Comcast Buys NBC or GE Sells NBC: Why does this matter to you?

Twenty years ago, Comcast was new to our area.

Back then, I remember over a few brews, discussing with a cadre of friends, of all things, how computers could bring the telephone, TV, and Cable all together.

At the time, it was called "convergence".

Well, as we see today with the smart phones, and connectivity to the Nth degree, the great Mash-Up is here, has been here, and will continue to expand into every facet of our lives.

This is a big move in many ways, not just about technology and business, its touches every corner of our life - Media.

Press Release:


The following is the full text of the press release regarding Comcast's acquisition of NBC Universal, sent Thursday at 6:16 a.m. Eastern.



PHILADELPHIA & FAIRFIELD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK) and General Electric (NYSE: GE) announced today that they have signed a definitive agreement to form a joint venture that will be 51 percent owned by Comcast, 49 percent owned by GE and managed by Comcast. The joint venture, which will consist of the NBC Universal (NBCU) businesses and Comcast’s cable networks, regional sports networks and certain digital properties and certain unconsolidated investments, will be well positioned to compete in an increasingly dynamic and competitive media and digital environment.

The combination of assets creates a leading media and entertainment company with the proven capability to provide some of the world’s most popular entertainment, news and sports content, movies and film libraries to consumers anytime, anywhere. The joint venture will provide consumers the broadest possible access to content, and support high-quality, award-winning content development across all platforms including film, television, and online. It will be anchored by an outstanding portfolio of cable networks and regional sports networks that will account for about 80 percent of its cash flow, including USA, Bravo, Syfy, E!, Versus, CNBC and MSNBC. The joint venture will be financially strong with a robust cash-flow-generation capability.

Under the terms of the transaction, GE will contribute to the joint venture NBCU’s businesses valued at $30 billion, including its cable networks, filmed entertainment, televised entertainment, theme parks, and unconsolidated investments, subject to $9.1 billion in debt to third party lenders. Comcast will contribute its cable networks including E!, Versus and the Golf Channel, its ten regional sports networks, and certain digital media properties, collectively valued at $7.25 billion, and make a payment to GE of approximately $6.5 billion of cash subject to certain adjustments based on various events between signing and closing.

Comcast Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts said, “This deal is a perfect fit for Comcast and will allow us to become a leader in the development and distribution of multiplatform ‘anytime, anywhere’ media that American consumers are demanding. In particular, NBCU’s fast-growing, highly profitable cable networks are a great complement to our industry-leading distribution business. Today’s announced transaction will increase our capabilities in content and cable networks. At the same time, it will enhance consumer choice and accelerate the development of new digital products and services. GE has provided NBCU with a great home and has dramatically and positively transformed the business. We are honored that under this agreement Comcast would take over the stewardship of this important collection of assets and are absolutely committed to investing in NBCU and ensuring that it is a vibrant, financially strong company able to thrive in a rapidly evolving marketplace by delivering innovative programming. We are particularly pleased to be creating this new joint venture with GE and Jeff Immelt and to have their continued involvement.

“For Comcast, this transaction is strategically compelling and will generate attractive financial returns and build shareholder value,” continued Roberts. “It is also expected to be immediately accretive and will also allow us to maintain our strong commitment to returning capital to shareholders– all while increasing the scale, capabilities and value of our cable distribution, content and digital assets.

See the rest here.

Fishies Name Number Three: "Dar"

As in Darwin. Another Red Fish named.

Named by Daniel Ruymann from SIGMAnet, out here on the West Coast.

Daniel is one of those Selling Professionals whose skills come naturally, because he is a natural.

He is a detail-oriented, high energy professional with 21 years of experience in Information Technology; proficient in various disciplines including technical consulting, project management and business development.

An entrepreneurial thinker with master communication, presentation and leadership skills; competent in complex negotiations and a proven talent managing a diverse work force in a collaborative team environment comprised of associates, vendors and clients.
----

All that aside, I have worked with Daniel a great guy.

Thanks for the name.

I believe there is one more name awarded - announced next Friday.

Photizo Group Announces Call for Speakers for 2010 Managed Print

2009

If you don't know by now, Photizo is the leader in MPS related research and stuff; it's all they do.

I doubt very much they will be buying a knitting or supply chain research company in the very near future.

I shall be in Austin, attending, and speaking at the MPS Conference.

Of course, just like all other conferences, the best conversations and discussions occur "after hours" over "adult beverages" but the day-walker sessions are very informative.

If you have something to contribute to the MPS Ecosystem, drop them a line and get behind the podium.

Otherwise, make sure you reserve a spot and a hotel room early - and don't worry, the river isn't that deep should you fall in, you can walk to the shore.
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Opportunity to contribute thought leadership in billion dollar MPS
market

Lexington, KY – December 3, 2009 – Managed Print Services end users and channel partners are invited to share their best practices and successful case studies at the 2010 North American MPS Conference May 3-5 in San Antonio, TX. The Photizo Group is accepting proposals for panels and sessions at this premier industry event. The deadline for speaker submissions is January 15, 2010.

The conference is designed for all types of MPS experience and interest. MPS decision makers, vendors and channel partners benefit from the rich agenda of relevant topics. CIOs, CFOs, IT managers, facilities managers and purchasing departments who have implemented MPS or are considering it can learn from best practices, case studies and how-to guides. Vendors, resellers and infrastructure providers gain information on the emerging hybrid channel, infrastructure, best practices, research and market projections.

The 2010 MPS Conference will also include the popular pre-conference workshops for end users and channel partners having limited MPS background and experience. The pre-conference sessions focus on establishing a solid foundation of MPS knowledge.

“We welcome session ideas from anyone in the MPS marketplace. Given the wide range of topics that can be accommodated by the two track format and the pre-conference workshops, we expect an enthusiastic response from speakers who would like to share their knowledge with this audience,” said Ed Crowley, Founder and Senior Partner of the Photizo Group.

The Photizo Group hosts the annual MPS Conference.

The MPS Conferences address the urgent need for information about the fast-growing managed print services market. The Photizo Group estimates the MPS market is now worth over $25 billion globally and projects a $60 billion industry by 2013. Signaling strong market support for the second annual North American MPS Conference, industry leaders OKI Printing Solutions and Ricoh have already signed on as
Platinum Sponsors for the 2010 event. Print Audit has joined as a Silver Sponsor for the event.

Speaker forms and topic information can be found at Http://www.mpsconference.com/forms/2010NA_speaker_app.html.

Applications for speakers must be submitted by January 15, 2010. For information about MPS 2010 sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities, agendas and registration, visit www.mpsconference.com.

# # #

Media contact:
Misty Hamel
+1-617-921-5725
mhamel@photizogroup.com

Paper industry looks to copier segment for growth - India

An article from The Hindu Business Line, states,

"...for every candidate an IT company takes on, paper manufacturers sell over five reams, about 2,500 sheets, of copier paper directly related to the recruitment process in the form of letters, instructions and training manuals..."

Wow - so every time an IT organization hires an employee, we use five reams of paper?!!

WHAT?

We've talked about this before - India is a fast growing MPS, target rich environment and HP knows it.

More

"...HP sells over 70,000 machines a month and the numbers are growing, says a paper marketing execute..."

Huh.

Gartner to Acquire AMR Research, Inc.

The Magic Quadrant may be looking to encompass more than IT concerns.

AMR conducts research for supply chain and IT Executives.

See, I told you IT Executives were identical to Purchasing Agents.
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STAMFORD, Conn. - Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT), the leading provider of research and analysis on the global information technology industry, today announced that it has agreed to acquire AMR Research, Inc. for approximately $64 million in cash, subject to certain closing adjustments. With projected full year 2009 revenues of approximately $40 million, AMR Research is a leading research and advisory services firm serving supply chain management and IT professionals. The firm is recognized for its research focused on the intersection of business processes and technology for the supply chain professional.

The acquisition of AMR Research is expected to expand Gartner’s suite of research offerings and also complement its consulting and events businesses. Moreover, the addition of AMR Research’s experienced sales team should enhance Gartner’s ability to further penetrate the vast market opportunity for syndicated research. The combination is also expected to drive operational efficiencies and cost savings.

Xerox Scammed out of Supplies - Customers Buy From Shell Companies

From the City of Brotherly Love - Three guys and some wax.

Three men are accused of ordering supplies from Xerox, through shell companies, and paying for said supplies with false bank accounts.

What do you bet these guys were on the other end of the phone, requesting "serial number and current volumes" from your clients?

Tsk, tsk, tsk...

These three stooges, allegedly ran companies named B&N Group and Huntingdon Valley School of Graphics out of the same office.

They also had a company named Digital Express Graphics authorities reported.

The bootie?

Boxes of ink sticks, $90,000 worth, for the Phaser 7500 color printer - the sticks have not been recovered, police said.

Detectives arrested the men Monday night on several theft-related felonies.

The accused are Nathan Allen Kriegler, 42, of Michael Road in Northampton; Ryan Allan Pollack, 33, of Glen Place in Elkins Park and Evan F. Appel, 33, of Valley Glen Road in Elkins Park.

Each defendant faces six third-degree felonies, which are punishable by up to seven years in prison.

Article Here.

Ricoh Develops the World’s First Biomass Toner

More green Ricoh.

I have been to the Ricoh plant here in Costa Mesa, Southern California.

At the time, the plant had a "zero to landfill" designation.

This was years ago, and impressive. I forget which devices are produced there, it doesn't matter.

Ricoh is another company that walks the walk as well as talks the talk when it comes to green.

The Green Movement may be more puff than fact, but if you believe, you should live by those beliefs.

Enjoy.

Sustainability is crucial to society’s survival.

Ricoh believes that a company must take responsibility for all the materials used in its products. Ricoh does this while focusing on two points: minimizing the amount of resources extracted from the natural world, and finding alternatives to resources at risk of depletion.

Toward this end, Ricoh is actively converting the materials it uses from non-renewable petroleum resources to reproducible biomass as well as recycling its products. Biomass plastic has already being used in some Ricoh products.

In a recent highlight, Ricoh developed the world’s first(*) biomass toner as a genuine manufacturer’s supply item, and released machines that utilize this toner in the Japanese market. About 80% of conventional toner is petroleum-based resin. Our new “for E toner” however, has a biomass content of 25% of the entire mass including the resin.

The “for E toner” will help reduce environmental impact in the following two ways:

1) Suppressing CO2 emissions from burning the toner printed on used paper.
(Including toner elements separated from the paper in the paper recycling process.)

2) Reducing the use of depletable petroleum resources

Ricoh got an early start in using biomass toner in actual products. We will continue accumulating technologies and know-how on the biomass toner, with the goal of preserving the environment.

Please refer to Biomass Toner Technology and Development of alternative materials using biomass resins for detail.

Press Release here.

UK's Printing Practices Are Worst In Europe

In the note of international-ism, here's a little article slamming the United Kingdom's printing practices.

Before we all start painting rooftops and all, it should be noted that the research supporting this less then "green", black mark, was conducted by Ricoh.

Could this be an applicaiton of the classic, "create the problem, then solve the problem" approach?

You be the judge.


November 30, 2009
By Sophie Curtis

The UK is the worst country in Europe for sustainable printing, with companies wasting up to five percent of their turnover in printout, according to research by Ricoh.

The UK's adoption of sustainable document strategies is the worst in Europe, according to new research by printing specialist Ricoh, suggesting that British enterprises are unaware of the potential to use green practices to cut costs.
Ricoh's Document Governance Index – which assigns a numerical value to environmental aspects of document governance such as recycling, setting targets, auditing and employee behaviours – placed the UK in seventh place out of seven, scoring only 38.5 out of a possible 100.

France came top the league with 43.5 percent, followed by Italy (42.7 percent) and Germany (41.7 percent). However, none of the countries surveyed scored more than 50 percent of the total, suggesting that there is still significant room for improvement in sustainable printing strategies across Europe.

According to the report, most European organisations are failing to centralise their document governance, with only 33 percent of companies claiming to have implemented a fully developed strategy to deal with paper and energy wastage. This means that many companies are overlooking tactical actions they can take, not only to improve sustainability but to reduce costs as well.

Paper wastage is one of the highest costs to businesses, with the total spend on document management in Europe currently exceeding 14 billion euros per year – up to five percent of annual turnover. Despite this, 32 percent of business leaders allow employees to do what they like with regard to duplex printing (printing on both sides of the paper) and 19 percent are either still in the planning stages or have no plans to implement a duplex printing policy. Only 18 percent have implemented a such a policy company-wide.

One of the main obstacles for companies attempting to develop a green printing strategy is a lack of awareness among employees. The report found that almost half (47 percent) of European business leaders are unfamiliar with their company's recycling policy and 40 percent with their toner recycling policy.

“Despite sustainability being an important fixture on the business agenda, and documents making up an essential part of day-to-day business operations, there remains a lack of awareness of the role that document governance can play in driving both environmental and business efficiencies,” said Tom Wagland, manager of Ricoh's Environmental Management Group. “Businesses need to act now by taking some simple steps to improve the way they are managing and controlling their document workflows.”

One of the ways that Ricoh proposes to combat this problem is with its Pay Per Page Green consultancy service, which it claims can limit the environmental impact of its products by shifting the emphasis to the cost of output, and charging a fixed fee, agreed up front.

“We take a cradle-to-cradle approach to sustainable innovation; offering products and services that contribute to environmental preservation from design to recycling,” said Shun Sato, vice president of Ricoh Europe in a statement in February.

Efforts to sell green printing strategies generally rely on having fewer printers, under tighter central control, with some sort of "pull-printing" service so users can't get their output without a security token, reducing the dangers of a shared output tray. “We must constantly be rethinking current practices in the light of new technologies and sustainability issues,” Lexmark's director of sustainable affairs Béatrice Marneffe told eWEEK Europe in June.

Although printer manufacturers' motives are arguably mixed, since they profit from extra output, they say customer demand is helping the sustainable approach: “It's not in our interest for customers to print less, but it is our business to make a profit from what the customers want,” Graham Long, vice president of Samsung’s European printing operation, told eWEEK Europe in July.

Earlier this year, HP launched a similar service to that of Ricoh, which it says will cut enterprise printing costs by over 15 percent, and reduce carbon footprints, if companies sign up to a total print service managed by HP.

The Word From Hurd: IPG Growth Includes Wal and K*Mart

One word kid, one word..."Kiosk...Kiosk...Kiosk..."

Ok, that's three words.

I have seen the future of Edgeline and it is at K*Mart.

HP's notorious inventory challenges are reportedly behind them, and 2010 looks to be a year of "recovery...and attack..."

IPG is leaner, meaner and looks "...to drive further share in installed base gains with double digit printer unit growth in Q1..."

Hurd's remark about IPG expansion around "100's of photo kiosks..." piqued my interest.

Somebody, somewhere, somehow, is manufacturing EDGELINE engines. The Final Destination just isn't a department in your corporate accounts, it's underneath a blinking, blue light, in isle 13.

Hurd-

"...IPG is poised for recovery and is getting on the attack. As we enter fiscal year 2010, the headwinds in channel inventory are behind us. We expect supplies growth to improve with economic trends, and employment levels and project a flattish result in Q1.

Demand is also improving for our printers.

We gained share sequentially and we expect to drive further share in installed base gains with double digit printer unit growth in Q1. Due to improvements in our cost structure we can do this while remaining within the 15 to 17% operating margin that we laid out at our analyst meeting in September.

IPG is also gaining significant traction with its growth initiatives. We deployed hundreds of photo kiosks this quarter at Wal-Mart and look forward to further expansion in 2010.

Recent studies released by market analysts highlight HPs leadership in managed print services with more signings than any of our competitors. We're encouraged by our Managed Print Services funnel, which is at record levels, these deals are generally for multiple years and have a high attach rate of supplies.

In commercial print the analog to digital page shift is occurring and we are leveraging our technology to accelerate the transition. Partnerships with industry leaders like Pitney Bowes, RR Donnelly, and web press purchases from communication leaders, Omnicom demonstrate the power of our portfolio and capabilities. We expect you will hear more partnerships from us shortly.With our significant market leadership and broad patent portfolio, we are well positioned to capture this significant page opportunity..."

For a good re-cap, check out Jim's blog, here.

Your Managed Print Services Association International Board Member Election: It's Your Association - Globalized

As part of the MPSA, it is my duty to promote the MPSA and it's events.

I have never considered this a "duty" - and it is was great pride, I cut and paste this announcement from the site.

In less than eight months, the MPSA has now expanded international, with seven candidates vying for two international board member openings.

A listing of complete bio's here.

Hakam Abu-Risheh: Gulf Commercial Group

Mr. Hakam Abu Risheh has been at the helm of GCG since 2003 and has played a pivotal role in establishing the position of market leader that GCG enjoys today. He was previously with El Ajou group in Saudi Arabia as General Manager for its Canon operations, and also had additional responsibilities for the Unisys and Pitney Bowes product lines. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Electronics from the University of Manchester in the UK.

Ravi Balaguragi: Mustafa Sultan Office Technology Co LLC

Johan Kosters: DOCplus

Mr. J. Kosters has been an industry expert and ‘docaholic’ for more than 20 years. Since 2002 he is an independent consultant in the imaging, print and mail industry. Before this he has held several positions within Océ's research, sales, training and business services. In 2004 he founded DOCplus Consultancy, supporting clients with improving their document infrastructure and processes. DOCplus Consultancy has built an independent leadership position for document output management strategy development, purchasing support and ongoing end-user service level management of MDS/MPS engagements.

Graham Mann: The Danwood Group

In standing for election to the MPSA board I have put together the following profile with highlights of my industry background, significant accomplishments and what I can offer the MPSA and its members.

My name is Graham V Mann. I was born in London in 1959 and currently hold the position of corporate accounts director working for Europe’s largest independent print management services company – The Danwood Group. http://www.danwood.co.uk/. My background is mostly sales, however I am trained in marketing with Institute of Marketing Qualifications. More recently I have learned an appreciation for project management skills and understand the value this brings to a successful MPS offering. Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family and am actively involved with local community cricket and football clubs.

Robert Newry: NewField IT

This is an exciting time to be in the industry as we transform from a box led proposition to a service led one. There are many choices and challenges to address and the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) provides a much needed independent source of advice, discussion and standardization. My experience at NewField IT where we have been involved in 100+ MPS type projects in 31 countries is why I feel I can bring a knowledgeable and independent view to this diverse and fast evolving area.

Uwe-Jens Nonnsen: Self employed Consultant

My experience in this industry goes back to the 70’s. As Managing Director of the German subsidiary of Nashua Corporation, Nashua, N.H. I established mid of the 80`s the foundation for an ever growing and prospering organization. I stayed Managing Director throughout the acquisitions and mergers performed by Gestetner in 1990 and followed by Ricoh in 1995. In 1991-1993 I also was as MD in charge for Gestetner Denmark and Sweden. 1995 was the start of NRG Group Plc. (Nashuatec/Rex Rotary/Gestetner) – a 100 % owned subsidiary of Ricoh Tokyo. All subsidiaries of NRG operated parallel and competed with Ricoh’s own subsidiaries.

Peter Strohkorb: PS Consulting

Peter is a hands-on Consulting, Sales & Marketing professional with over 20 years senior management experience in B2B Solutions. He enjoys coming into organizations to either start new lines of business, or to take existing businesses to the next level.

Peter is a specialist in Managed Print Services. He recently joined CSC Australia to build the Enterprise Print Solutions business. Previously, he spent seven years at Canon where he started and built the Solutions and Managed Document Services business from zero.

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Become a member, vote here.

Obama Taps Ursula: Go Science!

President Barack Obama today named Ursula Burns , chief executive officer of Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX), to help lead a national program aimed at honing students’ skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

The education initiative is expected to help the country sharpen its competitive edge in innovation and regain dominance in the technological revolution sweeping the globe.

The project will be led by Burns; Craig Barrett, former chief executive officer and chairman of Intel Corporation; Glenn Britt, chief executive officer of Time Warner Cable and Sally Ride, former astronaut and president and chief operating officer of Sally Ride Science, in conjunction with the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

"Companies like Xerox succeed through innovation, collaboration and the fresh ideas of our people. If we inspire young people today, we secure our ability to innovate tomorrow. Innovation is central to our nation’s overall growth, to our quality of life and to our success in the global marketplace" said Burns, whose own personal journey from the classroom to the C-suite reflects the benefits and opportunities of a STEM education. Burns is a mechanical engineer who joined Xerox as student intern nearly 30 years ago and progressed through the company in a variety of engineering, product development and management roles. She was named president of Xerox in 2007 and became chief executive officer of the company on July 1.

An important first national step to improve math and science achievement, the initiative plans to broaden job opportunities and quality of life for more Americans. The team is expected to work at a rapid pace similar to the space race 50 years ago and focus on mobilizing the resources needed to raise the level of math and science learning for all students. The program will explore how new technologies, social networks and other resources can be used to connect teachers with professionals and companies and improve student performance in science, technology, engineering and math education.

Burns serves on the board and works with a number of institutions and organizations that are advancing STEM initiatives. Among them are the National Academy Foundation, MIT, and the University of Rochester. Burns is also a member of the advisory board for FIRST - (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization that, through robotic competitions, fosters student interest in innovation and engineering. Xerox was a founding member of FIRST and continues to support the organization today.

In addition to FIRST, Xerox traces a 50-year commitment to the power of education, investing in a number of programs. The Xerox Science Consultant Program is one of the longest running industry-education partnerships in the country. For the past 40 years, Xerox scientists and engineers have worked in the class room to make science fun for hundreds of thousands of elementary students.

Xerox has also invested several hundred million dollars in educational grants to fund programs and scholarships at universities and science centers throughout North America. Thousands of students have received educational assistance through Xerox’s Technical Minority Scholarship Program.

Happy Thanksgiving: Here's The Waiver Your Guests Should Sign.

Happy Turkey Day.

Be thankful.

And have your guests sign off on this document, before they enter your abode.




Click to email me.

The Game Continues - Big Copier Players Battle for 3 Point Business: Sign on To Be Premier Purchasing Partners' Whipping Boy

You're perched in a crowded lobby waiting for the appointment you landed two weeks ago.

Next to you is your Sales Manager, on your lap, your Pitch Book.

Across the lobby, a large, disheveled man is torturing the circa 1950's plastic chair; a desperate example of the ultimate carpet sales person.

Next to him, a hot little number with what appears to be floor covering samples by her side.(resilient)

A thought flashes through your mind as the receptionist calls your name, "thank goodness I sell output solutions and not floor wax..."

The dirty secret?

You are all waiting to pitch the same person.

Good Luck with that.

Announcements, from the "wire":

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - (Business Wire) Premier Purchasing Partners, LP, today announced new agreements for flooring carpet and resilient.

New agreements for carpet have been awarded to J+J/Invision of Dalton, Ga.; Mannington Commercial of Calhoun, Ga.; Masland Commercial Inc. of Mobile, Ala.; Mohawk Industries of Marietta, Ga.; Shaw Industries Inc. of Dalton, Ga.; and Tandus US Inc. of Dalton, Ga.

New agreements for resilient have been awarded to Amtico International of Atlanta; Armstrong World Industries Inc. of Lancaster, Pa.; Mannington Commercial of Calhoun, Ga.; Mohawk Industries of Marietta, Ga.; and Shaw Industries Inc. of Dalton, Ga.

Premier Purchasing Partners has signed supply contracts with Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. and Ricoh Americas Corp., both of New Jersey, and Connecticut-based Xerox Corp.

Under the agreements, the companies will supply printers, copiers and facsimile machines to members of the Premier health-care alliance.

Premier Purchasing Partners is a unit of Premier Inc., the largest health-care purchasing alliance in the United States. The parent company recently announced it would make Charlotte its corporate home, moving its headquarters from San Diego and adding 300 jobs here over the next five years.

Premier currently employs 750 in Charlotte.

The company represents 2,200 nonprofit hospitals, including Carolinas HealthCare System, Gaston Memorial Hospital and Stanly Regional Medical Cente.

Go Copiers!
----------------------

You and I both know that somewhere in the bowels of Konica Minolta, Ricoh or Xerox, some poor schmoe is "high five'n" another schmoe, congratulating each other on "landing the Premier deal" - you just know it.

Pity the newbie-rep who gets to respond to the RFP.

HP Profits UP 14%, IPG Revenues Decline 15% but Profit Remains Steady

Fresh after last weeks stunning numbers, Canon Down 54%, Ricoh Down 69%, Xerox Down 50% - Profits? We Don't Need No Stinkin Profits..., HP and IPG, make the scene in a relatively rosey manner.

If by "rosey", you mean a 15% decline in revenue...


From the transcript, Catherine A. Lesjak - HP Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer:

"...Turning to imaging and printing, IPG continues to deliver over $4 billion in operating profit annually with Q4 operating profit totalling $1.2 billion or 18.1% of revenue. In Q4, revenue improved 14% sequentially to $6.5 billion as printer demand begins to pick up. We are reinvigorating the core business by driving adoption in high page output areas such as wireless printing, office jet pro, and multi-function printers.

In addition, we are driving growth in long-term, high value annuity businesses such as managed print services and retail publishing. We have been expanding our retail publishing pilot with Walmart. We have begun to deploy our self-service photo kiosks at Walmart and this win, coupled with other major retail publishing wins such as Kesko, Duane Reid and K-Mart Australia represents a significant proof point in IPG's scaling of its contractual businesses.

Operationally, IPG is in much shape as it enters 2010.

It has made significant progress in its cost structure, inventory management, and overall operational rigor. These improvements give us capacity to invest in unit placements while maintaining industry leading profitability. Going forward into Q1, we expect to have double-digit unit growth while at the same time delivering operating profit in the range of 15% to 17% as we outlined at our analyst meeting in September..."
-------

Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) revenue declined 15% to $6.5 billion.

Supplies revenue was down 8% while Commercial hardware revenue and Consumer hardware revenue declined 32% and 17%, respectively.

Printer unit shipments decreased 20%, with Commercial printer hardware units down 38%and Consumer printer hardware units down 14%.

Operating profit was $1.2 billion, or 18.1% of revenue, versus $1.2 billion, or 15.3%of revenue, in the prior-year period.

So, it looks like even with a 32% decrease in revenu(Commercial hardware), Operating profit remained steady at $1.2b compared to $1.2b last year.

Further investigation reveals that HP experienced a 8% increase in services revenue and HP Financial increased 5%.


Good review here.

DeathOfTheCopier Name the Fishies, First winner: Gazpacho

Ok, now honestly, we really do have too much time on our hands, don't we?

"Gazpacho" - a red, Spanish soup. Perfect!

The fishies are red, the name fits.

Nathan Dube thank you for your participation and continued patronage.

Expert Laser Services provides the full range of office imaging solutions from single laser printer repair through comprehensive printer fleet management for clients all across southeastern New England. From Nashua, NH south to Springfield, MA and Providence, RI over to Hartford and the Northeast corner of Connecticut, from metropolitan Boston west and across Worcester County we offer...


Expert printer service with a fleet of fully equipped technician vans on the road daily to provide on-site convenience as well as F-A-S-T response! Laser printer repair and copier service requests can be submitted 24-7 via our printer service page.

Digital black & white and full color copiers from Konica Minolta.

Top-of-the-line laser printers from Hewlett-Packard, Konica Minolta Printing Solutions ( Formerly QMS ) and Xante.

Cutting-edge Muratec fax and multifuntional.

Entry-level and enterprise-wide document management and document capture software.

Copier Crime Update: John Buonomo jailed for stealing coins from copiers

This guy ran for Mayor of a small town. Twice.

I first talked about this back in August of 2008. The cops got him stealing coins from copiers on video - 18 times.

He has been sentenced to 30 months behind bars.

Buonomo will be eligible for parole in 15 months and could 10 years of prohibition.


Article here.