Canon and Oce to Create Global Leader in Printing Industry.
The money sentence:
Canon and Océ aim to create the overall No. 1 presence in the printing industry;I can't see a reason why they couldn't do it. My only problem is that it sounds like I'm going to have to tender my Oce shares. It was fun while it lasted.
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As a Canon channel partner, We are very excited to see this partnership!
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you. My bet is that Canon+Oce+ QR can invent and deliver just the right product to fill the textbook vacuum in K -12 in the USA.
ReplyDeleteConsider curricular material pulled from the web by the teacher or department head as PDF directly to an MFP.
Then if a particular use pattern occurs take the most popular and print on Oce machines similar to what's going on in Berlin with versioned newspapers.
Sooner or later someone will do it. I'll keep scanning to see exactly where. My bet is that the when is going to be before the end of the Spring semester.
My present bet is that RISO is going to get it right first. But you never know, the other most likely player is the Cannon channel.
Consider the very low cost but very high value added to an MPS contract. The pitch is Buy this box and sign up for the curricular enhancement tool. Then the whole thing is an SaaS implementation that costs the MPS $O, the customer pays as part of the lease agreement.
I would think it's a win-win-win with a low cost to maintain long term revenue stream.
Check out a recent post at the top of blog to see what this looks from the ground up.
BTW, if you think there is anything I can do to help with tweets, blogs and "What you should do is..." it would be my pleasure to contribute to anything that helps with the high school dropout problem. To be very clear : No charge. Just tweeting and blogging.
Over 25,000 US schools currently use (and have for 20 years used) RISO digital duplicators. Not quite that many (but a growing number) are now using RISO high-speed inkjet printers to print color for $.01 to $.03 per page at 90-150 ppm!
ReplyDeleteLow-cost color instructional materials in the classroom? Schools should keep an eye on RISO. Maybe we will have a QR solution in the future(?)
How nice to get some data points to fit my view form 5,000 feet. The data point that you have an addressable market of 25,000 entry points is just what can make this work.
ReplyDeleteSince I saw the announcement of your 1 and 3 cents a copy output device, I've been very sensitive to anything coming from RISO. The articles in OutputLinks coming from RISO about MVTO just confirmed my hypotheses.
Since I'm retired, all I can commit to doing is tweet, blog and kibbutz with "What you should do is.... (See photo at top of blog. )
But within that sphere, please consider me your "evangelist."
To be clear, I look forward to playing the same role for Canon/Oce, HP, or Xerox. The problem that concerns me is mitigating the high school dropout and drug problem. I'm totally vendor agnostic as to who does it.
The issue of QR is, I think the game changer for my interests. Short story here is "Click the homework assignment. If there is no homework assignment to click, mom gets an SMS that has some version of "your kid is acting like a jerk."
Once any mom, at any level of the pyramid knows that jr is acting like a jerk, she'll tell jr. And jr will stop acting like a jerk.
A quick search on the blog will show you I speak
Oops ignore the last sentence of the comment above..just fingers moving faster than proof reading..
ReplyDeleteMichael - You are always a good read. I like Riso looking at QR Codes - they can move faster I believe then some of the larger. What needs to happen is the full embrace by these printers in multi-channel offerings that work well with print for tehir end customers. The interactive component of QR Codes and Augmented Reality make these tech tools a necessity not a "well maybe we will do it approach. Fun Stuff - Happy New Year all!
ReplyDelete- john
@johnfoleyjr
http://ilnk.me/goQR (learn about QR Codes here)
John,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. I sort of agree with "printers embracing multi- channel approaches.", but I must say that I don't think that's where disruptive change is going to come from.
The fact of the matter is the core value of printers is to print.(see blabla in the header of the blog.) All the noise about how they have to reinvent themselves is, in my not so humble opinion, unrealistic goals set by people who don't run printing companies. Or as we might say in Natural Language, Total Bullshit.
My sense is that independent MPS is just right for disruptive change. The margins on boxes is getting lower and lower. There is a general agreement that going forward sustainable revenues come from long term relations.MPS is hiring and growing quickly.
Frankly the independetns are fighting for the lives of their business. The problem they have is similar to the problems the print industry are now just coming out of.
There's lots of talk about MPS. But much of it is in the form of "You have to re-invent yourself and become a blablabla.." The reality is that re-inventing oneself is not a decision. It's a process. First you have to be very good at what you do. Then you have to evolve into a new thing.The survivors of the shake out are very good at what they do. Telling them to do something else is just silly.
The other huge advantage of independent MPS is that they have the right dna and speak the right language. They have no time and less tolerance for bullshit then any other part of the print industry I've ever encountered. (Except for NYC printing brokers back in the day.) to see what I mean check out @artpost or @gregwalters on twitter.
On a more serious note, any independent who is still in business is a successful entrepreneur. If that power is harnessed, disruptive change will come much faster than a global who decides to issue a new directive to its "channels."
If any global who can make it easier and more profitable for independent MPS will get traction. The notion of delivering standards based or open source curricular PDFs as part of a lease deal would have a huge leg up.
As we both know, I think the real jackpot comes when QR and shortened URLS get into the mix. That will create the possibility of independent MPS to sell the high margin deliverable - the spreadsheet that can lead to actionable intelligence.
Can you imagine the buzz if a print based intervention was able to lower the drop out rate say 5%. My bet is that every principle and school board in the States would be calling them to say we want that. And by the way, sure we'll take the copiers too.