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EVENTS
Shaun Wilkinson, now in his 10th year
as Managing Director, opened the
conference by thanking delegates for
continuing to support the company.
As
PITR
reported in an earlier issue,
UTAX recorded a turnover of just over
£15 million in the financial year ending
March 2016, representing growth of
over 10 per cent for the sixth consecutive
year. Direct Services which encompasses
service, installation and solutions support,
continues to go from strength to strength
and now accounts for approximately 25
per cent of UTAX’s total UK business.
Wilkinson said: “Our numbers in all
areas of the business continue to outgrow
the market and this growth can only be
achieved with the continued support
and hard work of all our partners, and I
sincerely thank you all for your immense
contribution to our success.”
During his address, he highlighted some
of the key findings from Quocirca’s latest
report on the state of the MPS market in
the UK and Ireland.
Commenting on the survey results, he
said: “These figures show that 30 per cent
of the respondents are still looking for
cost savings, while 70 per cent have seen
the benefits of MPS and are now looking
to consolidate or increase their spend. It
shows that although saving costs is one
of the three biggest drivers in deciding on
an MPS partner it’s also about getting the
right return on investment combined with
predictability of cost and document and
printer security.
“Customers want to single source, and
put all of their costs under one central
contract to reduce the administrative and
IT burden,” he added.
88 per cent of those polled believe that
MPS is important to digital transformation.
“They recognise that an MFP is not just a
print engine, but with the right software
and solutions expertise, it becomes an
integral part of their business,”Wilkinson
continued, adding that with 22 per cent
thinking they are fully leveraging the
functionality of their existing deployments:
“There are massive opportunities for us to
engage with our customers and by selling
the right advice and solution, we can
UTAX hosted over 100 partners at its annual partner conference which took
place on September 13 at Heythrop Park in Oxfordshire
UTAX celebrates success
with partners
company’s 2016 fiscal year.
Lucas reported that over the last four
years, the total size of the market has
remained the same, with total unit sales
set at just under half a million units. “There
has been a steady increase in both A3 and
A4 colour MFP units, although colour A4
printers have remained static, the colour
A4 MFP market has almost doubled over
the four-year period,” he said.
He referenced the fact that UTAX has
made headway in Ireland. Five years ago,
the company didn’t have a reported market
share for the data analysts to comment on,
and it is now ranked number four in the
whole of Ireland based on total volume of
unit sales, Lucas attributed this success to
the incredible work of its small number of
committed Irish dealers.
John Cahill, Managing Director, EMS
Copiers, Dublin, winner of 1,000 Club,
Solutions Club and Partner of the Year
awards said: “Our success is really down
to the fact that we have a very good
working relationship with UTAX, it’s a real
partnership and we’ve managed to get the
results between us. The sector is huge in
Ireland, very competitive and price sensitive
and we have to find the edge. That’s where
UTAX come in, they are quick to respond
and help us get the business. Our UTAX
sales have grown seven-fold in the last
five years. We’re also delighted to see the
launch of more solutions, it’s just what
we need as every sale involves a solution
now.”
“As you can see the market landscape
is changing. Colour is becoming the
norm and a clear shift towards MFPs
means single function devices are less
important,” Lucas continued. “With the
introduction of new product concepts such
as our A4 console devices (the 300, 350
and 400ci) the market opens up further.
Previous installations, based on volume
and copy cost, but not paper size, are no
longer bound to offering A3 devices. This
broadening of the market, alongside the
increase in colour unit sales we expect to
see continuing well into the next financial
year and beyond offers you, our partners,
more potential than ever.”
In conclusion, Lucas said that
combining hardware and software in a
more managed print approach, which
Customers
want to single
source, and
put all of their
costs under
one central
contract to
reduce the
administrative
and IT burden
become an integral part of their business
solution.”
In summary, he acknowledged that
price is, and will remain very important to
customers, but in his opinion the biggest
thing they are looking for is a supplier with
the flexibility, expertise and reputation
to really make a positive impact on their
business. “They want suppliers who can
identity and solve real-life business issues,”
he said.
Pointing to the fact that some
manufacturers are in the process of
splitting their services and hardware
businesses into separate entities, he
argued that by looking at the evidence
from the Quocirca analysis, this is exactly
what customers do not want to see
happening. “I believe this creates great
opportunities for those suppliers who can
offer their customers a complete one stop
shop solution,” he said.
Market analysis
Using research supplied by IDC, Steve
Lucas, from the product marketing team,
presented the latest market data and
competitor analysis of the UK market
over the last four years, to the end of the
Sake Ceremony
continued...
