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PREDICTIONS
Steve Mitchell
Group Product Marketing Manager,
KYOCERA Document Solutions
“While mobility and BYOD feels like old
news to the industry, it will continue to be
a key topic for customers and verticals in
2015, as access to digitised documents on
the move becomes even more important.
Likewise, workflow and document
management systems that give channel
partners key insight into their customers’
business processes will be big news.
“At KYOCERA we expect to continue
to see a rise in customisation – bespoke
solutions for key customers to improve
the user interface. We’re also predicting a
continued focus on A4 MFPs with improved
functionality and software capabilities and
of course some significant product launches
from KYOCERA!”
Bob Davies
Commercial Director,
Integra Office Solutions
“3D print is an exciting sector in which
we anticipate real growth in 2015/2016.
However, the majority of dealers will not
yet be aware of the opportunities or target
audience. Suppliers in this sector need to be
more proactive to educate dealers.
“One concern would be that MPS
specialists will continue to erode dealers’
business. MPS at dealer level is realistically
only an opportunity for larger resellers with
the infrastructure to implement it. Dealers
need an MPS ‘champion’ within their
business and a will to change the way they
go to market.
“Regarding toners and ink, OEMs
still have 75-80% of the market. The
conversion of core OEM is still very slow and
remanufacturers are increasingly fighting
for the same 20-25% of the market. As a
consequence, price has become the key driver
in the re-man sector. Quality remanufacturers
are disappearing, leaving the premium
brand leader as Xerox. Because the OEM
market share is so large, there's still a huge
opportunity for remanufactured toners.
“Printers remains a very competitive
sector, as copier and printer companies
are now targeting the same market.
Hardware deals are always available, with
users increasingly looking at total cost of
ownership. Dealers should always look
for tangible ‘all-in' deals e.g. Samsung’s
cashback deals and five-year FOC service
support or Canon’s range of cashback deals,
educational support and special prices.”
Phil Jones
Managing Director,
Brother
“The workplace will become more
community-based and democratic, with
a focus on mindfulness and wellbeing.
Psychology and Neuroscience will increase
its penetration into the workplace under
employee engagement initiatives as
organisations look to retain talent, create
more agile working cultures and adapt to
the growing number of millennials in the
workplace.
“CSR transitioning to Citizenship: 2015
will see business leaders put a greater
focus on corporate citizenship aligned with
employee recruitment and retention, in
addition to hygiene factor responsibilities.
As the battle for talent hots up, a greater
spotlight will fall on an organisation’s
purpose and meaningful impact in
communities aligned with key causes.
“As our population ages and people
look to make new choices about how and
when they work, more businesses will move
to flexible workforce models, with full-time
employees moving to part-time (contracted)
or self-employment. This will provide multiple
benefits around retention, flexible scaling
up and down, employee satisfaction, as well
as providing capacity for new workers or
apprentices.
“The channel will continue to see lots
of merger and acquisition activity. Key
players will want to ‘bolt on’ new portfolio
businesses or de-cost acquisitions for market
penetration, competitiveness and growth.
Large players with outdated business models
or cost structures will continue to find
conditions challenging as margins remain
under pressure.
“Distributors and wholesalers will
continue to transition and transform their
offerings to shore up the cost plus margin
model, with an emphasis on services and
value. For some, this means further focus
on ‘specialism’ and for others it will mean
continued expansion of direct business
models either via ‘white labelled’ services or
vertical supply from OEM to end user.
“The drive to services will continue with
recurring and repeatable business models
more favoured over transactional models.
Vendors particularly will drive the agenda
and focus time, effort and resources on
channel partners who want to expand their
capability in this area.
“Almost everything will be assumed to
be available to purchase ‘as a service’, which
creates a lot of opportunity for existing
transactional-led product portfolios and for
re-thinking business models.
“The whole world is becoming polarised
between lowest cost operators and premium.
The market will continue to polarise with
either low-cost or high-value players coming
out on top. The squeezed middle will be the
casualties between the volume and value
providers. This will put pressure on business
models and also highlight any skills gaps in
resellers who aren’t in a state of readiness.
“Vendors with direct sales forces will
accelerate their march from the saturated
enterprise space into the SME market to
grow revenues.”
The whole
world is
becoming
polarised
between
lowest cost
operators
and
premium.
Printers
remains
a very
competitive
sector, as
copier and
printer
companies
are now
targeting
the same
market.
Steve Mitchell, Group Product Marketing
Manager, KYOCERA Document Solutions
Phil Jones
Managing Director,
Brother
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