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“In the face of such change, print and
scanning technology is evolving to help
suppliers meet the needs of customers. At
a basic level, there is seamless integration
with IT and Cloud systems, as well as
mobile technologies. New remote service
capabilities help provide a range of services
and assistance quickly. With the rise of
smarter and more connected devices,
customers will also expect security features
as standard.
“Demanding clarity on how vendors
protect customer information and
documents will become commonplace.
Next year, we may see businesses
rationalise the number of suppliers that are
helping them manage their information
and documents to minimise potential
information leaks.
“In 2016, modern multifunction
devices, document solutions and service
providers will prove to be the critical
links in helping businesses bridge the
worlds of paper and digital efficiently and
securely. Canon’s technology, solutions
and expertise will continue to centre on
helping businesses run document and
business processes that have the capacity
to integrate seamlessly with digital services
such as mobile and Cloud technologies.
Phil Madders,
Managing Director,
Print Audit Europe
“We all know the feeling that we should
take the advent of the New Year as a
prompt to improve something and our
customers are no exception in the quest to
improve their businesses.
“During 2015, we were involved in
more integration projects than ever before.
Our partners were taking all the individual
silos of data they use in their back office
to manage their businesses, looking to
integrate them and wherever possible
automate and streamline processes. Their
objectives clearly being to reduce cost and
increase efficiency.
“In a well-established market, I would
expect this trend to accelerate in 2016
as businesses look to improve their back
office processes, identify and remove
inefficiencies and hidden costs and
accelerate their digital transformation.
“The buzzword we hear most is
‘leakage’ – the phenomenon of revenue
draining away due to lack of visibility or
gaps in processes, ranging from double-
handling meter readings to managing
just-in-time delivery on toner fulfilment.
“We find ourselves delivering data
integrated directly into the billing process,
service management and shipping
functions of the business, achieved by
partnering with other software developers
or through our own solution offerings. The
focus clearly being on eradicating leakage.
“A game-changing prediction for 2016
is the way MPS will be billed. At present,
everything seems to be wrapped up into
a cost per page contract to supply any
MPS Solution. We all know the pressure
of the competitive market we work in –
falling print volumes, lower click charge,
lower hardware cost and free professional
services. It is hard to maintain a reasonable
margin.
“There is also a contradiction at the
heart of MPS offerings that stands out
like the proverbial sore thumb – MPS
broadly offers customers the benefit of
cost reduction. The headline-grabbing,
deal-closing Killer App is usually involved
in reducing things – the number of
devices, the number of emails printed in
colour, 30% of costs … and so it goes
on. Whilst this might please the customer,
it is completely the opposite of what the
supplier’s objectives are regarding their
overall business. This contradiction needs
to be re-aligned, so both customers and
suppliers are moving together with shared
objectives – reducing volumes and costs,
and improving processes.
“My prediction for 2016 is that there
will be a rethink on the current billing
model. Ideas like seat-based billing
adapted from the corporate IT market and
familiar through models like Office 365
and Salesforce will start to be developed
for MPS provision. It has clear advantages
by aligning customers and suppliers
in a model where any savings and
improvements in efficiency reward both
parties. It provides a clear pricing structure
to the end user and protects the margin for
the supplier.
“Of course, as software developers,
we also have to develop product offerings
to support the demand for flexibility and
low-cost subscriptions matching these
new developments. In a market exposed to
concepts like the circular economy on the
manufacturing side and the collaborative
economy on the consumer side, it is hard
to see the status quo lasting indefinitely.
“Without a doubt, we are in the middle
of a transformation of the MPS market as
we know it. It remains to be seen at what
pace change progresses and who can keep
up with it and how.”
Shaun Wilkinson,
Managing Director,
UTAX (UK) Ltd
“As the way we all work changes, so
too does the way we print and manage
documents, which makes it an exciting
time for those dealers who are able to
think outside the box.
“The need for maximum connectivity,
the ability to print and access documents
from a raft of different devices and
integration of digital workflows with
Cloud-based storage will only grow.
Dealers that really embrace this culture
change and shift their mindset away from
selling boxes towards delivering solutions
will thrive.
“Buzz words in business at the
moment include digitalisation, productivity
and collaboration, all of which can be
delivered by dealers delivering the full
gamut of managed print and document
workflow solutions available to them. Fully
customisable app-based software such
as the UTAX HyPAS platform will become
the bedrock of everything an MFP can do,
thanks to the likes of time-saving one-
touch rules-based printing, collaboration
on documents from anywhere at any time
and touchscreen-controlled scanning
of documents into cost-effective digital
workflows.
“Dealers have a greater opportunity
to add value to print and document
management than they have ever had
before, especially through the integration
of user-specific software, which enables
solutions to be introduced into an end-
The buzzword
we hear most
is ‘leakage’
– the
phenomenon
of revenue
draining away
due to lack
of visibility
or gaps in
processes
...continued
Phil Madders,
Managing Director,
Print Audit Europe
Francis Thornhill,
Product Marketing
Manager,
Canon
Europe
continued...
