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Showing posts with label Konica Minolta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Konica Minolta. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

#KoinicaMinolta's Sharp Pivot From Profitability: A $800 Million Reversal of Fortune a


When financial forecasts take a U-turn: Konica Minolta in the spotlight.

Greg: Please explain in the simplest manner, this content: 

The company expects to breach one of the clauses of financial covenants in syndicated loan agreements due to the revised forecasts. However, they have obtained consent from all relevant financial institutions not to request the company to forfeit the benefit of time due to this breach.

ChatGPT:

In very simple terms:

The company has borrowed money from several banks, and as part of the agreement, they promised to meet certain financial targets. Because of the changes in their financial forecasts, they expect to break that promise.

Greg's Words
 
Sure, an $800 Million net loss is bad.  And yes, adjusting DOWN is very bad.

But is anyone surprised?  

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Industry Consolidation: A Bruce or Caitlyn Jenner Moment?

On July 30, 1976, American Bruce Jenner wins gold in the decathlon at the Montreal Olympics. His 8,617 points set a world record in the event.

Previously identifying publicly as male, Jenner revealed her identity as a trans woman in April 2015, publicly announcing her name change from Bruce to Caitlyn in a July 2015 Vanity Fair cover story.

Everything changes, baby that's a fact - when we refuse to see the impact of the shift, we call it 'disruption'. Worse, if we misread the writing on the wall, becoming overly optimistic, expectations do not meet reality. Disappointment ensues.
There's so much to say about the consolidation movement going on in our little niche but if you ask me, the future is neither bright nor dark - it is simply the way it was always meant to be.

For years Xerox has been buying up dealerships.  Lexmark sold out to a communist country. The toner-dudes jumped to one big ship. Ricoh assimilated Ikon, Canon did Oce, Konica Minolta ate Muratec and ECi is forming the Galactic Empire, collecting software like so many green M&M's.

How will all this impact the everyday salesperson?  How about contracts, sales, and service managers?  Perhaps a radical makeover is in around the corner?

See Your Future in the Past - 

When automotive robots started painting vehicles, some saw this as the end of labor.  The machine possessed advantages over their human predecessors - no vacation, no sick time, or union squabbles with consistent performance.  Formidable, but we survived.

When the PC/Word processor began to erode typewriter sales, receptionists around the globe disappeared within a decade, and we survived.

When Bruce turned into Jennifer, we survived.

We envision the future as we see ourselves: perhaps through the lens of July 1976, or from the perspective of April 2015.  Which is better? Time will tell.

When the world looks back on the Age of Paper, protests, and pontifications lamenting its passing will be nothing more than a footnote.

All I can suggest is in a turbulent world,  knowing who you are, is paramount.


Wednesday, May 13, 2015

HIMSS 2015 and Print(?)


HIMSS is a national, yearly show promoting technology in healthcare put on by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. One can find providers for everything from hospital beds to billing software; from business intelligence to prescription printing.

When I first heard that my new company was attending the HIMSS conference in Chicago, even though I wasn’t even officially yet a member of the team, I elbowed my way into the fold. It was to be the company’s first appearance, which is both odd and timely. You see, we specialize in healthcare and have built solid book of business and stellar reputation in the niche, so it seemed a natural occurrence.

This year, the show hosted thousands of exhibitors and many thousands of attendees – at times it seemed every bus, taxi and hotel in Chicago was inhabited with HIMSS people. The locals were at a loss to explain the sudden spike in population. It gave me great pleasure to explain the show over deep-dish and beer — how every healthcare technology provider in the realm, from software to beds and nursing stations was planting a stake in the ground.

I expected HIMSS to deliver more than any of the shows I typically attend — which it did. If I combine the shows I’ve attended over the past 36 months, HIMSS blows them all away. In scope, in depth and scale of solutions, the event is a tidal wave of technology goodness.

The biggest draws were the software providers, yet a small contingent of managed print services providers managed to land a spot or two.

I knew PrinterLogic was attending and figured the OEMs would be there plying their solutions, but didn’t expect to see any more of the usual suspects. This expectation was proven correct with one surprising exception: FlexPrint.

Who was at HIMSS:

Xerox, Ricoh, Konica Minolta, Lexmark, Canon, Samsung and HP were displaying workflow, scanning, and mobile print. Only Lexmark placed “MPS” on their marquee, but even they had to track down the MPS person.

Konica Minolta has a nifty, Troy-like prescription print solution. Samsung had copiers, scanning, and with the help of Ringdale, follow-me print.

Biggest impressions:

IBM

It’s no wonder Big Blue commands attention. The booth was always filled and comprised of multiple solutions — not a printer in sight. The future is all about intelligence and healthcare presents an almost insurmountable amount of raw data. Churning through streams of live metrics and discerning a plan of action is front and center of IBM’s strategy.

Imaging OEMs

Lexmark, Xerox, HP, and Ricoh have sizable portfolios of healthcare solutions. Primarily supported by their direct teams, each is betting heavily on healthcare as a growth area.

FlexPrint

I was surprised to hear that FlexPrint was exhibiting – a familiar entity in a sea of strangeness. The ladies of the booth were amicable, posing for pictures and everything, although they saw me as a competitor.

They were there representing the copier niche as a national provider of managed print services. Commendable.

PrinterLogic

Over the past 12 months, I have shared all I know about this company. I’ve banged the drum and tried to explain to copier dealers the overwhelming significance of this specific offering within an advanced MpS practice. No takers. It is my contention that this sophisticated and elegant solution neutralizes one of the most frustrating managerial issues IT departments face. My opinion isn’t based on a training session or marketing material – paying clients, more than one, have expressed this to me. Enough said. If you’re interested, googlitize PrinterLogic.

What can we learn - three things:

1. In healthcare, print isn’t the most crucial issue, but it is important. For most, finding ways to eliminate inefficient paper-based processes is primary.

2. Our OEMs are small players in this ecosystem.

3. There is little room for an indirect channel. The expertise required is deeper than equipment surveys and toner delivery. Basic MPS engagements in healthcare are living on borrowed time.

Personal Observations:

When I think about MPS practices and copier dealers selling into the healthcare niche, I am concerned. For all the training and customized solutions the OEMs bring to the channel, they seem to barely simply scratch the surface – the print environment is more that simply print servers and cues. There is a world of CITRIX print

Print is a topic of discussion - it was odd, most of our OEMs were talking about digital workflow while the rest of the vendors were talking follow-me print. I spoke with more than a few attendees about follow-me/PIN/cloud/mobile print solutions. Other than access to the network, the biggest concern I heard was errant print jobs remaining, unclaimed, in the output tray. They were shocked to hear this solution has been around since the early 2000s.

Without ringing the doom and gloom bell, again, I’ve seen a slice of the healthcare universe the indirect channel doesn’t know about. I was completely overwhelmed by the relatively insignificant position our OEMs hold – they aren’t the “big boys” in this field.

The opportunity is huge, but the commitment is bigger – three days of technical training and a day of sales classes will not prepare you for the multi-faceted, extremely dynamic nature in healthcare.

My recommendation is to secure as many contracts as possible with clinics, hospitals and networks providing toner and service only. Don’t try to play in the software arena – the existing providers are seasoned, clients savvy and you’ll find yourself competing with your OEM. Get in there and grab the clicks for as long as you can.

Original post, here.



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Greg Walters, Incorporated
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