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PRODUCTION PRINT
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Resellers on the look-out for new
sources of revenue might do well
to investigate opportunities in
production print. As entry-level
production machines blur the lines
between office and production print
and more businesses bring the colour
printing of marketing material in-
house, demand for light production
machines is on the up.
Gareth Parker, Strategic Marketing
Manager for Production Print, Ricoh, says
growth in the UK and Ireland is being
driven by demand within CRDs and copy
shops for some or all of the following:
n
Technology that reduces the cost of
providing an efficient print service – in
some cases by as much as 50%;
n
A cost-effective entry into digital
printing that could form the basis of
future growth;
n
Entry-level technology that can qualify
for capital funding;
n
More accessible and standardised
technology that improves internal
processes for communicating
information;
n
Technology that strengthens business
agility and is more responsive to
stakeholder/consumer needs, in
particular the ‘want it now’ mentality;
n
Technology that carries a rapid service
response to maximise machine uptime;
n
Quick, onsite production of full colour
marketing materials;
n
The production of better quality support
material;
n
Much faster job turnaround times;
n
Significantly improved customer
service for users, especially students in
education; and
n
Printing processes that are more
productive and less wasteful.
Adrian Campomanes, European & UK
Product Marketing Business Developer
Professional Print at Canon Europe, is
also seeing clear signs of growth in this
sector, much of it being driven by CRDs
and smaller print shops that want to be
able to offer the same high-end output as
larger production environments, but with
the flexibility to respond quickly and cost
effectively to growing demand for short
print runs.
He said: “A key growth driver is quality,
as this can offer a clear differentiator and a
competitive edge. This is vital in small agile
copy shops and internal print rooms for
Should you start selling entry-level production
devices or could you be biting off more than
you can chew? Here, we look at what the
customer wants, what the reseller needs to
provide and how vendors are satisfying these
requirements.
Opportunities for growth
attracting new customers and in corporate
print environments looking to secure
new business that would otherwise be
outsourced.”
Entry-level production print is a big
growth area for Sharp, too. Stephen
Fieldhouse, Sharp’s Business Unit Director
for Production Printing Systems, said:
“One of the big drivers for this is the wider
adoption of direct mail. Businesses are
moving back to the printed mailpiece to
complement e-campaigns in order to get
a stronger ROI on marketing campaigns.
Variable data printing functionality on
digital presses is enabling targeted
marketing, and personalised collateral
delivers better results. Digital production
print offers a cost effective way for
professionals to bring print back in-house,
reduce costs, improve productivity and
reduce waste.”
Benefits for resellers
Alan Clarke, Production Marketing
Manager (UK/Nordic), Graphic
Communications Business Group, Xerox,
says that growing demand for production
devices gives resellers the opportunity
to increase the diversity and amount of
business they do.
“CRDs/copy shops are looking at
the whole process,” he said. “This gives
the reseller the opportunity to extend
their offering to more than just the light
production device and to differentiate
themselves from other resellers. They have
the opportunity to grow volumes, if they
are able to offer more than office devices,
and do work that would typically be
outsourced and produced on offset. Doing
this would bring in additional click charges
and may lead the customer to upgrade to a
larger device in the future.”
For Parker, the primary benefits of
selling production print devices are the
ability to diversify business offerings
with profitable operating margins; to
strengthen core sales (in cases where
printing is the core business); to maximise
people resources by using extra service
capabilities; to use new applications to
break into new markets; and to lock out
competitors by capturing customers’ print
rooms.
“Secondary benefits are the ability
to capture more total print volume; full
technical support and sales from dedicated
specialists; and the opportunity to gain the
Ricoh production print certificate,” he said.
Businesses
are moving
back to
the printed
mailpiece to
complement
e-campaigns
in order
to get a
stronger ROI
on marketing
campaigns.
Gareth Parker,
Strategic Marketing
Manager ,
Production Print,
Ricoh
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