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not coming into the pipeline amongst
an ageing industry. We can expect more
activity around apprenticeships from
vendors and major resellers in the mid-
term.
“
Print trends:
There will be a shift
to multi-function devices from single
function and mono laser to colour laser.
The marketplace continues to speed up
with focus on SME/Enterprise as many
vendors look to secure their print volumes
via promotion of higher value machines.
High volume ink tanks appearing on inkjet
devices to tackle ink loyalty migration with
users. Print on the move or from devices
will continue to grow as an opportunity
using applications or physical hardware
capable of portability. MPS comes down
the stack as a BPS (Basic Print Services)
simplified product proposition will become
mainstream.”
“The huge growth in the BYOD
phenomenon, where workers opt to use
their own smartphones and tablets as their
device of choice to connect to the internet,
continues to have the biggest impact on
the repro market.
“Workers want to take advantage of
their new mobility to be free from the
need to return to a desktop PC for printing
or scanning jobs. Instead they want web
pages, PDFs or photos to be printed straight
from their mobile device to save time and
inconvenience. As a result there is a growing
need to support mobile and cloud printing
via AirPrint (iOS), Mopria (Android 4.4 or
higher), Google Cloud Print, Wi-Fi direct and
popular cloud services such as Google Apps,
Evernote and Microsoft SharePoint.
“Consequently, Develop is including
NFC functionality into most of the new
ineo MFPs for the office, to allow direct
pairing, authentication, touch to print and
touch to scan, with a mobile device.
“These developments offer an excellent
opportunity for the channel to review and
upgrade customer MFD fleets so that they
can support the growth in mobile and
cloud working.
“Workflow solutions which streamline
document processing are also now a key
driver in MFD sales. To meet the demand
from customers for complete software
and hardware solutions Develop has some
excellent document management software
(DMS) solutions that are unique to the
brand.”
“For Duplo, the channel is still potentially
our biggest growth opportunity for the
foreseeable future, not just in 2017.
Predicting the future became a great deal
more difficult after the Brexit vote and the
industry has already faced price increases.
We’re confident that our overall offering
will continue to drive new business gains
and a continued growth for our business.
“We’re also certain that the drive for
systems producing short-run products is
bound to continue this year, with finishing
equipment playing a key role in product
quality and value added. Users want full
automation, easy integration, minimal
wastage and a good return on their
investment. Where print will flourish is
where the output is of a higher quality.
“Companies continue to look at how
they can produce beautifully printed and
finished documents in-house, so the need
for desktop binding solutions for quotes,
prospectus and reports is increasing.
Document security will also continue to
be an increasing talking point in the year
ahead, so we expect the shredder market
to show further growth.”
“At the heart of my predictions for 2017 is
the realisation that business is not getting
any easier. Our dealers have to work harder
and smarter to remain successful in a
tough market.
“Data analytics is going to be a key
part of any business relationship in 2017.
Our dealers and their customers are going
to want to see complex data in a simple
and timely fashion so they can make
well informed business decisions. We are
working with key partners to develop this
capability. We expected the requirement
to be focussed on improving internal
processes and operational aspects of the
business, however in the very competitive
environment we operate, this has also
developed into a very powerful sales tool.
“It seems to be part of a growing
trend that customers know more and
demand more. Perhaps after several years
of MPS, customers are becoming more
knowledgeable and sceptical in the claims
of savings and now seek more information
from the dealer they engage with. This
is reflected in more consultative selling
across all opportunities. At PAE we see
this in requests for reports to feed into
auditing software like Salesdrive, and use
of the PA Assessor as the dealer is driven
by the quest for profitable business and
understanding their customers and their
challenges in even more detail.
“The use of TCO calculations, floor
plans and establishing the workflows of
the customer are more prevalent than ever
before and will continue to grow in 2017,
but it needs to be accessible and easy to
demonstrate the predicted savings are
achieved.
“The growth of cloud-based solutions
from major service management players has
brought improved business management
Our dealers
and their
customers
are going to
want to see
complex data
in a simple
and timely
fashion so
they can make
well informed
business
decisions
...continued
Jonathan Whitworth,
Managing Director,
DSales UK
Jonathan Whitworth
Managing Director
DSales UK
Angela Osborne
Sales Manager, Digital Finishing
and Office Division
Duplo UK
Phil Madders
Managing Director
Print Audit Europe
It seems to be part of a
growing trend that customers
know more and demand more
Where print will flourish
is where output is of a
higher quality
