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Sunday, November 23, 2008

Xerox and The Magic Paper -

"Re-usable" paper -

Recently, from an article in Newsweek, I read about Xerox and magic.

Magic Paper. To be precise - ultraviolet light paper.

Sophie Vanderbroek, who I wrote of back in May, presents this paper by writing an 'x' with an ultraviolet light pen and the 'x' appears - then she heats the paper with a hair dryer and the 'x' dissolves; just like the old Xerox logo...

It's another effort by Xerox to someday help people conserve paper because the Magic Paper is reusable.

Says Sophie, ""We're the company that created information overload," For years everyone one has talked about the paperless office,but as most of us know, consumption of paper has increased 40 percent. "We're looking for radical solutions [by] asking ourselves, 'What does it mean to be radically green?' " Vandebroek says.

Here's the "411" on the technology behind the Magic Paper -

"The paper developed by Xerox includes photochromic compounds (such as spiropyran) which exhibit heliochromic properties. That is, they darken when exposed to U.V. radiation and fade in the absence of U.V. light. Photochromic compounds are used in the manufacturing of certain sunglasses due to their ability to darken and regain their transparency quickly. However, a distinct difference from sunglasses is that Xerox’s erasable paper can remain darkened for many hours. The U.V. light source, called a light bar, is integrated into a printer which illuminates specific parts of the erasable paper, creating the desired text or image on the paper. The printer can also erase the paper using a different wavelength—making the paper reusable..."

It's all About the Molecules -

The paper contains specially-coded molecules that create a print after being exposed to ultraviolet light emitted from a thin bar in a printer. The molecule readjusts itself within 24 hours to its original form to delete the print, or heat can readjust the molecule instantly. The molecule was developed by Xerox - Agam Shah, Techworld

And It's all About Being Green to Make Green -

In an expanding effort for companies to "out green" each other it looks like all things business can be "Greenified" - and all green projects will save money.

From the Newsweek article -


"Some of the savings arise from pretty simple stuff. Instead of giving each worker a desktop printer, for example, companies can consolidate and use networked printers. They'll install multifunction machines that can replace separate printers, copiers and fax machines. Another trick: create a print-on-demand system for brochures, forms and other corporate literature, to avoid printing up thousands of copies and storing them until they are needed—or thrown out when they're not. Owens Corning outsourced its print operations to Xerox and saved $1.5 million a year by adopting a print-on-demand strategy. Its system now lets building contractors go online to print customized brochures about Owens Corning products. That saves money for Owens Corning and also lets contractors deliver material that's tailored to each customer..."

"I'm in a funny business—I'm looking for ways that companies can print less," says John Kelly, president of global services at Xerox. "Printing is not going to go away, but we think you have to print more efficiently, and when you do print, print stuff that's relevant. We know that if we do that we can continue to grow."

And Wall Street agrees, "We care about how it positions them competitively, and customers are asking for it. So at the very least it's good marketing," says Shannon Cross, analyst at Cross Research, an independent stock-research firm.

The biggest reason that green solutions are popular is that they're really about saving money, says Angèle Boyd, analyst at researcher IDC. "Frankly, what the customer is benefiting from is a reduction in cost, but at the same time they get the benefit of a reduction in their carbon footprint," Boyd says.

Vandebroek says, "It's still a research project," and she is also the one who said, "...within the research and development community at Xerox, we no longer do any work on photocopiers..."

Friday, November 21, 2008

Five Reasons HP Is OutPerforming The Market

I grabbed this post off of the Blog over at Channel Web

BLOGS
The Channel Wire
November 18, 2008

Five Reasons HP Is OutPerforming The Market

With many technology companies posting disappointing results in the midst of the economic downturn, Hewlett-Packard Tuesday released an upbeat preliminary fourth-quarter forecast.

The world's largest supplier of IT products and services said its expects that revenue for the quarter ended Oct. 31 jumped 19 percent and earnings grew 4 percent. HP shares were up 10 percent or $2.96 to $32.31 in midday trading on the good news.

HP gave no details on specific product segments or geographies but said its revenue for the period ended Oct. 31 reached $33.6 billion, a 19 percent jump over year-earlier sales. For the year, net revenue was up 13 percent to $118.4 billion. The sales figures exclude the impact of HP's recent acquisition of EDS.

Here are five reasons HP is outperforming the market.

1. HP CEO Mark Hurd

He isn't infallible or the new Messiah, but he is pretty darn good. He's made a string of key acquisitions this year, capped off by EDS and LeftHand Networks. But his most important trait is that he's constantly visiting and listening to customers. And he keeps his closest counsel with his biggest customer: the channel. Hurd regularly makes one-on-one visits to solution providers both large and small. He asks questions. He listens. He motivates. No other CEO of a major technology company keeps as close to the channel as Hurd.

2. HP's Diverse Product Portfolio

From the desktop to the data center. From printers to routers. From network management to asset management software. HP products span the technology spectrum. At $118 billion, this is truly a one-stop shop. And now with its $13.9 billion acquisition of services giant EDS, HP has the people power and services muscle to do it all. Take note that even with the biggest and broadest portfolio in the business and a boatload of services people, HP embraces the channel. Bottom line: HP gets that it's a solutions game. And solutions means channel.

3. Committed Channel

HP has worked hard over the past several years to hone its channel strategy to focus on a mutually profitable relationship with solution providers. It hasn't always succeeded or delivered on its promises, but it's shown a willingness to fix things on the fly rather than letting channel problems fester. it is the biggest and yet it is the most channel-cognizant. One big reason is that Hurd views the channel as an extended sales force. He understands sales and he wants his partners out there in the front lines winning over new customers.

4. Maniacal Focus On Profitable Growth

No other company right now has a sharper focus on profitable growth than HP. Hurd is closing out his fourth year at the company and his drive and determination to do things more efficiently and profitably in everything HP does has resulted in a new and more inventive HP. That "profitable growth" mantra has everyone at HP working toward a common goal. It's a, 'Hit your number or hit the road,' proposition. That is a good thing, especially as we come into what looks like the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Look for HP to buck the trend and beat the bad news blues.

5. Full Speed Ahead With R & D

Based on his long list of acquisitions, some observers might think Hurd's R&D budget consists in snapping up smaller, innovative companies. Not so. HP has remained on top of the technology heap in part because of its willingness to invest in product innovation. The company's multibillion-dollar R&D effort and the company's cultural legacy of building better products is a huge differentiator. HP products are more often than not better engineered, designed and performing than the competitive product sets. Take Blades. "Blade everything" isn't just a marketing slogan at HP; it's a technology commitment.

---------- End Post ------

Points 1 and 3 resonate- Hurd and the Channel, great combo...

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Ricoh and IBM into InfoPrint and Now, rIKON -

Pssst...their going after the guys in I.T, not Purchasing...What? You didn't see this coming?

Back in Time - Friday, June 8, 2007

Ricoh counts on InfoPrint Solutions for growth...

Ricoh Co. Ltd. foresees job growth and increased market share for InfoPrint Solutions Co., its new Boulder hub for Ricoh's high-volume printer business.

That's notable at a time many computer industry mergers end in layoffs and closed facilities.

In the past two and a half years, Tokyo-based Ricoh bought the high-volume printer units of Hitachi and Danka Europe, now Infotec.

Its $725 million purchase of controlling interest in IBM Corp.'s printer division in Boulder -- renamed as InfoPrint Solutions -- is its biggest yet.

The move promises to give Ricoh a shot at a leading market-share position in sales of high-volume printers after years of being a behind-the-scenes manufacturer of parts for machines sold by other companies.

"We want contact with end-users -- customers -- so we can understand their needs to improve our offerings and grow our market share," said Katsuya "Kevin" Ochiai, InfoPrint Solution's vice president for strategy and business development.

Ochiai is one of four executives transferred from Ricoh offices in Japan to Boulder the week of May 28 to run InfoPrint Solutions.

Ricoh owns 51 percent of the Boulder-based venture. Its stake will grow in the next three years until it's InfoPrint Solutions' sole owner.

The new company, which designs production printers used in print-on-demand publishing and mass-mail billing, is based at IBM's campus in Boulder and employs 550 people there. Its worldwide payroll includes 1,200 people in 18 countries. InfoPrint Solutions will bring on another 1,000 IBM employees in a year, most of them involved in maintenance.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) received $725 million June 4 and expects to record $250 million in sales in the next three years, it said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Ochiai predicted InfoPrint will maintain 7 percent to 8 percent annual growth. If things go well, the company could double its $1 billion in annual revenue in five years, he said.

The company will use IBM's global sales force in the next three years while InfoPrint cultivates its own, and how well that goes will drive its near-term success, Ochiai said.

...acquiring InfoPrint gives Ricoh access to enterprise-level clients it didn't have before and products with a lot of customer loyalty behind them, he said.

"How you see this deal has a lot to do with your perspective," Hamilton said.

InfoPrint has a good chance of meeting its growth goals, he said. The key will be the company's ability to maintain IBM's reputation for quality and establish an effective sales force, he said.
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Friday, February 2, 2007

Selloff of IBM printing division could mean good news

IBM announced on Jan. 25 that it will sell its printing division to Ricoh -- creating a separate company that will be based in Boulder.

Richo initially will acquire 51 percent of the joint venture, called InfoPrint Solutions Co., for $725 million in cash and

will progressively acquire the remaining interests from IBM over the next three years as the company morphs into a fully owned subsidiary of Ricoh.

With Boulder becoming the worldwide headquarters of InfoPrint, the office will likely create more positions related to development, marketing, product management and maintenance, Paterra said.
------
2007-06-14

Ricohs InfoPrint Ready for Print Market By Patrick Hoffman

InfoPrint Solutions Company, a joint venture between Ricoh and IBM, has announced it is ready for business.

InfoPrint Solutions Company, formerly IBMs Printing Systems division but soon to be owned by Ricoh, announced recently that it was ready for business.

Ricoh is buying IBMs Printing Systems division over the course of three years, an arrangement which gives Ricoh access to IBMs production printing software and provides Ricoh a way to market their MFPs (multifunctional products) and printer-based products. Under the terms of the agreement, Ricoh will own 51 percent of the joint company and IBM will own the remaining 49 percent.

"Our focus is to provide solutions that focus on quality of output and total cost of operations that improves a customers environment whether it be an office or commercial environment," said Bob Kilcullen, senior vice president and general manager at the Boulder, Colo.-based InfoPrint Solutions.

Kilcullen pointed out that although IBM had been involved with the printing industry for a number of years, it was not their main focus.

"It was a question of focus as IBM has been involved with the printing industry for a number of years, but it was not their main stream of activity," Kilcullen said. "Printing is the core business for Ricoh so it made a lot of sense to move the printing business to Ricoh."

According to Susan Lyon, research director of Hardcopy Peripherals and Document Solutions at the Framingham, Mass.-based technology research firm IDC, the IBM-Ricoh arrangement has two main benefits for Ricoh.

"[Ricoh] now has access to the services and solutions expertise that will especially be attractive to IT decision makers in all types of enterprises,"

she said, "as well as access to future transaction print high-speed color products and workflow solutions that IBM was developing with partners and internally."

Since InfoPrint Solutions inception, the company has released a number of new products including the IP5000 high-speed, full-color offering for the production environment that produces more than 900 full-color images per minute as well as a new family of light production cut sheet products ranging from 90 to 135 images per minute.

"We want to deliver broader solutions to the marketplace and we are in a position to extend in the print business," Kilcullen said.

"With InfoPrint Solutions, Ricoh will have added a strong product pipeline of production equipment and related services and workflow solutions," Lyon said. "It will be great for the industry that there is a player with a keener focus on the printing industry. As in any industry, stronger players make the marketplace stronger."

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Is Ricoh/IKON poised for a major thrust into the IT and transactional printing space?

Will InfoPrint be enveloped into the rIKON PS world?

Will IKON A/E's be trained in the art of talking to IT or will this fall to Professional Services?

Can Ricoh use the existing InfoPrint client list to build upon?

How will IBM and HP respond to having a "copier company" targeting the same prospects and contacts?

How drôle...

PC Magazine Dropping Print for Online -


Dr. Egon Spengler
lives on...

PC Magazine has been reporting on the personal computer since 1982- I remember the first time I saw an issue - it had something to do with printing...

Today, the magazine announced it was dropping its print edition next year - you will be able to find the magazine, online only.

"Moving our flagship property to an all-digital format is the final step in an evolutionary process that has been playing out over the last seven years," Ziff Davis Media chief executive Jason Young said.

"Since 2000, online has been the focal point where technology buyers get their information, and technology marketers are directing their dollars to drive demand and build their brands.

"We have been carefully preparing for this step and are fortunate to have a digital business that has the scale, profit, and opportunity to carry the brand powerfully into the future," he said.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Xerox and HCL Technologies Announce Global Partnership - Who in The World is HCL?


ROCHESTER, N.Y., Nov 19, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Xerox Corporation (XRX:
Xerox Corporation


XRX 5.58, -0.48, -7.9%) today announced a strategic global alliance with HCL Technologies, a leading global IT services company. HCL will serve as a systems integrator for Xerox's managed print services offering -- which helps companies control their office print environment to achieve continual cost savings and productivity gains.

"The partnership with HCL will open new opportunities for Xerox in this high-growth market while bringing sustainable business benefits to more customers worldwide," said Stephen Cronin, president, Xerox Global Services.

The joint, go-to-market offering combines Xerox Office Services and systems with HCL's desktop management and infrastructure expertise to help enterprises gain control of printing, copying and other document-related costs. Effectively managing the office can lead to reduced print costs; faster and easier management of documents; lower compliance and security risks; a higher level of service to end users; and environmental benefits.

"This partnership represents an opportunity to transform the way enterprise print environments are managed," said Anant Gupta, president, HCL Technologies Infrastructure Services Division. "With the collaborative efforts of two market leaders we will create new, value-added solutions that will drive additional efficiencies throughout the office setting."

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I find this very interesting. Can you see the pattern?

EDS and Xerox had a relationship until HP bought EDS. HP has direct inroads to IT departments. Leveraging this position into MPS opportunities.

And now, on the surface, it looks like Xerox may be trying to chip away at MPS engagements via the IT department -

until I looked at HCL.

Off their site, "...HCL focuses on 'transformational outsourcing', underlined by innovation and value creation, and offers integrated portfolio of services including software-led IT solutions, remote infrastructure management, engineering and R&D services and BPO..."

"Transformational outsourcing"? The definition, here.

So, let me get this straight - HCL is a "transformational outsourcer" from India...right...ok...sure...

I guess we may need to wait and see on this one.


P.S. - Here is a post by Vineet Nayar, the CEO of HCL about Leadership - it's a good read.






Webster's Xerox plant will soon produce a new kind of toner


In a post earlier this month, I reported Xerox shutting down toner production in Oklahoma City - Today, reports of new toner production at the Webster Plant.

Six, 25,000-gallon tanks were seen hoisted up and lowered into position at the Xerox plant in Webster.

The tanks are needed for the production of Xerox's new, Ultra Low-Melt EA toner.

“With the new tanks, we expect the Webster plant to start producing the Ultra Low Melt EA Toner sometime next year,” said Edouard Langlois, project manager for the Xerox Consumables, Development and Manufacturing Group. “Installation of these tanks will give this plant the flexibility to meet the demand for both first and second generation EA toners, and it will help Xerox deliver the most energy-efficient document management solutions for its customers.”

As with most of the newer, advanced toner, this Ultra Low-Melt is chemically grown instead of the older method of air-jet, pulverizing plastic.

EA (Emulsion Aggregation) Ultra Low-Melt is made of a combination of plastics and wax.

This toner melts as much as 45 degrees lower than Xerox's standard EA toner, resulting in devices using less power; between
15 percent to 30 percent less.

“This was the most difficult toner design we ever worked on,” said Hadi Mahabadi, Xerox vice president and manager of XRCC. “We had to push the envelope to the limit to achieve lower melting temperature and higher gloss while keeping other performance the same as or better than current EA toner.”

Ultra Low-Melt was developed by Xerox researchers in Canada in collaboration with Fuji Xerox Co., the Tokyo-based joint venture between Xerox and Fuji Photo Film Co. Xerox had been purchasing the toner from Fuji Xerox but is doing the addition so it can produce its own, Xerox spokesman Bill McKee said.

Xerox Laying Off - Ceases Toner Production




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