Getting into WorkFlow

There’s a lot of talk about moving from managed print services into managed IT services. With the competitive landscape as severe as it is today, does it make sense for everybody to simply jump into managing servers, firewalls and network switches? Are you going to build a network operations center and implement a 24/7 help desk?

Odds are, you’re not.

If investing in large amount of infrastructure is not in the cards for you or your dealership, there is one aspect of managed services you should investigate—workflow. I’ve mentioned it before, studying and improving workflow can be a natural step between managed print services and managed services. It’s also a process we’ve been familiar with from the very beginning.

What is workflow? A simple definition is “…a sequence of industrial, administrative, or other processes through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion…”

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013:The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend: Xerox and Ricoh vs. Trolls

Ricoh and Xerox File Action with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office To Combat Patent-Licensing Demands Against Their Customers

MALVERN, PA, May 22, 2013 – Ricoh Americas Corporation and Xerox Corporation today filed a Petition for Inter Partes Review of U.S. Patent No. 
7,986,426 (“the ’426 patent”) at the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). The ’426 patent has become the subject of an aggressive patent licensing campaign by various affiliates of MPHJ Technology Investments who are targeting users of the products of virtually every manufacturer of multi-function imaging equipment, including Ricoh and Xerox.

The campaign by MPHJ’s affiliates, which has focused primarily on small and medium-sized businesses, asserts that the use of multi-function printers in combination with email or network software infringes MPHJ’s ’426 patent and demands a license fee be paid for such use. As part of the Inter Partes Review Petition, Ricoh and Xerox are seeking a ruling from the USPTO that the claims of the ’426 patent are unpatentable and were fully anticipated by various prior art references.
In a joint statement the companies said “Ricoh and Xerox believe that the ’426 patent is invalid, the infringement claims are without merit and the licensing demands of MPHJ are unsupportable. 

Today’s filing demonstrates both Ricoh’s and Xerox’s strong commitment to their customers and authorized dealer networks. If successful, our action will both nullify the ’426 patent and help disable MPHJ’s licensing campaign against our customers. We are confident this is the right action to take to support our customers.”

Ricoh and Xerox will continue to monitor MPHJ’s licensing efforts and will update their customers and authorized dealer networks with any further developments regarding the USPTO’s Review. 

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We covered this, here.

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$HPQ Q2FY13 - More of the Same, except Moonshot...Print total units DOWN 11%

All the words really mean little when compare to the graph.  I'm not picking on HP, I'm just using the largest tech company in the world, the organization which defined office printing, ignored the secular shift, was in then out of tablets, created a Mopier, attempted to fly over the copiers with Hawk and brought Edgeline to life(then killed it, denying the murder for a year) as a barometer for the rest of the imaging niche.

That's all.

For printing, a few things:

Hardware placements are down 11%
"Instant Ink" is the future, according to Meg
Supplies revenue up 2%

As HP goes, so too, does the imaging industry.

To me, a clear indicator of an iceberg ripping through too many compartments, can be seen in these two graphs: Q1 of 2013 vs. Q2 of 2013 -

Q1 2013

Q2 2013

Notice the bottom right and the little red numbers on the left.  Revenue was down 10%.  This after 'new' machines were released and hope kindled anew.

HP will survive, but not in it's current state.  The bright spot seemed to orbit around Moonshot initiative - indeed, if it is all it is cracked up to be, it could be a savior. But Moonshot has little to do with printing.

All Associates Group has data that shows office print decreasing 17% over the past few years.

International paper has been reporting decrease in office paper for almost 7 years now.

From the Photizo conference, last week:

It's tough to see, but the current Industry Revenue trends are at 2009 levels, remaining constant while other indicators like GDP rise.

Is all this bad news?  It depends.  If you've moved beyond MpS and into managed services, you've got a good chance.  If you haven't, don't be fooled by your ability to stay alive - it isn't over.

Managed Services, leaner dealerships, less customers, less money - It's going to be a Jerry Maguire world.

Urslula Burns, 5/12 - "We are now assuming and planning for mid-single digit declines in equipment revenue in the Technology segment.  This is a big change from where we were in the first quarter.  We were thinking that we could hold that to a flat-to-low single digits.  And now I think that is not a realistic expectation."

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IS AN APP WORKFLOW?

In the old days, a standard user interface on every copier was a good thing. User engagement was enhanced because knowledge workers recalled a single interface common to all devices; the duplex button was in the same place on every machine.

Today, apps are being installed on our most ubiquitous device, the copier/MFD/MFP, and changing all this.

In the past, "customizing the user panel" meant administrators had the ability to program jobs into the machine. For instance, when assembling monthly management reports, the job might include three-hole punching, print on both sides, covers and inserts. All these specifications could be recorded and saved, often correlating to a single button. The operator simply placed the originals on the device, touched the correct “saved job” settings button and indicated the number of copies required. After a few minutes, out came the finished job ready for three-ring binders – cover pages, inserts and, sometimes, tabs.

 Get the rest, here.

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