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DEALER PROFILE
48
Established in 1970, EMS Copiers
is active mainly in Dublin and
Leinster, albeit with a number of
offices across Ireland that allow it to
provide a local service to customers.
The business is led by a management
team of John Cahill, who bought the
business 15 years ago, Sales Manager
John O’Brien, Service Manager
Ken O’Regan and Financial Controller
Brian Kiernan.
Six years ago EMS Copiers made the
decision to switch from being a dual-line
reseller to become a UTAX-only provider
instead – a decision that O’Brien describes
as “wholly positive”.
“We share our plans and goals and are
fully committed to the UTAX offer. In turn,
their support is excellent; they understand
our challenges; and have assisted us in
implementing new ideas to support our
growth. Working cheek by jowl with UTAX,
we’re enjoying success. As a partner they
understand what we’re trying to achieve
and how we’re going to do it,” he said.
O’Brien adds that he is very impressed
with the quality of UTAX products. “From
a maintenance and support perspective,
UTAX products are much more attractive to
us as a business. They deliver a long duty
cycle and long life. Performance in the field
is excellent and, for us, that’s the key thing.
When we’re upgrading MIF, the sales cycle
is a whole lot easier as we’ve got a proven
track record,” he said.
Stellar growth
The economy in the Republic began to
recover two years ago and that helped
usher in a period of stellar growth for the
company. For two years running, EMS
Copiers has been crowned UTAX Partner of
the Year for recording the highest number
of unit sales across all products, including
colour devices and software solutions.
“Recovery wasn’t an overnight sensation;
it was gradual,” explained O’Brien. “We
spotted the signs; the phones started ringing
again and we tooled up to be ready.”
That, he says, included the hiring of
three new field sales people to fulfil EMS’s
mission to win new business. “We matched
our offering to market conditions and put
people in the field. If you’re going to grow
you have to be out there knocking on
doors. It’s as simple as that.”
A year ago EMS expanded its marketing
capability, employing a dedicated in-house
specialist to promote its offer, generate
leads and, most importantly, to assist the
sales force in converting those leads.
“We are incredibly activity-focused,”
said O’Brien. “We know that we’re not
going to convert every potential lead
straight away, but what we’re really good
at is tracking them, categorising them and
ensuring that when they’re ready to buy,
we’re there.”
A brand new website,
.
ie, went live just a few weeks ago and the
firm is now driving traffic to the site using
Google Ad words and monitoring and
Matching its offering to market conditions,
putting more people in the field and a fresh focus
on strategic marketing have seen the Dublin-
based firm grow by 50% in the last 18 months.
EMS Copiers on
growth trajectory
measuring its impact. “We really drill down
into the numbers, to see what works and
where we’re successful. It’s a much more
strategic and cognitive approach and it’s
paying dividends,” explained O’Brien.
SME focus
EMS Copiers’ customer base is mainly
SMEs in and around Dublin and this
focus, says O’Brien, has underpinned the
company’s rapid growth.
“Ireland in the main is a nation of SMEs
and the bulk of our business is conducted
in Dublin. Hence that’s where we have our
head office. In the main, the sales cycle is
shorter, even when delivering a full-blown
MPS solution, as we’re dealing with the
business owner/decision-maker. This is a
contrast to larger enterprises where you
have to sell different benefits to different
people and tailor the message to ensure you
cover all the ‘what’s-in-it-for-me’ bases.”
He added: “Growth has all been
organic to date; there have been no
purchases or acquisitions. But if the right
opportunity came along we would consider
it. We’re very proud to have grown the
business by 50% in the past 18 months.
We are without a doubt one of the fastest
growing MPS providers in the Republic.”
O’Brien is confident EMS Copiers
can continue its upward trajectory and
is looking forward to further growth.
“Unemployment is the lowest in seven
years; the market is really starting to
pick up; and, whereas previously people
were cautious about investing in new
equipment, the mindset is changing,”
he said.
Working
cheek by
jowl with
UTAX, we’re
enjoying
success.
As a partner
they
understand
what we’re
trying to
achieve
John O’Brien,
sales manager,
EMC Copiers
