Tuesday, April 7, 2009
HP @ Staples. Kodak @ Target
Just saw one of the Kodak ads on the tube. Nice ad. "How much are you overpaying for toner" or something like that. (MSNBC 8:35 EST). My question is who has or is going to get WalMart? My bet is whoever gets them wins.
A better explanation of the Xerox - NYC Dept of Ed kerfuffle
So I think I figured why I was wrong about the press jumping on this story. It turns out that it's a "gotcha" story for politicians. It may still come up in the primary campaign, but the story is too complicated for the sound bites. It's a story about a broken, outmoded purchasing system.
It turns out that a "contract" with the NYC Dept of Ed is more like a hunting license. It's a lot like the way textbooks work. So a "contract" for $38 million can turn into a $68 million spend.
When central purchasing gives a vendor am exclusive hunting license, it's a bit like the King creating the Stationer's Guild. Like textbooks, it keeps the competition out. The danger for Xerox and the textbook companies is that this way of doing business might disappear as the world of asymmetric information disolves.
The difference between $38 million and $67 million is still real money for an education system that only graduates 50% of it's students. School systems can no longer afford the investment unless they have the metrics to prove it was worth it.
It never was about bad people. That's the story politicians like to use. It's about good, smart people playing by the rules, with unintended consequences that can be very, very expensive.
Here's what Joel Klein said,
It turns out that a "contract" with the NYC Dept of Ed is more like a hunting license. It's a lot like the way textbooks work. So a "contract" for $38 million can turn into a $68 million spend.
When central purchasing gives a vendor am exclusive hunting license, it's a bit like the King creating the Stationer's Guild. Like textbooks, it keeps the competition out. The danger for Xerox and the textbook companies is that this way of doing business might disappear as the world of asymmetric information disolves.
The difference between $38 million and $67 million is still real money for an education system that only graduates 50% of it's students. School systems can no longer afford the investment unless they have the metrics to prove it was worth it.
It never was about bad people. That's the story politicians like to use. It's about good, smart people playing by the rules, with unintended consequences that can be very, very expensive.
Here's what Joel Klein said,
In general, your analysis mischaracterizes the Department’s requirements contracting process. Requirements contracts are structured on a per unit price basis, meaning that schools and departments only pay for the units they purchase at the unit price fixed in the contract. In some of the examples your office listed, schools decided they wanted to purchase more services and goods than we originally estimated. These expenditures are not examples of cost overruns and do not add costs to taxpayers; they simply reflect increased demand, which the schools pay for out of their budgets.
Maybe Xerox's Secret Weapon is Fuji Xerox?
According the website, Fuji Xerox , in 2001 it was owned by Fuji Photo Film Group with 75% and 25% by Xerox Corporation.Their research center, FXPAL, has John Seeley Brown, Former Chief Scientist, Xerox Corporation and Director Emeritus, Xerox PARC on their Board of Directors. They sell into Asia (-India) and Australia.
The only bad thing is I can't figure out a way to add Fuji Xerox to my IRA. Adding FujiFilms is like adding HP. Too complicated. Plus it's not a pure play on Print.
The only bad thing is I can't figure out a way to add Fuji Xerox to my IRA. Adding FujiFilms is like adding HP. Too complicated. Plus it's not a pure play on Print.
The Austalians figure out the next stage of selling Print!
Maybe it's the beer and that extra long coastline for surfing. But whatever the reasons, I think they've got it just right. Now if I can only convince them to do printernet publish Print 21, you wouldn't have to read this on a blog.
You could read it in Print.
He says in the article that "he reckons the agency business model will change how the whole printing industry works in Australia." But why limit yourself to Australia?
Printer language is the same all over the globe. Same problems. Same solutions, just adapted to local circumstances. In the States this is for the PSDA network, independent MPS companies, printing brokers and of course the family owned printshop. Here's the money part,
You could read it in Print.
He says in the article that "he reckons the agency business model will change how the whole printing industry works in Australia." But why limit yourself to Australia?
Printer language is the same all over the globe. Same problems. Same solutions, just adapted to local circumstances. In the States this is for the PSDA network, independent MPS companies, printing brokers and of course the family owned printshop. Here's the money part,
Currently he has 16 agents operating in a number of different business segments, turning over anything from $1,250,000 to $3,000,000 per annum. Many are former printers who have sold off their equipment, retaining their invaluable business contacts and continuing to grow their business while outsourcing production to PMA. Some operate in partnerships, some are sole traders, while others have employed subagents to expand their business.And here's some snippets:
The article is called Be your own business: From Print 21online
"Okill makes the point that for many SME printers the true value of their business lies in their customer lists, their local contacts and their networking skills, not in their factory buildings and equipment. The days are gone when printers could look forward to retiring on the resale value of their Heidelberg press.
. . .
These are the people PMA Solutions is looking to recruit into its new agency sales channel. Building on the success of PMA’s own print management and out-sourcing enterprise model, Okill sees the expansion of the company’s reach as its next evolutionary step. More than that, he reckons the agency business model will change how the whole printing industry works in Australia.
. . .
To understand the dynamics you’ve got to get your head around the strengths of PMA Solutions. This is Okill’s $50 million per annum Sydney-based sourcing, fulfilment and logistics company. According to Phil Shanahan, national manager strategic sourcing, its strengths lie in a determination to source, store and deliver whatever it is the customer wants, be it print, promotional materials, branded apparel or safety gear. “It doesn’t matter what our customer asks us to source, we will get it for them,” he said.
. . .
What Okill is doing is opening up the system to a cadre of agents who can take advantage of the company’s back office and logistics network to run their own businesses under the PMA banner. It is similar to a franchise model but with one very important difference – there is no upfront investment. Agents have their own business, can grow it and sell it when they want to, while leaving the backroom administration, invoicing and sourcing to PMA. In fact, new agents are paid a three month retainer when they join so they can gain intensive training on the system.
Paying for printernet publishing, the next big media
Printernet publishing would allow message makers to speak directly to their audiences without the intervention of the media. There is no technical reason to stop a PDF file or a data stream being distributed to a network of PSPs and produce millions of copies distributed around the globe or 3000 copies for a neighborhood, with a minimal carbon footprint.
It might first appear that this is a solution looking for a problem. But it's becoming clear that the problem of mainstream media is adjusting to a world where grown ups are in charge and the nature of journalism is moving away from "gotcha." It is inexorably moving towards finding the stories that inspire and what Malcolm Gladwell describes as solving mysteries instead of puzzles.
As the mainstream media adjusts, it opens space for a printernet to grow.
In Saturday's post, I quoted David Eaves, an expert in negotiation and public policy who works with two spin-offs of the Harvard Negotiation Project, Common Outlook and Vantage Partners and as a fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Queen's University.
He correctly noted that
That's just of the many problems, the printernet would solve.
It might first appear that this is a solution looking for a problem. But it's becoming clear that the problem of mainstream media is adjusting to a world where grown ups are in charge and the nature of journalism is moving away from "gotcha." It is inexorably moving towards finding the stories that inspire and what Malcolm Gladwell describes as solving mysteries instead of puzzles.
As the mainstream media adjusts, it opens space for a printernet to grow.
In Saturday's post, I quoted David Eaves, an expert in negotiation and public policy who works with two spin-offs of the Harvard Negotiation Project, Common Outlook and Vantage Partners and as a fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Queen's University.
He correctly noted that
a reshaping of credibility from objectivity to transparency, would have profound implications for every organization – corporate, non-profit and governmental – in our society.And then today there appeared an article at Miller McCune Magazine. It reports an experiment that finds citizens prefer political news un-mediated by journalists and vice versa.
Most political leaders would generally like to get out their messages without a media that often adds its own twist to the story. And more and more, they actually are trying to do so: Some are putting up their own videos on YouTube.com; others are now sending out their own Twitter feeds.Imagine if politicians had the ability to printernet publish. They could get a 4 page newsletter, versioned for every important niche audience in their constituency delivered in a day or so from the time they hit the print button.
That's just of the many problems, the printernet would solve.
Miller-McCune Online Magazine:
"According to a new study, one consequence might be that citizens would feel better about the political process. They'd be less cynical; they'd think politics was more representative. At least, that's what Brian J. Fogarty, a professor of political science at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, and Jennifer Wolak, a professor of political science at the University of Colorado, Boulder found. Their study is published in the January issue of American Politics Research."To assess how people might respond to political information when they read it as news as opposed to when they get it directly from politicians, they had one group read a news article and one group read dueling editorials from prominent political leaders on one of three issues — affirmative action, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and stem cell research. In each test, the article and the editorials contained the same information and perspectives.
The two groups were then asked to respond. "Do you feel that the views presented in the article reflect the opinion of ordinary Americans?" Of those who got the news directly from politicians, roughly 45 percent said yes, the views were representative of ordinary Americans. Of those who read the news articles, meanwhile, only 16 percent found the views representative. (The results were generally consistent across the three issues). That adds up to a pretty sizeable difference, given that both groups were presented with the same information.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Joel Klein's explanation of the Xerox - NYC DoE Deal
NYC Rubber Room Reporter:
"The figure you give for the contract’s original amount, $1 million, is incorrect. The Xerox contract was actually registered for $31 million. We originally registered the contract for $20 million in 2002, and later extended it twice, once by $10 million and a second time by $1 million. It appears that you cite the amount of this last extension as if it were the entire registration amount. The accurate estimate is still less than the amount actually expended, but as we explain below this fact in itself is neither problematic nor atypical in a requirements contract.
For the record, a review of the original Xerox contract documents shows that the original estimate was reached through a standard process. Procurement for the Xerox and T&G Industries contracts began before the start of mayoral control (the contracts went into effect on August 1, 2002). The Board of Education provided vendors bidding on this RFP (including T&G Industries) with a comprehensive inventory of the Department’s copy machines; the number and types of machines guided the unit pricing proposed by the vendors, ultimately resulting in a contract estimate."
Print Shop Mail started at the bottom of the pyramid
Plus they are based in Canada. Bottom of the pyramid, then constant improvement keeps being the winning strategy. Salesforce, PB wiki, Google.
It's hard to accept, but there it is. Anyone interested in going bottom of the pyramid in education? Re invent textbooks from the bottom up instead of wasting a lot of time with conversations at the top, that become useless anyway as soon as somebody gets fired.
PrintShop Mail named EDP variable data software of 09 - Printing Industry News from WhatTheyThink: "ontreal, Quebec -- Objectif Lune, a leader in the development and commercialization of variable data documents production software solutions, announced that its PrintShop Mail software has won the European Digital Press Association (EDP) award for Best Variable Data Software of 2009. EDP is a European association for the digital print industry established in 2006 by seven of Europe's leading digital print magazines. The EDP awards program recognizes outstanding developments in the digital print industry.
PrintShop Mail is part of the Objectif Lune portfolio that includes PrintShop Mail for promotional printing; PlanetPress Suite for transactional printing and workflow automation; and PrintShop Web, a web-to-print solution for print shops and marketing departments. Flexible, easy-to-use PrintShop Mail software personalizes promotional communications with variable text, graphics, barcodes or even entire layouts based on database information."
It's hard to accept, but there it is. Anyone interested in going bottom of the pyramid in education? Re invent textbooks from the bottom up instead of wasting a lot of time with conversations at the top, that become useless anyway as soon as somebody gets fired.
PrintShop Mail named EDP variable data software of 09 - Printing Industry News from WhatTheyThink: "ontreal, Quebec -- Objectif Lune, a leader in the development and commercialization of variable data documents production software solutions, announced that its PrintShop Mail software has won the European Digital Press Association (EDP) award for Best Variable Data Software of 2009. EDP is a European association for the digital print industry established in 2006 by seven of Europe's leading digital print magazines. The EDP awards program recognizes outstanding developments in the digital print industry.
PrintShop Mail is part of the Objectif Lune portfolio that includes PrintShop Mail for promotional printing; PlanetPress Suite for transactional printing and workflow automation; and PrintShop Web, a web-to-print solution for print shops and marketing departments. Flexible, easy-to-use PrintShop Mail software personalizes promotional communications with variable text, graphics, barcodes or even entire layouts based on database information."
HP gets it. But I do have a quibble.
My quibble is with "marketing service provider." I would change the copy to read "How PSP based VARs can make a good living". What's a "marketing service provider" anyway?
Everyone knows what VAR means. Everyone knows what a PSP is. Then you can have MPS VARs or Independent VAR's or Design Studio VARs or PSD VARs or retail and Big Box VAR's or web only based VAR's.
Plus then it's much easier to think about affiliate compensation. That's network thinking instead of value chain thinking.
Everyone knows what VAR means. Everyone knows what a PSP is. Then you can have MPS VARs or Independent VAR's or Design Studio VARs or PSD VARs or retail and Big Box VAR's or web only based VAR's.
Plus then it's much easier to think about affiliate compensation. That's network thinking instead of value chain thinking.
Three-Part Webinar Series for Marketing Services Providers - Printing Industry News from WhatTheyThink:
"Chicago — Dscoop will host a three-part Webinar series focused on achieving digital sales success for marketing services providers, featuring Peter Winters of Winters Group & Associates, LLC. Dscoop Webinars are free for all Dscoop members and $50 for non-members. To register for any of these Webinars, visit www.dscoop.org."
Oops! Be careful when you take government money..
Grown ups protect their money. Whether it's public money or private money they pay close attention. What happens when institutional investors make more time to pay attention?
If I were on a Board of Directors, I would cancel the next couple of conference calls and pay very close attention to protecting the investor's money.
I'm just a blogger, but you have fiduciary responsibility for my retirement account, so I figure I have standing.
If I were on a Board of Directors, I would cancel the next couple of conference calls and pay very close attention to protecting the investor's money.
I'm just a blogger, but you have fiduciary responsibility for my retirement account, so I figure I have standing.
Geithner May Oust Executives at Banks Needing ‘Exceptional’ Aid - Bloomberg.com: "April 6 (Bloomberg) -- Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said he’s prepared to oust executives and directors at banks that require “exceptional” assistance from the U.S. government.Here's the interesting part, from Seeking Alpha,
“If in the future, banks need exceptional assistance in order to get through this, then we will make sure that assistance comes,” while ensuring taxpayers are protected, Geithner said yesterday in an interview on the CBS “Face the Nation” program. “Where that requires a change in management and the board, then we will do that.”"
Geithner's comments could be more than just talk, as chief TARP watchdog Elizabeth Warren will issue a report this week calling for the removal of top execs at Citigroup (C), AIG and other institutions, and saying shareholders should be 'wiped out.'
More on channels melting .
It's about publishers, but it applies to everyone. Just change a couple of nouns and you'll see what I mean.
Really New Think for Old Publishers | William F. Aicher: "The ultimate “New Think” for the publishing industry that I’ve been pushing both in book publishing, as well as in the music publishing industry is to change the mindset that publishers are in charge and the customers should trust them. Instead, publishers need to stop trying to be tastemakers and instead realize that they are ultimately administrators of extraordinarily valuable copyright-protected content that they can build a brand around. Find content or creators that already have a following (and sometimes take risks on ones that have a potential to be big), cultivate those creators and their content with your professional editing staff and then get the content out to people.
But in no instance, think it is your job to decide what is and is not worthy of publication. Yes, you should decide what is worthy of having your logo slapped on it, as you are building a brand - but the concept that it is your job to be the ultiate curator and gatekeeper, as well as to create one single item that people should buy is not going to work anymore."
Score one for the Home Team!
Go Mets!
From now on, I'm going to take the lead from Death of Copiers.
Go Big X!
If they keep the deals reasonable and pay attention to growth of independent MPS, this might be just right! I wonder what happens when there is a "conflict" between XGS and independents. My vote is to go with the independents. Keep XGS focused on the Global 500. The market for everyone else is much too big to be leveraged with "channels."
You know that HP and Ricoh are going to do the same thing sooner or later. My guess is sooner.
In a user network commercial model, "channels" melt away. It is a little disappointing if you paid a gezillion dollars to buy an Ikon or a ComDocs. But, if you take the lead in turning a "channel" into an open network, there is still a chance to make it a good investment, instead of a waste of money.
from Death of The Copier:
From now on, I'm going to take the lead from Death of Copiers.
Go Big X!
If they keep the deals reasonable and pay attention to growth of independent MPS, this might be just right! I wonder what happens when there is a "conflict" between XGS and independents. My vote is to go with the independents. Keep XGS focused on the Global 500. The market for everyone else is much too big to be leveraged with "channels."
You know that HP and Ricoh are going to do the same thing sooner or later. My guess is sooner.
In a user network commercial model, "channels" melt away. It is a little disappointing if you paid a gezillion dollars to buy an Ikon or a ComDocs. But, if you take the lead in turning a "channel" into an open network, there is still a chance to make it a good investment, instead of a waste of money.
from Death of The Copier:
"The Big X has it sights on the MPS market(duh), and not just through the Xerox lens.
Toner Pack, an extension of PagePack, is a program allowing dealers to supply their customers with Xerox branded, HP compatible toner.
But the primary thrust of the program is making MPS much easier on a select number of Xerox MFPs.
With Page Pack, meter reads, Service Requests/Maint. Kits and Toner orders go directly to Xerox. Xerox fulfills toner orders, submits Service Requests over to the correct Xerox Partner and invoices the partner monthly - partner bills the customer directly.
The Xerox partner's client never speak directly to Xerox.
I am not as much an HP advocate as a I am proponent for what works for clients and what works VARs. If I see something I like and think will fit into business, I will mention it."
Xerox gets HCL to manage their Cloud
Maybe HCL will do Ground > Cloud > Print for Xerox PSPs and Premier Partners?
HCL signs 6-yr deal with Xerox:
"HCL Technologies Limited (HCL), a leading global IT services provider, has entered into a six-year, multi-regional data center services and transformation engagement with Xerox Corporation.
The contract will span mid-range services, business continuity and disaster recovery for Xerox’s information management operations. HCL will manage data center hosting and migration, virtualization, consolidation and storage architecture services across North America and Europe. In addition, HCL will provide architecture and consulting services for new technology and system design, adoption and lifecycle improvement."
Can't we all just get along? Newspapers, newspapers, newspapers
The window to reinvent newspapers is now. It will close in about a year. See the snippet from the Wall Street Journal below. Bankruptcy creates many teachable moments.
Digital only newspapers can't make enough money to survive. That means versioned, hyperlocal news-on-paper. The window is open now because when everything else fails, it's time to do something new. Within a year, newspapers will figure out that the way to make money is to sell print/web ads to local business. Once they do, the window will close. Then it will be business as usual.
Anyone who helps the newspapers sell local advertising, at a very low cost of sales, is the real solutions provider. The cost of the boxes are just the add ons, when the window is open. The cost of the boxes will be the primary issue when the window closes.
In the lead is HP. They have a machine in place on the West Coast. If they start selling newspaper ads through Staples they may turn out to have a first mover advantage that is going to be unbeatable. Given the functionality of mediabids it's a pretty easy add on.
Kodak has Screen to come. But Screen inkjet heads on web offset now. Oce has DNN now. Kodak has the newspaper workflow, the contacts and MicroZoning. Oce has a 30" full color web that produces newspaper product. More interesting is the black only boxes and the excess capacity on the installed base of black and white equipment all over the place.
Newspapers will come out of this tunnel producing many versions of their product and sell ads to local business to keep it afloat. MediaBids.com is the technology to sell those ads. Commercial print sales people could sell newspaper ads as mediabids.com affiliates. Or as likely, Staples will offer newspaper print/web advertising at retail. HP can incorporate it as part of MarketSplash.
Local business learns how to do multichannel marketing. Regional and local economies start to regenerate.
Do the deal. I have a feeling that HP is going to try to go it alone. This is going to move too fast in the States for either of you to benefit from the disruption occurring. And both of you should call Quincy at Vertis. Do a deal that leverages their print infrastructure to do interest group, instead of geographical, versioning. it's about news stories in FSI's.
Oce, call the local papers in Florida around your innovation center. Do a proof of concept as soon as you can. It's a joint experiment, so keep the cost as low as you possibly can. Find a paper that is already gets it with a hyperlocal web site. Get the person who is managing the hyperlocal site to select the most interesting content to create 2 or 3 pages that have excerpts of that content in the versioned edition.
Call your local PSP's. Talk to the sales managers. Then call mediabids and get the paper set up on their website. Get the PSP sales force to prospect in small business. They make the contact by walking into the store. Their first exchange will be to sell them a brochure or more likely a newspaper ad. The sales person can place the ad through mediabids so it will only take a couple of minutes.
Kodak, call the Chicago Tribune and then call the PSP's who are in the micro versioned regions. Then do the same thing as Oce. Get in touch with your PSP's in those micro versioned areas.
Digital only newspapers can't make enough money to survive. That means versioned, hyperlocal news-on-paper. The window is open now because when everything else fails, it's time to do something new. Within a year, newspapers will figure out that the way to make money is to sell print/web ads to local business. Once they do, the window will close. Then it will be business as usual.
Anyone who helps the newspapers sell local advertising, at a very low cost of sales, is the real solutions provider. The cost of the boxes are just the add ons, when the window is open. The cost of the boxes will be the primary issue when the window closes.
In the lead is HP. They have a machine in place on the West Coast. If they start selling newspaper ads through Staples they may turn out to have a first mover advantage that is going to be unbeatable. Given the functionality of mediabids it's a pretty easy add on.
Kodak has Screen to come. But Screen inkjet heads on web offset now. Oce has DNN now. Kodak has the newspaper workflow, the contacts and MicroZoning. Oce has a 30" full color web that produces newspaper product. More interesting is the black only boxes and the excess capacity on the installed base of black and white equipment all over the place.
Newspapers will come out of this tunnel producing many versions of their product and sell ads to local business to keep it afloat. MediaBids.com is the technology to sell those ads. Commercial print sales people could sell newspaper ads as mediabids.com affiliates. Or as likely, Staples will offer newspaper print/web advertising at retail. HP can incorporate it as part of MarketSplash.
Local business learns how to do multichannel marketing. Regional and local economies start to regenerate.
Ten Major Newspapers That Will Fold Or Go Digital, An Update - 24/7 Wall StreetFree advice for Oce and Kodak
Over the last few weeks, the newspaper industry has entered a new period of decline. The parent of the papers in Philadelphia declared bankruptcy as did the Journal Register chain. The Rocky Mountain News closed and the Seattle Post Intelligencer, owned by Hearst, now publishes only online. Hearst has held off closing The San Francisco Chronicle after making massive cuts at the paper. The property still may not be profitable. Advance . . .
Do the deal. I have a feeling that HP is going to try to go it alone. This is going to move too fast in the States for either of you to benefit from the disruption occurring. And both of you should call Quincy at Vertis. Do a deal that leverages their print infrastructure to do interest group, instead of geographical, versioning. it's about news stories in FSI's.
Oce, call the local papers in Florida around your innovation center. Do a proof of concept as soon as you can. It's a joint experiment, so keep the cost as low as you possibly can. Find a paper that is already gets it with a hyperlocal web site. Get the person who is managing the hyperlocal site to select the most interesting content to create 2 or 3 pages that have excerpts of that content in the versioned edition.
Call your local PSP's. Talk to the sales managers. Then call mediabids and get the paper set up on their website. Get the PSP sales force to prospect in small business. They make the contact by walking into the store. Their first exchange will be to sell them a brochure or more likely a newspaper ad. The sales person can place the ad through mediabids so it will only take a couple of minutes.
Kodak, call the Chicago Tribune and then call the PSP's who are in the micro versioned regions. Then do the same thing as Oce. Get in touch with your PSP's in those micro versioned areas.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Kodak, Xerox: Value Chain is disappearing. User networks are growing.
The reason that focusing on channels is a loser is the same reason Standard Oil turned into lots of different oil companies, ATT was broken up, CitiCorps' model of one stop shopping doesn't work and GM seems to going bankrupt. It's also the reason that Obama won the election and the grown ups are back in the game.
Once asymmetric information disappears, the idea of controlling the conversation or the offering disappears.
Consider this (thanks to RZ for the point)
I was scanning the Kodak Conference call and came upon something that caught my interest. The Q4 Conference call transcript is at Seeking Alpha
But the rules of a facilitated user network are that consumers - both end users and commercial printers - have the power to choose the right tool for the right job at the right time at the right price, with little regard for the "brand." If you make the best tool, you win. If you don't, channels are not going to protect you.
To invest time and money in "filling out the portfolio" is not time well spent. The days of buying a "portfolio" of products are quickly coming to an end. The new reality is about gathering the best solutions for the customer.
Consider that when Xerox did a big MPS contract in the UK it was box agnostic. Consider that independent MPS is growing in the "channels". They craft the best solution for them and their customers from a range of boxes and offerings.
The way to win is to be the very best at something. Then to keep improving it to keep competitors from eating your lunch. The competition is not the other brands. The competition is emerging combinations on the ground. The recent experience with e-paper for Xerox and Screen technology for Kodak is not impressive.
The competitive advantage is a constantly improving offering, the speed of implementation and easy integration with the in place production ecology. For example, it seems a no brainer that Kodak and Oce should work together with a combined set of offerings for newspapers. Xerox should work together with any box manufacturers to solve the K-12 education problem.
And everyone should work together with Google and other strong players - IBM? HP? - in the Cloud to implement Ground > Cloud >Print and printernet publishing.
Once asymmetric information disappears, the idea of controlling the conversation or the offering disappears.
Consider this (thanks to RZ for the point)
I was scanning the Kodak Conference call and came upon something that caught my interest. The Q4 Conference call transcript is at Seeking Alpha
As far as the document imaging businesses, earlier this month we are now in the acquisition of Bowe Bell + Howell Scanner Division. This acquisition is complementary to our product line in a business that we know well because we are the current field service provider for these products. Once the acquisition is complete, we will be able to provide a broader set of products and services to our channel partners and any use customers worldwide as well as create revenue and cost energies through leveraging our distribution channels and driving back office consolidation.That might have made sense in a value chain commercial model. The Brand has the "total solution." They can supply the production equipment, the copiers, the workgroup printers and the scanners.
But the rules of a facilitated user network are that consumers - both end users and commercial printers - have the power to choose the right tool for the right job at the right time at the right price, with little regard for the "brand." If you make the best tool, you win. If you don't, channels are not going to protect you.
To invest time and money in "filling out the portfolio" is not time well spent. The days of buying a "portfolio" of products are quickly coming to an end. The new reality is about gathering the best solutions for the customer.
Consider that when Xerox did a big MPS contract in the UK it was box agnostic. Consider that independent MPS is growing in the "channels". They craft the best solution for them and their customers from a range of boxes and offerings.
The way to win is to be the very best at something. Then to keep improving it to keep competitors from eating your lunch. The competition is not the other brands. The competition is emerging combinations on the ground. The recent experience with e-paper for Xerox and Screen technology for Kodak is not impressive.
The competitive advantage is a constantly improving offering, the speed of implementation and easy integration with the in place production ecology. For example, it seems a no brainer that Kodak and Oce should work together with a combined set of offerings for newspapers. Xerox should work together with any box manufacturers to solve the K-12 education problem.
And everyone should work together with Google and other strong players - IBM? HP? - in the Cloud to implement Ground > Cloud >Print and printernet publishing.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Xerox Q4 Conference Call
You can read the full transcript at Seeking Alpha. Since, I'm just a blogger with a big piece of my little IRA in Xerox, please take the following comments and questions in that context:
1. We seem to have lots of currency risks.
2. Color is nice, but black and white is still the bulk of the business. Given that the Nuvera is arguably the best machine on the market, what's the plan?
3. If 70% of the revenue comes from post sale, does 70% of the costs go to increasing post sales in an environment where box sales are going to be slow for a couple of quarters?
4. How come SG&A is going up. I keep reading about people getting fired, but WalMart SG&A Was 16+% last quarter. Meanwhile, our SG&A went up, not down?
5. How come Oce made a profit and we couldn't?
6. Has there been any discussion of spinning off divisions that don't contribute to post sales revenue?
Following are some quotes, taken out of context from the transcript:
1. We seem to have lots of currency risks.
2. Color is nice, but black and white is still the bulk of the business. Given that the Nuvera is arguably the best machine on the market, what's the plan?
3. If 70% of the revenue comes from post sale, does 70% of the costs go to increasing post sales in an environment where box sales are going to be slow for a couple of quarters?
4. How come SG&A is going up. I keep reading about people getting fired, but WalMart SG&A Was 16+% last quarter. Meanwhile, our SG&A went up, not down?
5. How come Oce made a profit and we couldn't?
6. Has there been any discussion of spinning off divisions that don't contribute to post sales revenue?
Following are some quotes, taken out of context from the transcript:
The impact on earnings was largely due to the strengthening of the Yen and deteriorating developing market economies particularly in Russia and Eastern Europe which started in the later part of the quarter.
As you all know, more than 70% of our revenue comes from our post sale.
Our growing services business also flows through the post sales. With a value proposition that helps customers reduce costs we are getting more and more interest in our outsourcing and other document services.
Wholesale revenue was down 8% or 3% in constant currency. Again, this was largely due to distributors holding lower supply inventory levels as they prioritize cash at the end of the year.
Equipment sale revenue declined 15% or 11% in constant currency, a reflection of weakened economies all around the world with especially significant decline in key development markets. I’ll talk more about this in a moment.
Selling, administrative and general expenses were 25.2% of revenue, up about a point from the fourth quarter of 2007 as we maintained our sales coverage investments to continue building on our industry leadership.
SAG declined $84 million including $68 million beneficial impact of currency.
Digital machines in the field MIF and pages continue to grow 6% and 1% respectively driven by color machines in the field up 33% and color pages up 24%.
The pressure on digital pages has been in black and white and we did see a decline in fourth quarter. The pressure on digital pages has been in black and white as I said and in addition the decline in DMO supplies had a negative effect on how we calculate their pages and this should improve in the future.
Here's why textbooks are going to fall in NYC
NY1 | 24 Hour Local News | Top Stories | DOE Contracts A Binding Issue For Business Owners:
Then you follow up with wikinewspapers to completely replace textbooks. It takes them out of competition with the textbook publishers, and the whole thing comes crashing down.
Lots of clicks. Lots of very nice press. Increase the value of the brand, get great press, sell a box or repurpose a box that is already there. And clicks forever!
"The Department's contracting process was the subject of a City Council committee Wednesday. DOE officials testified they've already saved $17 million by doing business with the big companies.Somebody might want to give a call to either Attanasio or City Council member Letitia James. I bet that if the pitch was "I can show you a way to compete with the big guys", either one would take the call.
'Our role here is to get the best price and the best quality for the schools,' said Department of Education Board Member Photeine Anagnostopoulos.
But Attanasio argues schools will not be receiving the best quality because the out of town suppliers are not in tune with the needs of city students.
'What we really did was create materials for New York. This is where I live. This is where I was born and raised. These are the communities I'm involved in,' said Attanasio.
Attanasio says she's lost nearly 25 percent of business and had to lay off two employees since the rules changed.
As Attanasio's business was cut, she was forced to cut some of her office space by nearly a third.
At the hearing, City Council member Letitia James says a small supplier in her Brooklyn neighborhood is being forced to shut down."
Then you follow up with wikinewspapers to completely replace textbooks. It takes them out of competition with the textbook publishers, and the whole thing comes crashing down.
Lots of clicks. Lots of very nice press. Increase the value of the brand, get great press, sell a box or repurpose a box that is already there. And clicks forever!
Still one more Printernet Publishing Opportunity
Alison Flood on Scribd.com,
the YouTube for books
| Books | The Guardian:
"More than 50,000 new documents a day are uploaded to Californian website Scribd.com, which has 50 million users keen to share an eclectic mix of material: recipes, manuals, how-to guides, puzzles and novels. From the contemporary (Ken Follett and Jeffrey Archer), to the classic (Jane Austen and Dostoyevsky), if you want to read it, you'll probably find it on Scribd.com."
Anyone else see the opportunity?
Hint: take a look at Pediapress.com and then read the last paragraph.
Meanwhile, ff you happen to be interested in textbooks, here's the good part:
News: Farewell to the Printed Monograph - Inside Higher Ed: "Within two years, press officials expect well over 50 of the 60-plus monographs that the press publishes each year -- currently in book form -- to be released only in digital editions. Readers will still be able to use print-on-demand systems to produce versions that can be held in their hands, but the press will consider the digital monograph the norm. Many university presses are experimenting with digital publishing, but the Michigan announcement may be the most dramatic to date by a major university press.The University of Missouri Press and the State University of New York Press both have announced layoffs in recent months, while Utah State University Press is facing the possibility of a complete elimination of university support.The paragraph that reveals the opportunity starts with "While Pochada . . . "Michigan officials say that their move reflects a belief that it's time to stop trying to make the old economics of scholarly publishing work. "I have been increasingly convinced that the business model based on printed monograph was not merely failing but broken," said Phil Pochoda, director of the Michigan press. "Why try to fight your way through this? Why try to remain in territory you know is doomed? Scholarly presses will be primarily digital in a decade. Why not seize the opportunity to do it now?"
While Pochoda acknowledged that Michigan risks offending a few authors and readers not ready for the switch, he said there is a huge upside to making the move now.
Meanwhile, ff you happen to be interested in textbooks, here's the good part:
. . . the University of Michigan Press is a major publisher of textbooks in English as a second language, and those publications are expected to continue in print format.I'm thinking that since textbooks live in the dog food market, they still make a nice profit.
What was old, is new
PacBlue Digital Imaging is old. PacBlue Printing is new.
Digital blablablabla is old.
Print is the next big thing.
Digital blablablabla is old.
Print is the next big thing.
PacBlue Rolls Out New Brand and Website - Printing Industry News from WhatTheyThink: "PacBlue Printing (formerly doing business as PacBlue Digital Imaging, Inc.), Vancouver's premier digital printing and reprographics company, has launched a new brand platform that uses every opportunity to showcase creative customer projects."
So maybe running a business is atomic physics.
I actually think it's more like econobiology or econoecology , but this is a very interesting approach.
The (unfortunate) complexity of the economy
- from physicsworld.com
The (unfortunate) complexity of the economy
- from physicsworld.com
Physicists, however, feel uncomfortable with theories not borne out by (or even blatantly incompatible with) empirical data. But could the methodology of physics really contribute to the much-awaited paradigm shift in economics? Such an approach is called econophysics (a term coined in 1995 by Boston physicist Gene Stanley), a field that effectively emerged from a famous 1987 conference between physicists and economists held at the Santa Fe Institute. After 20 years or so of “econophysics”, and about 1000 papers published on the arXiv preprint server (a new section “Quantitative Finance” was created in December 2008), it is perhaps useful to give a personal bird’s eye view of what has been achieved so far and what might be taught, in the long run, in order to foster a better grasp of the complexity of economic systems.Jean-Philippe-Bouchaud is head of research at Capital Fund Management and a professor at the Ecole Polytechnique, both in Paris, France.
In the April edition of Physics World, Jean-Philippe Bouchard, gives a topical overview of the burgeoning field of econophysics . . .
PR people: Why the era of bullshit and spin is coming to an end
"Bullshit" is taken in the sense that is used by Prof. Henry Frankfort from Princeton University, in his brilliant On Bullshit, Winner of the 2005 Bestseller Awards, Philosophy Category, The Book Standard.
In this sense, the era of bullshit is disappearing because we are in the middle of
Printernet publishing is a new print media. It enables the delivery of Print product to millions of people or to geographically scattered groups of interested people - investors? - overnight.
In this sense, the era of bullshit is disappearing because we are in the middle of
a reshaping of credibility from objectivity to transparency,The good news is that the news media is being disintermediated by the internet. The new opportunity is for formal organizations to speak directly to their constituents. President Obama's use of the web and town halls is the best example to date.
Printernet publishing is a new print media. It enables the delivery of Print product to millions of people or to geographically scattered groups of interested people - investors? - overnight.
eaves.ca "If thinking is a muscle, this is my gym.
"In his Bertha Bassam lecture, this is precisely what David Weinberger brilliantly argues is already taking place:
“Wikipedia is far more credible because it shows us how the sausage is made makes Wikipedia far more credible. Yet this is exactly the stuff that the Britannica wont show us because they think it would make them look amateurish and take away from their credibility. But in fact transparency – which is what this is – is the new objectivity. We are not going to trust objectivity, we are not going to trust objectivity unless we can see the discussion that lead to it.”"
Such a transformation, a reshaping of credibility from objectivity to transparency, would have profound implications for every organization – corporate, non-profit and governmental – in our society.
Free Advice for Oce, HP, Google, InfoPrint . . . and any textbook publisher who is not in a meeting
The value prop
Free textbooks for every kid in America (or the world)
The content
Wikipedia (or textbook or newspaper or magazine) content.
The team
A subject - science, history, civics, etc - editor + a subject educator + a writer.
The method
The editor talks to the educator to get a clear understanding of the standards and curriculum. The editor then selects stories from their morgue + current news stories and/or content created by the teachers and kids on the wiki. The educator writes the quizzes. The writer crafts 500 words plus captions for each edition. The educator and editor approve the final copy.
The wiki-newspapers are produced week by week in newspaper time. The content is available on line and in print. The long tail is the library of created newspaper files. The path to continuous improvement is with feedback from the classroom and the measure of effectiveness.
The money
Municipal, Regional, State and Federal Government health departments buy ads to fight childhood obesity or other public health issues.
The production method
Hyperlocalized newspapers, issue chosen by the teacher in the classroom, delivered weekly to each classroom. Black only is fine. Color if they can afford it.
This also works for MPS education practices and Xerox and Kodak. Except it's whatever format the CRD or local PSP can easily do. Then it's a wikinewsletter and sometimes a wikibook. But it has to have the quizzes and the content has to be aligned with standards.
Free textbooks for every kid in America (or the world)
The content
Wikipedia (or textbook or newspaper or magazine) content.
The team
A subject - science, history, civics, etc - editor + a subject educator + a writer.
The method
The editor talks to the educator to get a clear understanding of the standards and curriculum. The editor then selects stories from their morgue + current news stories and/or content created by the teachers and kids on the wiki. The educator writes the quizzes. The writer crafts 500 words plus captions for each edition. The educator and editor approve the final copy.
The wiki-newspapers are produced week by week in newspaper time. The content is available on line and in print. The long tail is the library of created newspaper files. The path to continuous improvement is with feedback from the classroom and the measure of effectiveness.
The money
Municipal, Regional, State and Federal Government health departments buy ads to fight childhood obesity or other public health issues.
The production method
Hyperlocalized newspapers, issue chosen by the teacher in the classroom, delivered weekly to each classroom. Black only is fine. Color if they can afford it.
This also works for MPS education practices and Xerox and Kodak. Except it's whatever format the CRD or local PSP can easily do. Then it's a wikinewsletter and sometimes a wikibook. But it has to have the quizzes and the content has to be aligned with standards.
Kodak's Secret Weapon
Web Wire: "More than 70 million people worldwide manage, share and create photo gifts online at KODAK Gallery.You would think harvesting data from 70 million people would be a good thing.
Free advice to Kodak and Xerox
The best way to tell the story about POD Book production is to tell the story of Lightning Source and lulu.com. Actually you don't have to tell the story as give them the growth numbers.Anything else is not needed.
As for the Kodak and Xerox product line, hand out a simple survey. Ask everyone to do as much of a present customer list as they can. Then focus on who on that list might want to do books. I figure you can do it online. So you're really smart people can have more time to think, plus you save all the travel expenses.
If you really want to save time and get your PSP's to get more business, do it all on the web.
I suggest surveymonkey for the the survey and email for the follow up. Or if you really want to save time and scale the thing, use PBwiki or a blog with password protection. Then you won't have to say the same thing over and over and over. Keep in mind that the usual ratio of lurkers to responders is about 80/20.
Oce, Hyperlocal Newspapers and Textbooks
A hyperlocal newspaper = a hyperlocal textbook. The hyperlocal in question is the classroom. My column next week at PBS.Mediashift is about how commercial print sales people and/or designers and/or MPS and/or Staples could partner with hyperlocal newspapers to sell ads.
Hint: it's all about mediabids.com.
Consider paying for textbooks by a local/state/federal government - health department - buying ads in student's wiki newspapers (what used to be called textbooks).
From Newspapers and Technology
Hint: it's all about mediabids.com.
Consider paying for textbooks by a local/state/federal government - health department - buying ads in student's wiki newspapers (what used to be called textbooks).
From Newspapers and Technology
Los Angleles-based O'Neil Data Systems, for example, already prints a number of Australian titles for Qantas Airlines passsengers. "We believe newspapers will become one of our biggest growth markets," Driessen said.Meantime, Oce said it sold a JetStream 2200 digital press to Madrid-based publisher Imcodavila. The firm said it will use the machine to print in full color 6,000, 80-page broadsheet papers each day � a mixture of dailies, weeklies and monthlies.
Friday, April 3, 2009
You gotta love Print!
Since I added Kodak, Oce and Ricoh to the IRA, here's what my Schwab account says:
Ricoh +12.5%, Kodak +11.5%, Oce +43.5%, .
Since I have Xerox for years, I don't get comparable percentage.
Suffice it say that in the middle of February it closed at $5.98.
When I looked at about 10:13 AM EST, it was $4.90.
Anyone else see a pattern?
Meanwhile, if HP spins off Print so I could bet on that. Or if someone has a way to bet on Independent MPS, or Alphagraphics, I could probably worry a little less about being retired.
If they decide to issue hybrid preferreds like CitiCorp (C+P at Schwab, C.P at Wachovia) I would be really happy.
Go Print!
Ricoh +12.5%, Kodak +11.5%, Oce +43.5%, .
Since I have Xerox for years, I don't get comparable percentage.
Suffice it say that in the middle of February it closed at $5.98.
When I looked at about 10:13 AM EST, it was $4.90.
Anyone else see a pattern?
Meanwhile, if HP spins off Print so I could bet on that. Or if someone has a way to bet on Independent MPS, or Alphagraphics, I could probably worry a little less about being retired.
If they decide to issue hybrid preferreds like CitiCorp (C+P at Schwab, C.P at Wachovia) I would be really happy.
Go Print!
Xerox, MPS: The starting gun for Education Stimulus Money
Since job one seems to be reporting for each district the number and percentage of teachers and principals ...... I would think if you have the tools to do that, or can figure out how to make the partnerships to put those tools together, someone at the school board will take your call.
The thing that's cool about publishing in schools is that it solves the portfolio problem. Every good teacher wants to solve the portfolio problem. They all know that high stakes testing is mostly a waste of time if the purpose is to get kids to love to learn.
The thing that's cool about publishing in schools is that it solves the portfolio problem. Every good teacher wants to solve the portfolio problem. They all know that high stakes testing is mostly a waste of time if the purpose is to get kids to love to learn.
from Education Week
Stimulus Guidance Spotlights Teacher Evaluations: "As part of the teacher-quality assurance states must fulfill to receive fiscal-stabilization money, for instance, the department plans to demand that states report for each district the number and percentage of teachers and principals scoring at each performance level on local teacher- and principal-evaluation instruments."
Why Traffic was light at On Demand and How to Fix It
It's not because of the economy. It's because the evangelist stage of the digital print business is over.
When Sandy Alexander Installs two HP Indigo 7000's and RR Donnelley Launches 1,000 Digital Presses it's safe to say digital print is mainstream for commercial print.
Meanwhile, The World Association of Newspapers is holding their first global conference on the Power of Print ( Barcelona in May) . The first bullet point for the session called Million Dollar Strategies is "Exploiting new digital printing methods."
And, The Photizo Group is hosting the first conference for Independent MPS . What was once the " selling boxes" organizations are now organizing themselves to fully address the opportunity of MPS. The irony is that Independent Enterprise MPS is exactly the model of the printernet. If you follow the posts at The Death of the Copier, you'll see what I mean.
Consider that The Ace Group, who started in the 1970's as typographers is now producing mine magazine magazine for Lexus and Time Inc. And Ricoh/IBM Infoprint are doing at scale experiments to accumulate real data. You can read about them at TransPromo Live.
Based in Switzerland, GMC Software says "they serve thousands of users worldwide in direct mail, PSP and enterprise organizations . . many of whom are producing in excess of 100 million personalized documents per month - including direct mail, bills, statements, correspondence, catalogs, invoices and combined transactional/marketing (transpromo) materials."
Free advice to trade show companies
Print is organized into four segments. Manufacturers are focused on incremental improvements that bring real results. VAR's are interested in new ways to combine proven manufacturing capability to meet the needs of their present customers. Retailers are interested in sales/ per square foot. Enterprises are interested in saving time and lower risk.
Trying to stage a one size fits all show to have a little something for everyone is a strategy that works either during the gee whiz stage or if you have a monopoly (consider newspapers). Once you get past that, it means different shows for different folks. It's that same old, "the right information in the right format for the right person at the right time."
HP had a great "show", actually a conference for their VARs and Manufacturers. PSDA will probably have a good show for their VAR's. I'm betting the Photizo will have a good first show for their VARs.
I wouldn't be surprised if what is going to happen is MPS + PSD + PSP based VARs to be able to sell everything to mSB and SMB. It's just the natural evolution of the printernet.
Since the Print Manufacturers show is Print 09 - do a VAR show for people on the ground who are focused on the customer relationship.
Making money in Print is just common sense
Know your cost of production. Know your cost of customer acquisition and customer retention. Know the lifetime value of different kinds of customers. Focus on your present customers. Try to figure out how you can make their lives easier using what you do. Have a maniacally focus on bringing down the all in cost of production, without comprising the quality of the product.
Stop worrying about new customers or marketing. Marketing is much less important than great product with a pleasant customer experience. Customers will get to you the way they always have - referrals and word of mouth.
If you can figure out practical ways to increase word of mouth, then do that.
When Sandy Alexander Installs two HP Indigo 7000's and RR Donnelley Launches 1,000 Digital Presses it's safe to say digital print is mainstream for commercial print.
Meanwhile, The World Association of Newspapers is holding their first global conference on the Power of Print ( Barcelona in May) . The first bullet point for the session called Million Dollar Strategies is "Exploiting new digital printing methods."
And, The Photizo Group is hosting the first conference for Independent MPS . What was once the " selling boxes" organizations are now organizing themselves to fully address the opportunity of MPS. The irony is that Independent Enterprise MPS is exactly the model of the printernet. If you follow the posts at The Death of the Copier, you'll see what I mean.
Consider that The Ace Group, who started in the 1970's as typographers is now producing mine magazine magazine for Lexus and Time Inc. And Ricoh/IBM Infoprint are doing at scale experiments to accumulate real data. You can read about them at TransPromo Live.
Based in Switzerland, GMC Software says "they serve thousands of users worldwide in direct mail, PSP and enterprise organizations . . many of whom are producing in excess of 100 million personalized documents per month - including direct mail, bills, statements, correspondence, catalogs, invoices and combined transactional/marketing (transpromo) materials."
Free advice to trade show companies
Print is organized into four segments. Manufacturers are focused on incremental improvements that bring real results. VAR's are interested in new ways to combine proven manufacturing capability to meet the needs of their present customers. Retailers are interested in sales/ per square foot. Enterprises are interested in saving time and lower risk.
Trying to stage a one size fits all show to have a little something for everyone is a strategy that works either during the gee whiz stage or if you have a monopoly (consider newspapers). Once you get past that, it means different shows for different folks. It's that same old, "the right information in the right format for the right person at the right time."
HP had a great "show", actually a conference for their VARs and Manufacturers. PSDA will probably have a good show for their VAR's. I'm betting the Photizo will have a good first show for their VARs.
I wouldn't be surprised if what is going to happen is MPS + PSD + PSP based VARs to be able to sell everything to mSB and SMB. It's just the natural evolution of the printernet.
Since the Print Manufacturers show is Print 09 - do a VAR show for people on the ground who are focused on the customer relationship.
Making money in Print is just common sense
Know your cost of production. Know your cost of customer acquisition and customer retention. Know the lifetime value of different kinds of customers. Focus on your present customers. Try to figure out how you can make their lives easier using what you do. Have a maniacally focus on bringing down the all in cost of production, without comprising the quality of the product.
Stop worrying about new customers or marketing. Marketing is much less important than great product with a pleasant customer experience. Customers will get to you the way they always have - referrals and word of mouth.
If you can figure out practical ways to increase word of mouth, then do that.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
GMC Software is doing fine. They sell software for personalized printing and transpromo.
I guess they haven't heard Print is dead or that the Sky is Falling or . . .Maybe they will tie the printernet together. Sounds like they have the all contacts and expertise you might need.
GMC Report 45% Growth in 2008 -
from WhatTheyThink
GMC Report 45% Growth in 2008 -
from WhatTheyThink
Boston, Massachusetts and Appenzell, Switzerland– Despite the current gloomy economic climate, GMC Software Technology reports outstanding results with a 45% year over year growth for 2008. The Swiss–based company says the two main contributors to its success in 2008 were productivity enhancements to its award-winning PrintNet suite of software and the global growth in transpromo applications.This is what GMC does,
“2008 was an exceptional year for GMC,” said Dr. Ren�M�ller,” CEO. “We saw a large increase in the number of large enterprise accounts and increased revenue from our professional services."
About GMCThese are their partners:
We serve thousands of users worldwide in direct mail, PSP and enterprise organizations in a wide range of industries including financial services, banking, insurance, telecommunications, utilities and health care. Many of our customers are producing in excess of 100 million personalized documents per month - including direct mail, bills, statements, correspondence, catalogs, invoices and combined transactional/marketing (transpromo) materials.
We differ from our competition by providing exceptionally reliable technologies and products (with worldwide ISO 9001:2000 certification and CMMI development methodology), rapid application development capabilities, open standards and best in class professional services and support.
We are a global company, headquartered in Switzerland, with offices throughout Europe, the USA, Canada, Latin America and Asia. To better serve you, we are continually expanding our sales and support coverage throughout the world, with offices currently located in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Shanghai, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, USA.
Kodak's Response to On Demand
It was interesting that Kodak decided not to invest in appearing at On Demand. Given what I think I saw, that makes sense to me.
Based on the press release below, it sounds like they are trying the HP approach. User groups. Also makes sense. Commercial printers are either manufacturers or VARs. If they are manufacturers they go to On Demand. If they are VARs they go to user groups.
If their DNA is manufacture they will have a hard time becoming VARs and vice versa. "Market solution providers" is a VAR. Super efficient lean manufacturing is a manufacturer.
The trick is don't go to a group of manufacturers and treat them like VARs and again vice versa.
Based on the press release below, it sounds like they are trying the HP approach. User groups. Also makes sense. Commercial printers are either manufacturers or VARs. If they are manufacturers they go to On Demand. If they are VARs they go to user groups.
If their DNA is manufacture they will have a hard time becoming VARs and vice versa. "Market solution providers" is a VAR. Super efficient lean manufacturing is a manufacturer.
The trick is don't go to a group of manufacturers and treat them like VARs and again vice versa.
Press Release :: Expanded Graphic Users Association Conference to Focus on Ways that Kodak’s Customers Can Maximize Efficiency at Imaging Insider:
"ROCHESTER, N.Y., April 2 — The 2009 Graphic Users Association (GUA) North American Conference boasts an expanded program to help graphic communication service providers become more profitable by increasing efficiencies throughout their operations. Sponsored by Kodak and managed by the GUA Board, the 2009 GUA North American Conference, themed “Efficiency Revealed,” takes place May 17-20 at Orlando’s Grande Lakes Resort."
Fighting for Truth, Justice and my IRA
Today's score as of my Schwab account at 6:00 pm EST.
Now, if only HP would spin off the print part so I could lay some money on that, it would be alot more fun.
XRX +4.84%Isn't it amazing how making a profit raises the stock price? No PR needed. Meanwhile, until the big money at the institutional investors figures out what they want to do, this may all change tmw. But in the meantime, it's been a nice day.
EK +5.26%
Ricoy +3.49%
OceNY +40.41%
DJA +2.79%
Now, if only HP would spin off the print part so I could lay some money on that, it would be alot more fun.
More on Xerox and the New York City Department of Education
I found this thread this morning. But it turns out the NY Times had it yesterday. In my defense it has graduated to the newspaper. So far it's on the City Room Blog. A quick Google News Search at 5:00 pm EST brought it up.
On the other hand, you don't get to ToughLove until number 2 on the second page of a "Xerox" Search on the blogs. But, on the third hand, a Google Blog search on "Xerox +NYC," puts Tough Love in the number one position on the first page.
Anyway, here's the link to the NY Times blog and a snippet below:
I'm assuming that the Xerox PR firm is having a very, very hectic day, but someone might want to give Mayor Mike a call. That is if he hasn't called you yet.
Go Mets!
Gee, wouldn't it be cool if Xerox had a Corporate Communication Printernet Publishing system up and running? They could have a milllion print pieces in the hands of every teacher and politician in New York tomorrrow telling their side of the story.
On the other hand, you don't get to ToughLove until number 2 on the second page of a "Xerox" Search on the blogs. But, on the third hand, a Google Blog search on "Xerox +NYC," puts Tough Love in the number one position on the first page.
Anyway, here's the link to the NY Times blog and a snippet below:
"It may or may not be a ridiculous thing to look at", but consider the business climate these days. Then consider that Wagoner and his Board of Directors at GM got fired. Then consider that the G-20 is all about regulation and executive comp. Then consider that Mayor Mike is going to have to respond. Then consider that everyone knows that education is running out of money and has to be fixed.In blistering testimony before the City Council’s Education Committee, Mr. Thompson, a candidate for mayor, said a review by his office had found that over the past two fiscal years, the sum of certain contracts had ballooned to $1 billion from initial estimates of $325 million. That includes one contract with Xerox Corporation that was initially projected at $1 million and came in at $68 million, he said.
“It is outrageous,” Mr. Thompson said at a news conference that seemed aimed at chipping away at the educational accomplishments that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is making a cornerstone of his re-election campaign. “To see this lack of accountability on contracts is frightening.”
Education officials defended their spending, explaining that the contracts Mr. Thompson zeroed in on, known as requirement contracts [pdf], are expected to fluctuate in response to demand by individual schools. Photeine Anagnostopoulos, chief operating officer of the school system, said it was impossible to predict the popularity of a particular service — for instance, special education tutoring — and that costs naturally soar when more schools begin adopting it.
“In some ways, it’s sort of a ridiculous thing to look at,” Ms. Anagnostopoulos said in an interview, noting that while estimates may have changed, the city’s balance sheets had not. “We are not over our budget.”
I'm assuming that the Xerox PR firm is having a very, very hectic day, but someone might want to give Mayor Mike a call. That is if he hasn't called you yet.
Go Mets!
Gee, wouldn't it be cool if Xerox had a Corporate Communication Printernet Publishing system up and running? They could have a milllion print pieces in the hands of every teacher and politician in New York tomorrrow telling their side of the story.
Oops! I'm seeing serious heat for Xerox on this one
It started at City Council meeting yesterday. The story was in blog yesterday at Gotham Gazette. I picked it up at the Death of Copiers blog this morning. I'm betting it will hit the newspapers tomorrow or the next day. As of 10:30 am EST, it's not yet up with a Google News search on Xerox. On the other hand, if you search blogs for Xerox, toughlove comes up on the first page as of 11:12 EST.
Here we go:
at 11:50 AM EST, Google News Search got to the NY1 news story posted 13 hours ago. Anyone want to bet how many stories Search is going to turn up by Friday morning?
The link to the full story is at the end of the post, but here's the point:
I'm seeing a lot of brand damage. Not only in NYC among the creatives. The bigger problem is that it destroys "Nobody ever got fired for buying Xerox." I'm thinking someone is going to get fired for buying Xerox. Meanwhile a gezillion independents are going to be making that case all over the country.
Free advice:
Get in touch, today, with the folks who approved this cost overrun. They are in deep trouble, no matter how this ends up. If you leave them stranded, it's going to be very ugly all over the country and in Europe. Get them to get to someone to apply for a grant from the Xerox Foundation. Announce a proof of concept project aimed at the special education kids. Then set up a meeting with the Science editor at the New York Times. Or call Mort Zuckerman. He's already deeply involved in education in NYC Schools.
Set up a meeting with a Xerox project manager, the teacher and the editor. At the meeting have the teacher layout the curriculum to the editor. Then assemble the content on PBWiki. Then when the teacher says the time is right. Print the content out on some Xerox box. Figure out the best Print format based on the production capabilites of the CRD's in place or better on the local MFPs at the school. It can designed to work on 8 1/2 by 11 in one color. Or 14 by 20 4 page full color newsletter, if they can produce that.
Then deliver it in printed form into the classroom.
And get the schools to use all the cool stuff that XIG has for scanning testscores on MFPs. And assign somebody to mentor this on the ground to make sure it works.
Maybe there will be a way to turn lemons into lemonade. But . . .maybe not.
from the Death of The Copier:
New York City Dept of ED. - Xerox Contract Starts at $36 million - ends up at more than $67 Million:
Here we go:
at 11:50 AM EST, Google News Search got to the NY1 news story posted 13 hours ago. Anyone want to bet how many stories Search is going to turn up by Friday morning?
The link to the full story is at the end of the post, but here's the point:
"In the most egregious overrun, a contract with Xerox Corporation to lease copy machines to schools ended up costing the taxpayers more than $67 million. It had been estimated at a cost of $1 million.Given that this has now entered the political arena - Thompson is running for Mayor against Bloomberg - I suggest a no-power-dance meeting, today or tmw to figure out the response.
I'm seeing a lot of brand damage. Not only in NYC among the creatives. The bigger problem is that it destroys "Nobody ever got fired for buying Xerox." I'm thinking someone is going to get fired for buying Xerox. Meanwhile a gezillion independents are going to be making that case all over the country.
Free advice:
Get in touch, today, with the folks who approved this cost overrun. They are in deep trouble, no matter how this ends up. If you leave them stranded, it's going to be very ugly all over the country and in Europe. Get them to get to someone to apply for a grant from the Xerox Foundation. Announce a proof of concept project aimed at the special education kids. Then set up a meeting with the Science editor at the New York Times. Or call Mort Zuckerman. He's already deeply involved in education in NYC Schools.
Set up a meeting with a Xerox project manager, the teacher and the editor. At the meeting have the teacher layout the curriculum to the editor. Then assemble the content on PBWiki. Then when the teacher says the time is right. Print the content out on some Xerox box. Figure out the best Print format based on the production capabilites of the CRD's in place or better on the local MFPs at the school. It can designed to work on 8 1/2 by 11 in one color. Or 14 by 20 4 page full color newsletter, if they can produce that.
Then deliver it in printed form into the classroom.
And get the schools to use all the cool stuff that XIG has for scanning testscores on MFPs. And assign somebody to mentor this on the ground to make sure it works.
Maybe there will be a way to turn lemons into lemonade. But . . .maybe not.
from the Death of The Copier:
New York City Dept of ED. - Xerox Contract Starts at $36 million - ends up at more than $67 Million:
"In the most egregious overrun, a contract with Xerox Corporation to lease copy machines to schools ended up costing the taxpayers more than $67 million. It had been estimated at a cost of $1 million.
In a letter written to the board from City Comptroller and Mayoral Candidate, William Thompson, called the a “troubling pattern of mismanagement” at the department.
Thompson's claim has been disputed. Representatives say that city records show that the Xerox contract was estimated originally at $31 million, not $1 million, as Thompson reported. Meaning the overrun $36 million, not $66 million."
Oops! If the States start suing feeder funds this is going to get nasty
Madoff made money for his partners for 25 years. The feeder funds didn't do the jobs they were paid to do. They got paid for being investment advisers. Not doing your job is not criminal. You don't go to jail. You just get fired. Ask Rick Wagoner.
If everyone just does their job, things usually work out. Board of Directors protect and enhance shareholder value over the long term - not tommorrow's stock price. CEO's run the company. Designers design. Printer print.
If everyone just does their job, things usually work out. Board of Directors protect and enhance shareholder value over the long term - not tommorrow's stock price. CEO's run the company. Designers design. Printer print.
from Reuters
Massachusetts regulator sues Madoff feeder fund :
"By Svea Herbst-Bayliss
BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts' securities regulators sued Fairfield Greenwich Group, a major 'feeder fund' for Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, accusing the hedge fund of lying to investors and not exercising enough diligence over investments that were worth billions of dollars."
A Money shot for Oce. It's the score that really matters.
I got this from my email alert from Printweek.com. I tried to go to the link, but the site wouldn't load. At any rate, here's the good part.
Océ defies expectations with £13.9m profit
William Mitting, printweek.com
Strong sales of colour presses have boosted Océ as it reported bullish results for the first quarter of 2009 but warned that further cost cutting was required to . . .
02 April 2009, 11:06
The last mile for Printernet Textbooks
from Beyond-Print
The Espresso Book Machine: major announcements coming soon:
""Jason Epstein" talked about the success of the machine installed at the University of Alberta, where an average of 100 books per day are printed. Most of them are locally generated items, such as course packs and self-published books. The average selling price is $20. The system does not have access to any current books from major publishers. This installation was the topic of an earlier post (http://www.beyond-print.de/site/content/en/channel_news/news_0864.html).
Epstein described the current model of the Espresso (of which only three or four have been made) as “hand-assembled.” Produced in this way, it would cost about $60,000. In full production, the cost will be less than half of that. Pricing will vary, depending on the brand and speed of the printing engine inside the machine. It is designed to accommodate printers from various manufacturers.
Once the Espresso is in production, On Demand Books expects to place large numbers of them in bookstores. Even a sub-$30,000 price tag would be a major obstacle for many bookstores, but stores are not expected to purchase them outright. Instead, they will be leased, with a click-charge pricing model based on the number and length of the books produced.
The Espresso Book Machine: major announcements coming soon:
""Jason Epstein" talked about the success of the machine installed at the University of Alberta, where an average of 100 books per day are printed. Most of them are locally generated items, such as course packs and self-published books. The average selling price is $20. The system does not have access to any current books from major publishers. This installation was the topic of an earlier post (http://www.beyond-print.de/site/content/en/channel_news/news_0864.html).
Epstein described the current model of the Espresso (of which only three or four have been made) as “hand-assembled.” Produced in this way, it would cost about $60,000. In full production, the cost will be less than half of that. Pricing will vary, depending on the brand and speed of the printing engine inside the machine. It is designed to accommodate printers from various manufacturers.
Once the Espresso is in production, On Demand Books expects to place large numbers of them in bookstores. Even a sub-$30,000 price tag would be a major obstacle for many bookstores, but stores are not expected to purchase them outright. Instead, they will be leased, with a click-charge pricing model based on the number and length of the books produced.
Epstein said that On Demand Books is currently meeting with the National Association of College Stores (NACS) to work out a deal for NACS members to get Espresso units, equipped with Xerox printing engines. NACS has 3,200 member colleges and universities.
Kramer declares the depression is over!
At least that's what he said on Morning Joe a couple of minutes ago. We are still in a recession, but the depression that started when Lehman crashed, is done. The credit goes to the grown ups in charge.
He also said that the present CEO at Citi was dealt a terrible hand by "Chuck Clown Prince." I think he's also got that pretty right.
He also said that the present CEO at Citi was dealt a terrible hand by "Chuck Clown Prince." I think he's also got that pretty right.
Textbooks, the printernet and the end of bullshit
I did a post a couple of days ago and got this comment from BobH
Meanwhile over at PR Communications there is a discussion about the nature of Public Relations. In the context of that conversation I said,
The fact is that if you want to get your signal to break through the noise, the best media is Print. The internet just makes the signal v noise worse by radically increasing the noise. The problem, until the printernet, is that Print does not have the scale or the response time.
Textbooks with IP trapped content and value chain production can not respond fast enough nor be up to date have become too inefficient for learning. "Improving" them is only paving over cowpaths. The idea that they will be replaced by individualized computer instruction is good, but again misses the enabling factor. The advantage of Print is that it isolates signal from noise and captures that signal on Paper in a permanent form that can be considered, not read, viewed, scanned or consumed.
Without consideration and reflection learning is impossible.
Once printernet publishing becomes organized, Print is liberated from the disadvantages of the recent past. Millions of print products could be manufactured and delivered overnight to most urban areas on the planet, without getting close to straining capacity.
Much more important is that 30 copies could be delivered to a classroom, when teachable moments are likely to occur with just the right content in just right form at just the right time.
Great stuff and right to the point. I called the good folks at PBWicki who insist their system is not meant to replace textbooks. Why not???? It's great to augment materials and be a place to share with your classmates/associates/organization, add web & other content, etc, etc. A customized living textbook, printed on-demand, for pennies on the dollar. What's stopping it?Then I said,
What's stopping it is the fact that folks like Oce, Xerox and InfoPrint are focused at the top of the pyramid. It's just in their DNA.Professor Henry Frankfurt of Princeton University says, "The "bullshitter" does not care about the truth and is only seeking to impress." Real meetings can be useful. Power dance meetings are classic examples of time wasting bullshit in action.
So...they look at the education space. They "see" the textbook companies have the "content". They "see" the only way to do is to come in from the top of the pyramid. Based on what they "see," they think it means a gezillion meetings with publishers and education administrators....
Most of those meetings are power dances, not getting things done. So, they stay away.
Meanwhile over at PR Communications there is a discussion about the nature of Public Relations. In the context of that conversation I said,
The opportunity for printernet publishingI think that points to PR people as message managers, not message controllers. It also points to a redefinition of PR.
Once the web made it very easy to compare and contrast, it became very clear that a large percentage of "journalism" is reprinting PR releases with a little gloss. In a value chain, it only makes sense. Journalists do not have the time to be experts at everything. They have the choice of a scanning the horizon or staying focused on a small area.
The emergence of beat reporting is a decision to focus on a small area and become an expert. The PR person by the nature of the job is focused on one area, their client. So the job becomes scanning the organization's information, and recombining unnoticed events to craft a story that someone will want to hear or read.
I think it's most clear in the recent Presidential campaign. Hillary's people thought they could control the news cycle. Obama's people understood that the only thing that has a chance of working is to keep telling the truth and building your fan base.
My bet is that Obama's team listened very closely to what people were saying. Not to follow it or pander to it or control it.
They listened carefully to get the the feedback to better understand how to more effectively tell the truth.
The fact is that if you want to get your signal to break through the noise, the best media is Print. The internet just makes the signal v noise worse by radically increasing the noise. The problem, until the printernet, is that Print does not have the scale or the response time.
Textbooks with IP trapped content and value chain production can not respond fast enough nor be up to date have become too inefficient for learning. "Improving" them is only paving over cowpaths. The idea that they will be replaced by individualized computer instruction is good, but again misses the enabling factor. The advantage of Print is that it isolates signal from noise and captures that signal on Paper in a permanent form that can be considered, not read, viewed, scanned or consumed.
Without consideration and reflection learning is impossible.
Once printernet publishing becomes organized, Print is liberated from the disadvantages of the recent past. Millions of print products could be manufactured and delivered overnight to most urban areas on the planet, without getting close to straining capacity.
Much more important is that 30 copies could be delivered to a classroom, when teachable moments are likely to occur with just the right content in just right form at just the right time.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Re: GM. It's the dealers. Not the bondholders or the union.
Just listening to MSNBC, and needed to vent. It's same channel v network distribution that every global has to figure out.
Also Ford is offering buy outs to all 42,000 workers. Xerox? How about buy outs instead of excessing? Or help your talent be entrepreneurs? They will turn out to be the best salesforce you could possibly have. Or pay for them to learn how to become teachers. That would be a great thing for the foundation to do.
Also Ford is offering buy outs to all 42,000 workers. Xerox? How about buy outs instead of excessing? Or help your talent be entrepreneurs? They will turn out to be the best salesforce you could possibly have. Or pay for them to learn how to become teachers. That would be a great thing for the foundation to do.
Oops! Now the shareholders are getting involved with executive comp
Got this in my morning email from Seeking Alpha,
The ground has shifted. The grown ups are in the charge. Executive comp in the States has gotten completely out of control. If it were me, I would focus on this, much sooner, rather than later. If institutional investors are so pressured that they have to demand a sustainable return on their investment, they'll have no one to blame but the Chairman of the Board.
If the CEO of GM can get fired when the biggest institutional investor is the government, it's pretty likely that other institutional investors are going to sooner or later follow their lead. Unless you get ready, this can get pretty nasty.
Meanwhile, given that the M&A people are looking for deals, keep an eye out for the next big bunch of money that comes searching for a way to unlock value in legacy corporations.
AIG compensation chief under fire. Activist investors are trying to block the re-election of AIG (AIG) director James F. Orr, chairman of the board compensation committee. Officials representing major union and public pension funds wrote a letter to trustees urging them to unseat Orr for failing to adequately oversee the $165M in retention payments that have sparked so much public outrage in recent weeks. (Read the letter to the trustees (.pdf)) Separately, lawmakers have reportedly asked for copies of confidential reports prepared by a lawyer who has been in charge of monitoring AIG's business practices over the past four years.Free advice to the Board of Directors of HP, Infoprint, Xerox, Kodak and other public companies
The ground has shifted. The grown ups are in the charge. Executive comp in the States has gotten completely out of control. If it were me, I would focus on this, much sooner, rather than later. If institutional investors are so pressured that they have to demand a sustainable return on their investment, they'll have no one to blame but the Chairman of the Board.
If the CEO of GM can get fired when the biggest institutional investor is the government, it's pretty likely that other institutional investors are going to sooner or later follow their lead. Unless you get ready, this can get pretty nasty.
Meanwhile, given that the M&A people are looking for deals, keep an eye out for the next big bunch of money that comes searching for a way to unlock value in legacy corporations.
What I think I learned at the On Demand show
Franchise and affiliate models are at the heart of the printernet
Looks like it might be Donnelly at the top, franchises and affiliates at the middle and bottom. There are 2,931 franchise locations. Five systems opened new locations in 2008. Minuteman (40), Allegra (32) AlphaGraphics (16) CPrint (14)and Franchise Services (5).
In 2008, the total system wide sale for "quick printing" was $2,008,538,426. As far as I can tell that does not include the Big Box stores, UPS or Fedex. 47.7% of sales came from prepress and offset printing. 37.8% came from digital printing, with the balance from finishing, mailing services and brokered orders.
The figures are taken from Quick Printing - "The only information Resource dedicated to quick and small commercial printers." Luckily they had a print copies available. I stuffed one in my back pocket and read it on the train back to New York.
Now . . . if they would only start a Printernet section focusing on distribute and print, I bet their ad revenues could go up, up. Plus they could printernet publish and give everyone both marketing material and the most up to date information.
I'm waiting for the franchises or the big box stores to get together with some struggling newspapers to sell newspaper ads - both in print and for the newspaper website. That's multi channel marketing for SMB at retail. It naturally moves into the enterprise.
Adobe did not exhibit.The evangelist phase of digital printing is over. Adobe has moved on.
There was no one at the HP booth to talk about MarketSplash. It's media hype or the focus is not commercial printers or the folks selling boxes are not talking to the folks selling MarketSplash.
The company who is doing the "mine" project really, really gets it. He said, "If you don't want to invest in IT capability don't get into variable data printing." It's hard, complicated and has many new things to deal with.
Infoprint has the right DNA for the Cloud. They come from a tradition of database publishing in large organizations. VDP, at scale, is database publishing. It was always database publishing. It always will be database publishing. Web pages are database publishing. Database publishing is the area of explosive growth. Ground > Cloud > Print.
They didn't grow up in the advertising bubble. Their roots are in Print as Infrastructure. Print as infrastructure is exactly the most interesting opportunity. Print-as-advertising is only going to be fun at the middle or the bottom of the pyramid.
A sustainable model for MPS has been working in Brazil. As I understand it, no charge for boxes. Pay for page printed.
Oce gets it. The person I spoke to has the clear vision for the US market. Now it's only a matter of focus. If they get it right, their biggest problem is going to be supplying equipment when the landscape tips. The remaining problem is a legacy top of the pyrmid focus. Makes sense to nurture legacy business, but once the focus shifts to the bottom of the pyramid it should work.
Xerox has around 800 Premier Partners around the world. A significant number have Igens. If they can figure out how to get them to all play nicely together and get real value from the network in the form of a baseline of predictable work, that network could be energized a lot faster than anyone thinks.
Great salespeople can sell stuff. I spoke to an Igen salesman who is doing fine. My bet is that if he were running the sales program AND could figure out how to turn what he does into a system, they would all do fine.
Selling teams work. The problem is that the boss has to be willing to share the profits to incent the teams. The one printer I heard about has teams of a "hunter, an inside person and a business development person."
The way to handle tech support is to run the new equipment in the PSP location for a couple of days. That should manage the "This box can't do my work" blablaba. Plus it would mean a lot more efficient tech support going forward. The most reasonable model would be to form independent tech support regional teams with excessed or soon to be excessed employees.
Free advice to commercial printers
The first thing to put on that blank sheet of paper is your customer list. Don't think about "new business" or becoming a market solution provider. Maniacal focus on your present customer list, making your order intake - manufacturing - delivery - billing process as efficient as possible. It's about incremental improvement, done in real time, not corporate time.
Looks like it might be Donnelly at the top, franchises and affiliates at the middle and bottom. There are 2,931 franchise locations. Five systems opened new locations in 2008. Minuteman (40), Allegra (32) AlphaGraphics (16) CPrint (14)and Franchise Services (5).
In 2008, the total system wide sale for "quick printing" was $2,008,538,426. As far as I can tell that does not include the Big Box stores, UPS or Fedex. 47.7% of sales came from prepress and offset printing. 37.8% came from digital printing, with the balance from finishing, mailing services and brokered orders.
The figures are taken from Quick Printing - "The only information Resource dedicated to quick and small commercial printers." Luckily they had a print copies available. I stuffed one in my back pocket and read it on the train back to New York.
Now . . . if they would only start a Printernet section focusing on distribute and print, I bet their ad revenues could go up, up. Plus they could printernet publish and give everyone both marketing material and the most up to date information.
I'm waiting for the franchises or the big box stores to get together with some struggling newspapers to sell newspaper ads - both in print and for the newspaper website. That's multi channel marketing for SMB at retail. It naturally moves into the enterprise.
Adobe did not exhibit.The evangelist phase of digital printing is over. Adobe has moved on.
There was no one at the HP booth to talk about MarketSplash. It's media hype or the focus is not commercial printers or the folks selling boxes are not talking to the folks selling MarketSplash.
The company who is doing the "mine" project really, really gets it. He said, "If you don't want to invest in IT capability don't get into variable data printing." It's hard, complicated and has many new things to deal with.
Infoprint has the right DNA for the Cloud. They come from a tradition of database publishing in large organizations. VDP, at scale, is database publishing. It was always database publishing. It always will be database publishing. Web pages are database publishing. Database publishing is the area of explosive growth. Ground > Cloud > Print.
They didn't grow up in the advertising bubble. Their roots are in Print as Infrastructure. Print as infrastructure is exactly the most interesting opportunity. Print-as-advertising is only going to be fun at the middle or the bottom of the pyramid.
A sustainable model for MPS has been working in Brazil. As I understand it, no charge for boxes. Pay for page printed.
Oce gets it. The person I spoke to has the clear vision for the US market. Now it's only a matter of focus. If they get it right, their biggest problem is going to be supplying equipment when the landscape tips. The remaining problem is a legacy top of the pyrmid focus. Makes sense to nurture legacy business, but once the focus shifts to the bottom of the pyramid it should work.
Xerox has around 800 Premier Partners around the world. A significant number have Igens. If they can figure out how to get them to all play nicely together and get real value from the network in the form of a baseline of predictable work, that network could be energized a lot faster than anyone thinks.
Great salespeople can sell stuff. I spoke to an Igen salesman who is doing fine. My bet is that if he were running the sales program AND could figure out how to turn what he does into a system, they would all do fine.
Selling teams work. The problem is that the boss has to be willing to share the profits to incent the teams. The one printer I heard about has teams of a "hunter, an inside person and a business development person."
The way to handle tech support is to run the new equipment in the PSP location for a couple of days. That should manage the "This box can't do my work" blablaba. Plus it would mean a lot more efficient tech support going forward. The most reasonable model would be to form independent tech support regional teams with excessed or soon to be excessed employees.
Free advice to commercial printers
The first thing to put on that blank sheet of paper is your customer list. Don't think about "new business" or becoming a market solution provider. Maniacal focus on your present customer list, making your order intake - manufacturing - delivery - billing process as efficient as possible. It's about incremental improvement, done in real time, not corporate time.
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