Data+Blabla Point: Canon makes a nice sale . . .and the Quick Printer and/or MPS is the energy that powers the Printernet

Canon has taken a big hit with the Ricoh Ikon thing. But they are most definitely still in the game.

Here's the Canon part:

Minuteman Press of Cambridge Adds the Canon imagePRESS C6000 and C6000VP to Their Fleet of Commercial Print Technology
@ Reuters: "LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.--(Business Wire)-- Canon Business Solutions, Inc., a subsidiary of Canon U.S.A. and a leading provider of document imaging and office solutions, today announced that Minuteman Press of Cambridge, Massachusetts has installed the Canon imagePRESS C6000 and C6000VP digital presses to support the growing demand for short-run quality color output."

Here's the printernet part:

Minuteman Press in Cambridge.. centers its business on digitally based processes, partnerships and business models. A growing number of clients take advantage of Minuteman`s on-demand environment that connects their infrastructures with Minuteman`s, integrating digital workflows as well as e-procurement via the client's ERP system.

Here's the blablalbla part:

The printernet has three moving parts: The OEM (xerox, ricoh, heidelberg, etc.), the OPM/PSP (Sandy Alexander, Motheral Printing, etc.) and the VAR (printing sales people, independent and global MPS, etc.) Sometimes OPM and VAR are located in the same organizations (AlphaGraphics, Staples, other franchises and successful commercial printers.)

The printernet also has the UNF - the User Network Facilitator (Consolidated Graphics, Donnelly, the central office of the franchises, SaaS software) Sometimes there is a combination of OEM and UNF. For the globals, that's where the organic growth comes from. As soon as incentives are aligned, all the pieces come together and command-and-control management is no longer necessary.

My bet is that the franchises will turn out to be the energy that drives the whole thing for commercial print and that independent MPS will be the energy that drives the organization part. Exactly who does exactly what is dependent on local circumstances, DNA, and Darwinian evolution.

Take a second look at the description above of the Kwik Kopy in Cambridge and you should see what I'm trying to say.