MFP Weekend Industry Notes

According to Jim Thumma, CP of Optical Image Technology, here are the top ten challenges to implementing electronic content management programs:

- Budgeting inadequately, as most do not include necessary funds for:
- planning, consulting, designing, testing, implementing, training, evaluating and improvement
- professional services fees for customization
- staff resources
- temporary staffing for back file conversion
- ongoing training expenses
- Failing to see things through from start to finish
- Dropping the ball, by not following plan
- Staffing inadequately, by not putting extra resources in place during implementation
- Interrupting with 1001 questions
- Cutting corners that compromise system performance
- Poor communication

The City of Troy, New York, announced it is implementing document management technology to reduce paper usage, and improve record keeping in its police department. It hopes to save several thousands of dollars, and eliminate the printing of 315,000 pieces of paper annually.

- Insufficient training
- Inadequate testing
- Insufficient backup and disaster recovery planning

MWAi announced it is launching a new program to allow independent dealers to offer a nationwide managed print services program. The MWAi National Managed Print Services (nMPS) program will allow a dealer to access a network of 3,000+ technicians across the country, to service and supply printers, with ability to see call activity real-time, manage pricing, as well as open and close service calls on a common industry ERP.

According a survey of law firms conducted by Mattern & Associates:- Average charge to clients for outgoing fax was $1.17 per page
- Average cost for a color copy of $0.81 per page
- Average cost for a color print of $0.78 per page
- Average cost for a b/w print of $0.18 per page
- Average cost for phone consultation was $0.12 per minute
- Firms that capture data from local printers versus network printers increased from 38% to 50%
- Total output from printers and copiers increased by 7% year over year
- Fax volume decreasing, but replaced by increased scanning volume
- 26% now charging for scans
- Color output is now considered standard, and no longer only for marketing

PayNet Inc. reported that small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) with accounts behind 180 days or more, and unlikely ever to be paid, rose 0.91% in November from 0.87% in October. This is the 22nd consecutive monthly increase in loans so far in arrears they ultimately may have to be written off by lenders.

A company that specializes in selling used copiers claims its business is booming. Copiers Refurbished Inc., run by Randy Mecheles, leases used copiers on a 24 month to 48 month term with $1.00 buyout at end of term. The company sells over the Internet, and charges $425 to ship anywhere in the U.S. However, do they tell customers that they must find a local dealer to service it for them once it arrives?

Memjet, the company that has been promising a high speed color inkjet copier, announced it has hired a new executive. Len Lauer, former COO of Qualcomm, will be the new Memjet President and CEO, working out the San Diego office. (Memjet has 2,600patents related to technology developed by Mr. Kia Silverbrook of Australia)

Apple Computer is estimated to have sold 3.3 million Mac computers during last quarter. This breaks an all time sales record of 3.05 million Mac’s during the previous quarter, or a 31% increase year over year. In contrast, worldwide computer sales are only up 2.3% in units.


Sony Corp.’s Vice Chairman, Ryoji Chubachi, was quoted in Business Week magazine as saying that the country of Japan may face a second recession. “There’s a risk of a double-dip recession. For companies, the most difficult position to be in is when prices keep dropping and demand doesn’t increase.”


Apple also plans on launching its new tablet computer in March, according to the Wall Street Journal, and it will have a 11” touch screen full color LCD

Xerox, which is trying to increase sales of its wax copier, the ColorQube, recently revealed that it used HyperWorks software from Altair ProductDesign Inc. of Troy, Michigan, to design the print engine in the ColorQube.

One company sues another over a printer. Wet Enterprises of Sun Valley, CA, best known for designing the water fountains in Las Vegas casinos, sued Bren Instruments of College Grove, TN claiming that the company misrepresented the capabilities of an $18,000 color label printer. Bren countersued for $1.5 million, claiming that the lawsuit caused damaged the company’s reputation.

Care New England Healthcare System awarded a document management solution bid to The SSI Group Inc. Details:
- healthcare firm was printing more than 47,000 reports per year
- total of 1,915,861 pieces of paper per year
- average cost per impression of 3.2 cents
- claims to be now saving up to $100,000 per year

Tekgraf, a distributor of wide format systems, abruptly closed its doors on 12/16/2009. The company provided HP, Epson, Canon and other color inkjet systems to dealers across the U.S. Last year, the company had moved to a much larger, more expensive facility in South Carolina.

4 men were arrested in Bensalem, Pennsylvania for making fake $20 bills using a color copier. Jesse Velez, Edward Casigne, Scott Bolden, and Avery Fitzpatrick were caught when they used the fake money to purchase over $1500 worth of electronics at a local Target. The men are now in Bucks County jail in lieu of $500,000 bail, and facing up to 45 years in prison.

Predictions from document management analyst, Francois Ragnet about future of documents:

- Documents will be stored in a Cloud, via players like Google, Microsoft, Adobe or Amazon.
- Paper consumption will continue to decrease significantly for green and financial incentives.
- Electronic book readers (eReaders) will become ubiquitous for specific usages. Paperback books will become the exception.
- Formats of electronic documents will become increasingly standardized.

Panasonic is being sued by a dealer that it cancelled. The case will be heard in Sacramento, where a dealer named JRS Products, was apparently cancelled by Panasonic, when the company found out it was selling remanufactured versions of toner cartridges that worked with Panasonic printers, MFPs and fax machines.

Plymouth County, Iowa, announced it will attempt to implement a paperless court system. Attorneys, judges, clerks of court and support staff will receive training in the first 90 days on scanning and searching procedures. If the test is successful, the state hopes to launch in other counties.


Hewlett Packard announced it has appointed John Solomon as Senior Vice President over its printer/MFP division for the Asia/Pacific and Japanese markets, reporting to Vyomesh Joshi.

Kyocera announced it will conduct a road show across the U.S. to promote its new managed print services program, and use Steve Rolla (Print Management Solutions Group of Florida) as its keynote speakers.

Lexmark announced it offer a new embedded solution for its MFPs with color LCD touch screens. It will offer AutoStore Document Capture from Notable Solutions Inc. (NSi)

The Australian State Public Health Department, awarded a $750,000 document management solution bid to Kofax Corp.

According to a document on Hewlett Packard’s website, the average cost to print a letter-size, two-sided color page on its OfficeJet Pro series of printers, is a whopping 64 cents per page.

According to Lyra Research, the wide format printer market declined 19.1% in the last year.

According to survey conducted by The Forrester Group, 22% of respondents prefer using Microsoft SharePoint for its electronic content management (ECM) capabilities, and 52% said it will replace their existing ECM system.

Direct Color Systems Inc. launched the Millenium 700, which can produce a full color plastic name badge in 25 seconds. Purchase price, and cost per card were not announced.

A copier dealer buys an IT company. Loffler Companies, a Konica Minolta, Canon & Kyocera dealer, announced it has acquired Techies IT. Founded by Robert Stephens, of Best Buy’s Geek Squad fame, Techies IT had 100 business customers, and $2 million in annual revenue of managed IT services. Loffler is owned by Jim Loffler of Minneapolis, MN, and has annual revenues of $50 million with 300 employees.

Ricoh announced that its Senior Product Marketing Manager for Wide Format, Linda Maxwell Allen, has left the company.

The City of McKinney, Texas, awarded a managed print services contract to Marimon, Inc., a local dealer.

A dealer wins a document management bid in Pennsylvania. Altek Business Systems, using Kodak scanners and DocuWare software, won a contract from Penn Stainless Products Inc., a stainless steel producer and distributor.

Supplies Network announced it has hired Doug Johnson as Senior Vice President. Mr. Johnson has spent last 3 years developing the CARBON SiX managed print services program.

A company named “Readius” claims it will launch an unfurling, scroll-like, screen-based electronic book reader.

-=Good Selling=-