, for instance.” Shaun Wilkinson, Managing Director, UTAX : “Multiple vendors ensure competitive choice for customers, it is just a case of differentiating offerings and expanding portfolios. The market may be declining in terms of unit sales, but it is rapidly expanding in terms of requirements for smart solutions, which means that vendors need to re-present their business models. “According to Quocirca’s survey Channels to Managed Print Services, 2018 , the leading benefit following a move to selling MPS has been the expanded opportunities for selling document workflow solutions, noted by 67 per cent of channel organisations. Over half also agree that MPS has provided further opportunities to sell non-print related services such as IT services. Traditional print channel partners must be willing to step outside their comfort zone to capitalise on the opportunities. “The statistics above are proof that there are still opportunities for vendors that are able to expand their vertical It is essential for us to understand what our differentiators are, and try to persuade customers to spend a little bit more. Isn’t that what salespeople are meant to do? James Spencer Jamie Brothwell Alastair Adams