Commercial Paper Shrinks for Second Week

UPDATE 1-U.S. commercial paper shrinks for 2nd week - Fed
14 hours ago via Thomson Reuters

By John Parry and Walden Siew

NEW YORK, March 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. commercial paper market shrank for a second straight week, hinting that companies may still be cautious about the pace of economic growth, Federal Reserve data showed on Thursday.

Firms typically use commercial paper to restock shelves in anticipation of consumer demand and to pay wages. Many have been trimming commercial paper issuance as they slow the pace they add to inventories, for fear the U.S. economic rebound might run out of steam, some analysts say.

Recent shifts in the commercial paper market "are linked to a slowdown in the inventory rebuilding cycle that we saw in the second half of 2009," said Howard Simons, strategist with Bianco Research in Chicago.

For the week up to March 24, the size of the U.S. commercial paper market fell by about $7.9 billion to $1.114 trillion outstanding from $1.122 trillion the previous week.

In addition, money market funds, which are big participants in the market, have been selling commercial paper recently, eroding the market's size, said Tony Crescenzi, market strategist and portfolio manager at Pacific Investment Management Co. (PIMCO).

As risk aversion subsides, some investors in money market funds have been switching into riskier, higher-yielding assets such as corporate bonds and stocks, analysts said.

A surge of corporate debt issuance over the past year has replaced some of the short-dated commercial paper debt companies and banks might otherwise have sold, limiting the size of the commercial paper market, strategists add.

"Companies have been terming out their debt and (are) not interested in issuing," Crescenzi said. "Companies can issue debt at longer maturities at decent yields" to borrow fairly cheaply, he added.

The overall U.S. commercial paper market is now about half its peak size of $2.2 trillion outstanding in August 2007 when the credit crisis began.

U.S. asset-backed commercial paper rose to $414.4 billion outstanding in the latest week from $410.3 billion outstanding the previous week.

Unsecured financial issuance fell by $11.6 billion after falling by $24.2 billion the previous week. (Reporting by John Parry and Walden Siew; Editing by James Dalgleish and Padraic Cassidy)
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Secular, not cyclical - Print Is Dead.


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Managed Print Services and Beyond - I Know One Name? (IKON)

There is a very, very big shoe about to drop in the MPS universe - the "Alan Parson's Project", also known as the Preparation "H", RiKON's - Managed Document Services. 

I have mentioned in various discussions, observing many "want ads" appearing across the country for Managed Document Services Specialist / Managed Print Services posted by IKON. 

Small, interesting point here, the ads are posted by IKON, not Ricoh. At one point, my Google Alerts were bringing 3 to 5 returns from IKON a day. 

I noticed this morning, only one, out here in Irvine. To me, this says they have hired up and are about to roll out the MDS program. It's no secret that IKON, on paper, should have the best MPS talk track in the world. They have an FM - where the standard "assessment" is paramount and software called "TRAC".

Ikon has an EDM division - they know how to craft and sell an SOW. The sales force is huge - feet on the street. A fairly large service footprint - access to multiple manufacturing service parts(debatable, I know) And they should be able to go after business at the Enterprise and SMB level. 

 Indeed, it is my opinion, and I think this is shared by some, that IKON MDS solution has the potential of providing a pallet of services, supported by a very good Professional Services consulting staff, an above-average fulfillment system, and a vendor-agnostic toolset helping clients manage their environment. Of course, every, single, MPS program out there looks fantastic on paper, doesn't it? 

Been there, done that, got the pink slip to prove it. (Well, not me personally, but you get the point...)

IKON MDS is built on Three Phases: 

Total Fleet Managementt – a range of baseline support for deploying and managing diverse fleets of output devices, including supplies, service and maintenance (preventive and restorative), and management reporting. 

Intelligent Device Rationalization – a strategic assessment of current assets, business processes and workflows to help organizations achieve a balanced deployment utilizing the right device at the right time. 

Optimized Business Processes – a consultative approach to design, plan and implement improved business processes. 

 If the above seems vaguely familiar, see the chart below: 

It's the same - Another interesting point, the job description for an MDS Specialist at RiKON includes:

"...Performs complex business analyses of customer’s business communication requirements and develops benchmark demonstrations, proposals and value propositions that exceed customers’ requirements resulting in the development of new customers and retention of existing Managed Print Services account by applying a consultative approach...

" Wow - ok...does this sound like a "copier sales guy"? I know the MDS project, ahem I mean the "Alan Parsons Project" was initiated a while back; back when MPS was hot. Before all the other copier dealers tried and failed. 

So it will be with great interest we watch the press releases as RiKON/RBS/Ricoh start to announce all the "big MDS" wins that will undoubtedly occur between now and the end of the summer. 

One thing - I wonder if there will be a hardware gate inside the MDS commission structure. 

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The Final Definition of Managed Print Services...for now.

Ok. This is not a tease.

We here at Death Of The Copier are making a stand.

Staking our claim, drawing a line in the sand.

Here is my definition of Managed Print Services, as of today, March 23, 2010,

"...the act of managing components and processes associated with moving, saving and presenting information in the form of documents..."

...and the crowd goes crazy...well, at least the crowd smiles, brightly...on a beach...somewhere in SoCali.

Here is my take on the definition.

The Managed Print Services Universe is large enough to include all of the parts in the MPS Ecosystem - hardware to software; single function devices to third party toner; from paper supplier to lease company; from remote monitoring to invoicing workflow. It is all here in MPS, and so much more.

More importantly, as we on the inside of the industry struggle to define what it is we can make money with, some of us may be forgetting the prospect, the customer.

After all, isn't MPS suppose to be all about the Client, not about us?

Some say, MPS is simply about "print". I know, I know, its right there in the moniker.

But if we hang our future on the 'P' we are doomed.

Just ask the current pool of unsatisfied copier/printer/output dealers failing with MPS.

And yes ~ it does have a tinge of oldskool and includes EDM.

This definition works; it doesn't tie you to the print, but includes the print.

When using this, your clients and prospects will respond favorably and won't hear "copier" or "printer" so you are not pigeon holed into an equipment and CPI competitive battle.

Your assessments will naturally expand beyond volumes and supplies cost.

This definition can be used by toner folks, copier guys, wide format, FM, software, printer resellers, leasing companies, paper suppliers AND IT VARs.

But the most important aspect: I have been asking PROSPECTS and CLIENTS what they think of it. Market testing, as it were.

I tell them, and then I ask them, what does it mean to them.

Most shrug and say, "... you manage all my processes and units around my information..." - perfect.

One more time - Managed Print Services is,

"...the act of managing components and processes associated with moving, saving and presenting information in the form of documents..."

Inclusive...not exclusive. Brief. Succinct, and Tweetable.

Definition settled.

There. Now we can be friends.

Let us hold hands and frolic amongst the waves, shall we?







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