Lyra's Senior Analyst Cortney Kasuba Presents 'The Evolution of MPS: A Look Ahead' at Recharger Magazine's 2009 Managed Print Summit

I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Cortney at this year's Lyra Conference in Palm Springs.

She is engaging and will provide some very good information. Information derived from a large pool of data - 100,000 devices.

I recommend checking out this MPS Summit.


Press Release:

Newton, MA (PRWEB) June 15, 2009

Lyra Research announces that Lyra Senior Analyst Cortney Kasuba will present The Evolution of MPS: A Look Ahead, at the 2009 Managed Print Summit, a frontrunner event to Recharger Magazine's World Expo.

The inaugural Managed Print Summit will take place on August 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The summit shines the spotlight on managed print services (MPS) for aftermarket companies.

During her discussion, Kasuba will compare the MPS program offerings of select OEMs, supplies vendors, and channel players, and provide analysis on program strengths and weaknesses. She will also examine MPS implementations in a few select vertical markets. Utilizing real-world installed-base and print-volume data from Lyra's Office Print Monitor (OPM) information service, Kasuba will deliver examples of which verticals are best suited for MPS programs and insight into how MPS vendors can enhance their customer programs to create bottom-line results.

"We value the opportunity to be part of the Recharger's first Managed Print Summit and to share Lyra's analysis of both the more traditional MPS providers and some of the new players," said Kasuba. "We also appreciate the chance to provide the Summit's aftermarket audience with an understanding of the nuances of vertical markets and 'real-world' printing trends to help them create high-impact MPS programs."

Scheduling an Analyst Meeting during the Event -

To schedule an analyst meeting with Ms. Kasuba during the conference, please contact Kasuba at 617-454-2662 or ckasuba(at)lyra.com.

About Office Print Monitor

Lyra's Office Print Monitor information service helps printer and copier vendors track changes regarding where and how hard copy is output. The OPM service also enhances Lyra's coverage of office printing by combining real-world corporate printing data, powered by PrintFleet, with Lyra's strategic analysis, forecast and installed-base data, and detailed hard copy specifications.

Through its relationship with PrintFleet, Lyra has established an ever-expanding panel of hard copy devices that are monitored in real time. The current panel consists of more than 100,000 hard copy devices in nearly 5,000 corporations throughout North America.

OPM includes five components--expert consultation, snapshots of specific corporate printing attributes, in-depth analysis reports of key trends, indexes, and optional client-defined customized data reports.

For more information on this service, please contact Tom Sandock at 617-454-2621 or tsandock(at)lyra.com.

Lyra Research: The Digital Imaging Authority

Lyra Research collaborates with imaging industry decision makers worldwide, enabling clients to strengthen their market position and achieve profitable growth. Lyra's expert analysts and editors help clients devise and implement creative solutions to business challenges, arming them with competitive intelligence, strategic and tactical advice, news and analysis, and market forecasts.

Since 1991, Lyra's custom research and consulting, advisory services, award-winning journals, and innovative events have set the standard for analysis of imaging hardware, consumables, and digital photography markets.

Visit www.lyra.com to learn more about how Lyra can be your strategic business partner.

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Weekend is Time for Fun: The Blue Angels from inside the Cockpit

I occasionally run into video that is pretty interesting - this one is cool. But has nothing to do with MPS:

Check it:

The Managed Print Service Party Has Started: Endless Summer or Summer of Discontent?

Yes, I know - the original quote is "Winter of Discontent" - my apologies to the "Bard"

A post on the "Adventures in Office Imaging" blog by Expert Laser Services piqued my interest because it was about a post on the Photizo blog and related to "MPS Newbies".

While adding the "Adventures..." blog to my roll it struck me, there was a time when I had just 3 blogs on my roll - because they were the only ones talking Managed Print Services - that was just over a year ago.

Today, hundreds if not thousands of us are betting on an Endless Summer.

For better or worse, the MPS party is getting crowded and everyone is trying to dance to the music.

In the past 30 days there have been so many Managed Print Services related announcements my Google New Alerts nearly burnt up.

I'm not going to list out all the announcements, that isn't important.

What is important is how the market is responding - is it?

Are prospects calling you asking you for Managed Print Service advice?

Are they begging for an "Assessment"? No?

Are they still worried about first copy out time?

The buzz has been building since ITex - and now it seems that we(all of us on this side of the desk) have locked and loaded- ready to rock the MPS world.

The way I see it, the current iteration of Managed Print Services began around 2006.

And as much as some say they "...have been doing MPS for 20 years..." the application of asset and life cycle management, work flow analysis, right-sizing and work flow optimization to office output, are recent additions to the original definition of MPS.

The dust is settling. The Second Wave of MPS execution is beginning in earnest.

And still, we struggle.

The BTA is desperately seeking Alpha.

MPS Sales Classes are no doubt filling up.

Have we gotten to the point where the only ones making money in MPS are the "consultants", the "MPS Marketing" firms and the "MPS Sales Training" companies?

When the music stops, who will still have a chair and will the hangover be more then we can bear?

Death of the Mouse

We are usually talking about output or presented information - but for every output there is some input.

The Mouse is Dead - Long live the mouse.

Check this out.

Nikkei Sees 40% decrease in combined Profits:Canon, Ricoh, Fuji, Konica Minolta

Profits Fade At Top Copier Makers As Toner Sales Thin

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Japan's four leading precision machinery makers -- Canon Inc. (7751), Ricoh Co. (7752), Fujifilm Holdings Corp. (4901) and Konica Minolta Holdings Inc. (4902) -- are expected to see their combined operating profits sink 40% in fiscal 2009 as sales of toner and other high-margin office supplies languish.

Couple this report with information back in May from Erupoe:

"...British companies selling and leasing Japanese manufactured goods have been forced to up their prices after negative GBP to Euro and Euro to Yen exchange rate trends worsen, forcing­ an ­inc­rea­se in cost prices..."

And...

"Genuine parts?­­­-

The cost price increase inclu­des all genuine parts and toner supplied by the photocopier manufacturers. This means businesses offering leasing of copiers are suddenly seeing substantially increased costs to replace toner and service these devices. Some companies might be tempted to use sub-standard parts and toner to try to keep costs down.

Many of the parts and toners that are not genuine brands are manufactured outside Japan and so do not have the same problems of negative exchange rate trends. These products therefore remain cheap to purchase. However,­ most reputable and reliable photocopier companies would only ever use genuine parts and toner.

Non-genuine parts and toner can not only make the manufacturer's warranty invalid but are often of sub-standard quality meaning that the prints they create are of a poor standard and they may ruin the device or decrease its lifespan.­.."

Managed Print Services Assessments - They Do Not Work, Stop Doing Them

2/2009

My first assessment was for 1,100 units. The next one was for 823. And my third assessment was for 523 devices.

A 25 machines assessment took 30 days.

That was over a year ago.

Insanity.

You would think I would have learned.

An early Photizo study revealed that doing an assessment gave you a 50% chance of closing the engagement.

While at the Managed Print Services Conference in San Antonio I agreed with this statistic and mentioned that I closed 50% of the studies/assessments that I performed.

I neglected to say that after no longer doing Assessments, my closing rate went up to 94%.

Interesting, eh?

With just about everybody pitching MPS and free assessments - one needs to ask how much value can something that is free honestly carry?

And let me tell you this, if I do get into a position to be the "second" one in a deal, I get all the data that the person before me obtained - all of it, the spreadsheet, costs, and everything.

So what to do, what to do...

Ask questions, don't do an "assessment".

Take a tour of the complex, don't perform a "survey".

Install your "Supplies Monitoring" software, not your "Data Collection Agent".

Write your findings down and discuss them with your client, in two pages or less; don't let your software generate a stodgy, canned, boilerplate with spreadsheets. Run from PowerPoint.

Use your brain. Use your mind, not a spreadsheet. Present ideas, not proposals.

Just my 0.020 worth, but after all, it is my blog.

Sell-On!

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