RICOH Stock Could Rise 30% Over The Next Year

The Ricoh/Ikon/Infoprint odyssey continues...

NEW YORK, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Ricoh Co Ltd (7752.T) shares could be undervalued as investors overlook the benefits of two healthy acquisitions that could help the stock rise 30 percent over the next year, Barron's reported.

The Japanese company has transformed itself from an office-machine maker into a global technology solutions provider that gets most of its revenue from software and services like consulting.

Ricoh's acquisitions of a majority stake in IBM's American print systems unit, InfoPrint Solutions in 2007, and its acquisition of Ikon Office Solutions last August will help the company compete with rival Canon, said Barron's.
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"The IBM purchase provides Ricoh with a solid foothold from which to launch further products in the high-volume document market," says Kunihiko Kanno, an analyst who follows Ricoh for Credit Suisse in Tokyo.

"Digital commercial printers are used to print big documents such as product manuals and direct mail quickly and in large volumes," he adds. "This is one of the fastest-growing segments of the office equipment market," he says.

Ricoh picked up "research and development, technology and skilled personnel from IBM that we could have never developed by ourselves," Kondo says. "This will be a profitable division once things pick up again." Because its clientele is mostly financial-services providers, InfoPrint hasn't turned a profit as yet. By 2012 analysts expect it could add ¥100 billion in revenue and kick in ¥2 to ¥3 per share in operating profits.

Ikon, which also hasn't delivered a profit to its new parent, holds even more promise. Ikon provides document- and business-processing services as an add-on to its conventional office-equipment lineup, Kondo says. The goal is to convert Canon customers to Ricoh products and introduce Ricoh clients to Ikon.

"We plan to assimilate their expertise, and turn Ikon's customer base of major global companies into our customer base," says Kondo. By 2012, analysts say Ikon should deliver ¥280 billion in revenues and ¥8 to¥9 yen per share in operating profit. Kondo says

Ikon will be an important driver of Ricoh's push into business and consulting services.

Article Here.

Is Your Managed Print Services Practice Customer Centric or Process Centric? - Maybe We Should Ask Your Clients.

I know a few of you chuckled when you read the above headline; especially those of us in the trenches, who sell against "no" all the time. 

Not from customers, but from our own internal team.

And by an internal team, I mean those sales managers who no longer sell, the owners/principals who confuse "taking orders" with selling, the inflexible cube rats who didn't read their own mortgage paperwork, the "inside people" who believe registering a client not only guarantees the lowest possible pricing(and 3 point margin)but secures a customer for life - I could go on, but why bother. 

So deep in the forest, we can't see the trees.  Stop. Look around you. Look at what you are doing. Are you furthering a prospect through the funnel, or tracking down toner cartridges to deliver to that church you just landed - fooling yourself into believing that shuttling toner is "customer service" - gag. (Does anyone remember delivering and installing ribbons?) 

Has it become easier to Sell than it is to Process the order?...sound familiar Ikoners, X'boys, HP-er, BTA folks, IT VARs? 

Are you asking simple business questions or analyzing a 120-column spreadsheet? Chaos is commonplace. We endeavor to reign in the chaos by throwing Process at the fray. This is good. We all need processes and procedures to work as well-lubed machines. 

And as much as we apply the process to the Selling environment - quantifying qualifications, next step criteria, determining relevant influences, and navigating the prospect through The Funnel - And as much as there are required steps involved with delivering your service/product, credit application, shipping, space and power, sales forecasts, order entry, pricing, prospecting, etc.

- where is the Tipping Point when Customer-Centric falls victim to Process-Centric?

When is it more important to have the correct paperwork on file versus helping your client process their Pay Roll? And more importantly, why? Look at your most recent MPS opportunity. They can most likely save a grip of money because of their existing, flawed "process" - the process became more important than the result. 

It's the classic Purchasing model. Grinding the price or "cost" down was all that mattered when getting a copier or a fleet of copiers. The process of acquiring the absolute best price overrode real end-user requirements and did not support the organization's, overall business goals. 

Tunnel Vision - In a sport, in which I participate, there is a phenomenon that occurs to all the newbies - "Tunnel Vision". 

Out of fear, stress, and the inability to process more than 12 things at once, the mind and the eyes focus on one, specific, detail. Everything else is in a fog except the one guy you can barely see, you know if you concentrate and FOCUS, taking your time, slowing down, aiming, waiting, willing him to move into your sights, you can eliminate him. 

Wait for it...wait for it...when

SPLAT,SPLAT,SPLAT,SPLAT,SPLAT!

Some other player walks out of the fog and puts 5 into your back. 

Welcome to Paintball, and welcome to Tunnel Vision.

Governor French Academy files another suit alleging fraud in copier lease: Marlin Leasing

Ok - some people have enough problems with a single lease, but 3 in three years?

Just asking for trouble.

This is a re-print of full article, here.

8/11/2009 9:10 PM
By Kelly Holleran

A St. Clair County company has filed a second suit this year over allegations another business should have known of a man's attempts to defraud it out of money.

Governor French Academy filed a lawsuit Aug. 5 in St. Clair County District Court against Axis Capital.

The suit is nearly identical to a June 29 complaint GFA filed against Marlin Leasing.

In both complaints, GFA claims a man named Kevin Welch solicited leased copiers and printers to the company.

GFA entered into an agreement with Marlin Leasing in September 2005 to lease the equipment, according to the August complaint.

Later, the company entered into an equipment lease agreement with Axis in August 2006, the suit states. Welch claimed any money paid to Axis would be used to pay off debt GFA owed to Marlin Leasing, the company contends.

Again, GFA entered into another lease agreement with CIT in June 2008, in which Welch represented that a portion of funds paid to CIT would be used to pay off the Axis debt, the complaint says.

"In the spring of 2009, GFA began receiving bills for the lease payments related to Lease 2," the suit states.

When GFA contacted Axis to say that its payments toward Axis were supposed to also be going to Marlin, the company informed GFA it was still liable on the Marlin lease, according to the complaint.

"Welch entered into and promoted a scheme of transactions with GFA wherein Welch would make a lease with GFA through a financing company such as defendant, who then became lessor to receive payments from GFA," the suit states. "In each succeeding lease Welch represented to GFA that the monies received from the negotiations of a new succeeding lease would be used to pay off the balance of the prior lease, so that at all times, GFA would have only one lessor. Upon information and belief, Welch used the proceeds from the old leases for his own use, and not to pay off previous leases as represented."

Axis knew, or should have known, of Welch's fraudulent scheme, but failed to warn GFA of it, the company contends.

GFA is seeking a judgment of more than $50,000, plus other relief the court deems just.

Kevin J. Stine of Mathis, Marifian, Richter and Grandy in Belleville will be representing it.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 09-L-410.

Death of the Copier Quoted Over At The Business Transformation Center

"For decades the printers were sold as a commodity, if not an oddity. And trying to mix 'copier guys' selling with 'IT guys' order-taking is a cultural challenge. But separating and allowing the managed print service provider to stumble and grow seems to be working. As well as establishing 'legitimacy' with the propeller-heads of the IT world."

Thanks, Greg. I like the way you put that.

Go on over and check it out, here.

Managed Print Services Market to Be More Than $50B by 2013: Photizo

Latest Managed Print Services Data: HP Takes Top Spot from Xerox in Global MPS Market Share

PRESS RELEASE:

New Photizo Group Forecast Signals Dramatic Expansion in MPS Market

Lexington, KY (PRWEB) August 14, 2009 --

The new 2009 Managed Print Services (MPS) Market Forecast from Photizo Group reveals a rapidly developing market with dynamic top-level changes in market share. The 2009 MPS global forecast describes a robust segment undergoing tremendous growth. The latest report projects the market will be more than $50B by 2013, and more than 50 percent of all devices will be under MPS contract. The data indicated that HP had overtaken Xerox as leader in the global MPS sector in 2008, with a 34 percent share of global market.


The Photizo Group specializes in research and analysis of the Managed Print Services market. The annual MPS Market Forecast Report is becoming the de facto standard for analysis of this rapidly evolving sector. Photizo defines MPS as the outsourcing of hardcopy devices (printers, copiers, faxes, and MFPs), including all aspects of management, servicing, and on-going maintenance. The MPS Forecast and Share Report covers both programs offered directly from manufacturers and those offered through channel partners.

This is groundbreaking information for MPS watchers. The dramatically shifting position at the top demonstrates how aggressively companies are pursuing MPS market share. No one with any interest in MPS can afford to sit on the sidelines, simply guessing what is going to happen.

Managed Print Services is one of the fastest growing segments of the enterprise printing industry in today's economy.

This report from Photizo acknowledges and validates HP's focus and commitment to be the leader in the MPS market.

Total Manufacturer MPS Revenue in millions (USD):

Historical data


* 2006 - $9,473
* 2007 - 13,811
* 2008 - 20,346


Revenue forecast


* 2009 - $25,764
* 2010 - 32,643
* 2011 - 40,593
* 2012 - 49,253
* 2013 - 59,678

Europe To Be Largest MPS Market By 2013

The forecast is updated annually and provides historical and forecast data for North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. The global forecast cuts through the flux in market geographies and provides strategic planners with useful data for pursuing the most profitable regions for MPS. Although today the United States is the largest geography for MPS, significant changes are expected, with a new number one geography appearing by 2013. While Asia is the fastest growing, Europe will become the largest MPS market by 2013.

Companies pursuing an MPS strategy can gain an advantage by arming themselves with the most accurate, current data about this market. "This is groundbreaking information for MPS watchers. The dramatically shifting position at the top demonstrates how aggressively companies are pursuing MPS market share. No one with any interest in MPS can afford to sit on the sidelines, simply guessing what is going to happen," said Ed Crowley, founder and CEO of the Photizo Group. To assist MPS vendors, channel partners and other decision makers, Photizo is making a summary of the report available immediately at no charge.

"Managed Print Services is one of the fastest growing segments of the enterprise printing industry in today's economy," said Tom Codd, Director, Enterprise Marketing, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. "This report from Photizo acknowledges and validates HP's focus and commitment to be the leader in the MPS market."

For more information about the 2009 MPS Market Forecast Report, and to obtain the free report summary, visit http://www.managed-print-services.com/forms/forecast_info.html.