As the printer market responds to the improving
economic outlook,
PrintIT
asks leading lights from
the imaging industry for their thoughts about the
year we’ve just had and what 2014 has in store.
Reliability brings its
own rewards
Over the last year we’ve seen
margins being squeezed,
and the economic situation
continues to be tight for
everyone. Now more than
ever, people are looking for
robust, reliable products that
are built to last, so longevity
of kit and low running costs
are more important than ever.
KYOCERA’s 100% indirect
policy has definitely proved
beneficial in the current
economic climate. Resellers
have the confidence to rely on us
and our loyalty – the fact that we
provide extensive resource and
services to support them and
their customers is also a factor.
The end result is that we’re still
growing as a company because
we create a safe environment in
which to do business.
In 2014 we expect to see
increased interest in the ‘best
practice’ of managing print
– from basic managed print
services through to Cloud print
where people are utilising
Managed Document Services
in the Cloud, which, by cutting
out infrastructure costs, saves
significant amounts of the total
IT budget.
Steve Mitchell,
Group Product
Marketing Manager,
KYOCERA
Document Solutions
Customised apps to
take centre stage
We’ve seen significant market
share growth around A4 MFP
solutions, A3 MFPs and colour
printing as a whole in 2013.
The competitive trend is
continuing, which reduces
the average selling price and
highlights the need for genuine
consumables and value added
services which will complement
the functionality of the MFP.
At KYOCERA we’ve focused on
our HyPAS platform, creating
over 100 apps ranging from
our free Mobile Print App and
free Login Manager App to Print
& Follow and PinPoint Scan,
which are designed for SMEs,
and SIMS Connector, BioStore
and Teaching Assistant which
support the education sector.
In 2014 we’ll see the
emphasis on customised apps
and services, including Cloud,
continue and look forward
to developments in bureau
scanning, 3D printing and
consultancy.
Innovation opening up
new markets
In the first half of the year,
SMEs were still acting
cautiously. This resulted
in very stiff competition in
the market, with customers
spending more time
researching affordable
alternatives to major
investments.
The continuing need to
minimise overheads has led
to consolidation of printer
stock within businesses and
greater take up of multifunction
devices to streamline printing
processes. In turn, this has
caused managed print services
to evolve into managed
document services, which puts
the emphasis on workflow plus
document storage and security.
Pricing was very keen, but we
have adapted to this trend with
some compelling promotional
offers and new models that
meet market demand for
affordability, energy-efficiency
and a smaller footprint.
Oki Systems UK has always
been at the forefront of
innovation and 2013 was no
exception. We launched a new
range of A4 colour and mono
multifunction devices that have
already won several awards.
In addition, we launched the
first-ever LED 5 Toner device
offering clear spot applications
or white toner printing on dark
substrates. This is unique in the
industry and very cost effective
too.
The key growth area for OKI
is managed document services.
OKI has been offering managed
print services for some time, but
in September we launched our
global brand, smart managed
document solutions. With the
continuing drive to cut paper
use, we predict new focus on
smarter, streamlined processes
and document management.
We are very excited about
2014. Our new 5 Toner
device will be key for us in
the early part of the year
and our enterprise class
A4 multifunction devices
will continue to reveal new
opportunities in the managed
services arena. OKI is already
working on new releases for the
latter part of 2014, which will
open up new markets for us.
Year in Review
2013/2014
Predictions
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PRINT.IT
01732 759725
Nigel Allen,
Marketing Director,
KYOCERA Document Solutions
UK Ltd
Andrew Hall,
marketing
manager,
Oki Systems UK
Demand continues to
gather pace
2013 has been a huge year
for Balreed. Our service-led
approach has really helped
us drive organic growth;
we’ve won some great new
business and managed those
roll-outs well; and, on top of
that, we have completed two
acquisitions in the last five
months.
Demand in the marketplace
has gathered pace. Whilst
financing is still an Achilles
heel for some, we have seen
an increasing number of clients
develop a real desire to move
on from their current suppliers,
unhappy with indifferent service
or escalating costs.
How to take advantage of
cloud technology and how best
to cater for mixed and mobile
technology environments are
topics about which we have
experienced increasing numbers
of enquiries from clients. There
is also an appetite among
many senior buyers to step up
from print infrastructure and
improve efficiency within their
businesses as they plot their
recovery from the recession. We
have developed a lot of unique
offerings for these customers
and expect demand to grow
further in 2014.
The pro-actively supported
MPS we provide is a perfect
platform on which to build
processes and we are looking
forward to working closely with
existing, as well as new, clients
to help them achieve second
and third phase improvements
in their document strategies.
Gary Downey,
Group
Marketing Director,
Balreed
