Sharp "Reading between the Lines"

Sharp Action is the title of a thread on the Print4Pay Hotel forums.  Just today I had the chance to check out the threads from Print4Pay Hotel members.

The thread was started by GMAN (we all know GMAN is good for some juicy news) that BIG News is coming for Sharp Dealers and consider yourself warned!  I love a good rumor just as good as everyone else if not more.  I PM'd (private message) GMAN through the forums and all I'm going to day is "that is it not Sharp's Promotional Plus Pricing".

The one thing that I love about the Print4Pay Hotel forums is that you can "read between the lines" meaning when it comes to Sharp USA I can understand where they are coming from and why they are so aggressive in the US marketplace now.  But the "reading between the lines" comes from other Print4Pay Hotel members that are speculating or hearing someone else on another level.

Vince McHugh writes his own blog at The Connected Copier, if you're following his blog and mine about Sharp and the comments then I believe you are being kept up to date with the recent events of Sharp Corporation.  Every since a Nikkei analyst stated that "Sharp MAY sell it copier division", Sharp USA has been on the defensive, so much so that they've signed some 15 new dealers, instituted a new Promotional Plus pricing program and even had the Chairman of Sharp's Dealer Advisory Council tell Vince that he should stick to selling copiers, this is his statement "I recommend that you focus on your business".  So, here's a Sharp Dealer Owner that is trying to set the record straight because he heard from "Sharp Corporation's top factory executive and Member of the Board that they shared plans for a profitable B2B business".  I agree, that top exec needs to say the right thing and do everything he can to keep the factories running, stating anything else would just keep adding fuel to the fire.

Here's some of the comments from the forums:


I have now been contacted directly (Via my Blog) by the Chairman of the Sharp Dealer Advisory committee and indirectly by Sharp USA via the CDA (Independent Dealer Association). But I have NOT heard Sharp Japan state plainly that they are NOT going to sell their Copier division. Read my The Connected Copier blog post and the comments, then decide for yourself if this is spin or not.

This is GREAT stuff Vince! Way to stand your ground with them and see if JAPAN really does come out with a statement vs protecting the dealer base.

Your points are dead on. Unfortunately it is way beyond even Sharp Corp decision as to what will sell and what wont. If I was a bank that lent a company billions of dollars that I have a very low percentage of getting back (S&P Junk rating)I would be telling them what they needed to sell and what to keep. So you see I believe Its not CDA's decision, its not dealer advisory presidents decision, its not Sharp USA decision, Heck I don't believe its even Sharp Corp Japans decision anymore. Its the bankers baby.

I read your blog today, sorry I missed it but what out of power until the 6th of this week. I find it fascinating that the Chairman of the Sharp Dealer Advisory made a comment, especially when he states that he never reads personal industry blogs. Troy Olson is nothing more than a Dealer Owner, it's obvious that he is drinking the Sharp koolaid. He also believes everything he hears and nothing of what he reads. The news for Sharp Corp is still bad especially with the recent statement that they may not be able to pull it off, and of course a day later Sharp re thought the statement blamed it on interpretation and back off somewhat of their statement.I'm also agreeing with YODA, the banks are now in control to protect their investment.

Good Work

The Sharp Corporation debacle seems to get worse and not better, just the the other day Fitch reported where the cost of insuring Sharp's debt has jumped more than 30-fold since. To give an example on January 4th of 2012 Sharp Corporation Stock was trading at 676 yen, today they are at 157 yen. 

Sharp said in a financial statement on Nov. 1 there was“material doubt” about its ability to survive. It seems that Ming the Merciless (Terry Gou) is back talking to Sharp. Talk is cheap, if Foxconn jumps in, then I believe Sharp will have a fighting chance, no Foxconn to me equals no Sharp down the road.

What I try to do is to "read between the lines", what was stated by Sharp Corporation's top factory exec two months ago, one month ago or even a few weeks ago could change due to how Sharp Corporations finances are worsening day by day.  It was best stated by Yoda on the forums that the Japanese banks will have the final say as to what will be the Sharp of tomorrow, if there is a Sharp of tomorrow.

Don't take it from me, what to see how bad it is, go here

-=Good Selling=-