Managed Print Services - Dressed Up and Ready to Compete - What Do You Think? Part V

PART V - What Do You Think? How Will You Respond?

In this series, “Dressed Up and Ready to Compete - What Do You Think?” we'll look at some "MPS" indicators and market directions so that we can address the questions... or at least be aware of what's taking place.

Just one more sign that the OEM's are pushing down stream. Let's hope your part of their solution?

Ricoh completes Infotec and Ikon integration


"Ricoh UK announced yesterday that it has officially completed the integration of both the Infotec and Ikon businesses and brands into the parent company....................................Read More

http://www.graphicrepro.co.za/asp/news_long.asp?nid=15519

So last week, in Part IV of this series, “What Do You Think; How Will You Respond”, we continued our discussion about MPS, switching our attention to HP and their latest announcement , and now let's see how Ricoh is making progress. OOce and their move or should I say realignment in the MPS space. So now is it any surprise that the discussion is now moving down channel? Not to me. The MPS space is changing, shaping up...whatever you want to call it and we all need to be aware of the moves; positioning taking place with the big boys and how we're each positioning our own companies.

Personally, I'm excited about all the new opportunity and I think you should be too. It’s a big market with plenty of room to play, if you’re dressed up and ready to compete. But please, if you’re an HP dealer, Xerox channel dealer or Oce partner, etc., do not get caught thinking that they are out to protect their channel. They are all redefining their channels and you may just not be part of that new direction.



I'm just not waiting around to see what's next. I can't afford to...can you? HP, like Xerox, like Dell and the others have all come to play. The "channel" will be redefined and each will have aggressive divisions going direct. This is not going to make things easier for us Independents. But hey, please pick me; make me part of your strategic plan. But just in case, I’m goanna have my own strategy. And here's the truth...and a great one at that. There is "Strength in Numbers", distributed reach and leveraged expansion? Remember, it’s the Power of the Independent: Local Dealers - National Solutions.



So what's the plan? We all dressed up and ready to compete? I’m just asking the questions. I think this is an important topic; this is not going to go away and we need to be asking hard questions and getting positioned as Independents to answer the threat and capitalize on the opportunities.