Basic HTML Version
www.printit
reseller
.co.uk
Print.IT Reseller 05
FM Brooks, part of the Mack Brooks
Exhibitions Group, has launched a new
exhibition for industrial print technologies,
such as 3D printing, rapid prototyping,
digital inkjet printing and decorative
surface imaging.
Taking place on November 13-14 in Cologne,
Germany, InPrint 2013 will be based on the
same collaborative approach as EcoPrint 2012,
prioritising education exchange on a strategic level
for both manufacturing processes and businesses
that serve the industrial sector.
Marcus Timson, director of FM Brooks, said:
“We’re very pleased to be launching a new show
dedicated to the industrial printing sector. For
future print technologies and technical print,
whether inkjet or screen, there is currently no
dedicated event and community that connects
technological innovators with strategic
industrial decision makers and pioneering print
entrepreneurs. This gap will now be filled with the
launch of InPrint 2012.”
www.inprintlive.com
Japanese-owned technology multinational,
Brother, has appointed Phil Jones to head
its UK business operations.
In April, Jones took over operational
responsibility for the 180-strong Manchester-
based company from Hiroshi Miura, who is
returning to Japan after four and a half years as
UK managing director.
In his new role as UK Country Head and
Deputy Managing Director, Jones will lead
Brother’s strategy and commercial operations,
reporting to the Managing Director of Brother
International Europe who will also assume the UK
MD statutory functions.
Phil Jones has been with Brother for 18 years
and is a respected figure in the IT industry and
broader business community.
He was awarded the Institute of Directors’
North West Director of the Year title in 2010 and is
a regular speaker and blogger on innovation, the
environment and business leadership.
In his spare time, Phil is a keen road cyclist
and writes one of the UK’s most popular blogs for
newcomers to the sport at
www.race-pace.net
.
Print is “alive and well”
in Europe says IDC
Renewed interest in Green IT is presenting
new opportunities for printer resellers by
driving demand for energy-efficient devices
in small and medium-sized businesses
(SMEs), claims IDC.
Speaking at Brother’s pan-European press event
held in Berlin on April 18 (see page 25), Arnaud
Gagneux, IDC Director of Imaging, Hardcopy and
Document Solutions, pointed out that despite the
harsh economic climate, print is “alive and well” in
Europe.
According to IDC, 66% of SMEs in Europe say
they plan to invest in new printer hardware, with
just one third postponing printer purchases. The
outlook in the UK is slightly less promising with just
over 40% of SMEs surveyed putting off investment.
Gagneux suggests that investment decisions are
strongly influenced by rising energy prices.
“This year, sustainability and green IT have
moved back to the top of the agenda and this is
driven by the cost of energy. Energy savings is the
Number 1 reason why small businesses are looking
at and buying energy-efficient products,” he said.
Six out of 10 (61%) SMEs said it was important
or very important to senior management to reduce
their environmental impact through Green IT
compared to less than 1% who said it was not
important at all (source:
IDC Green IT Survey
,
September 2011, UK, France, Germany, Spain).
As well as buying the latest energy-efficient
printers, SMEs are trying to save energy by
replacing single function devices with multifunction
products. According to IDC research, in the last
two years the number of mono and colour MFPs
installed in SMEs has grown by 21% and 20%
respectively, with the number of A3 models rising by
14%. Over the same period, the number of single
function inkjet printers has declined by 19% and
the number of wide format printers by 11%.
Gagneux rubbishes the idea that print volumes
are declining, citing a series of factors that are
driving an increase in printing in SMEs, from more
rigorous compliance requirements and legislation
to the transition to in-house colour printing and the
growth of mobile printing.
He suggests that greater use of easy-to-use
consumer handheld devices and cloud services in
the workplace will lead to an explosion of data,
which will have a knock-on effect on print volumes.
“Mobile printing reduces email printing but
it also makes important documents available to
more people more of the time and they are being
printed,” he said.
Almost six out of 10 companies (57%) in France,
the UK and Germany surveyed by IDC say that
greater availability of data on handheld devices has
not led to a reduction in print.
IDC’s snapshot of the Irish business market
(
IDC IT Trends in Ireland
, September 2011)
shows that two thirds of businesses are already
supporting/evaluating support for iPhones
(57%/8%), Blackberrys (60%/4%) and Android
devices (47%/17%). Employee ownership of the
respective devices are 40%, 37% and 33%.
Another key growth area, says Gagneux, is
managed print services. IDC has predicted that
from 2010-2015 demand for Basic Print Services
(auditing, fleet optimisation, installation and
reports) in businesses with 100-499 employees will
enjoy a compound annual growth rate of 17.3% as
the market grows from $1.9 billion in 2010 to $3.7
billion in 2015.
bulletin
In the news
Industrial print gets its
own show
Jones takes command at Brother UK
Showing the way: Arnaud Gagneux of IDC