Final Five Predictions?

Canon
Ricoh
KonicaMinolta
Xerox
Kyocera

I still think that some of the above tradtional copier manufacturers will buy the likes of lexmark, HP, & Okidata to capture market share in clicks.

Fuji Xerox (Note the FUJI, I think they will take a more aggressive ownership within Xerox)
HP
Canon
Ricoh
Konica Minolta

Art - don't underestimate the size of HP's Imaging & Printing division (now PPS). There wouldn't be a copier manufacturer with the funds to but HP's crown jewel

Kiwispike:

Understood, but I just don't see much from HP. I consider them more of a printer player than an MFP player. I also think the Japanese will be more agreesive in buying up the competition to preserve clicks.

You don't think someone like Canon could open up the piggy bank for HP?

Art.....HP is all over in both the MPS, printer, MFP and facility management arena. They are in some very large accounts. Maybe you do not see them so much in NJ.

I don't think Canon will want HP. Canon already has a very nice lineup of printers and they don't focus on the residential or off-the-shelf solution like HP. That is where I think they make all the money like Brother does.

Plus Canon's most profitable unit's only business is making engines and cartridges for HP.

They wouldn't have that relationship any other way. Probably the only reason they would buy HP's print unit (if they could) would be to keep someone else from buying it.

A good contact of mine is telling me that Canon has introduced and is pushing the Healthcare technologies in the Office Equipment division.

yeti....what do you mean Healthcare technologies? Please explain.

quote:

ean Healthcare technologies? Please explain.

Canon also manufacturers some medical equipment
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/healthcare

my Contact said that Medical equipment and office equipment might become one.

There will only be four:

1. XEROX
2. Ricoh
3. Konica Minolta
4. Canon

quote:

Originally posted by GMAN:
There will only be four:

1. XEROX
2. Ricoh
3. Konica Minolta
4. Canon

GMAN....I have always heard of the final 5 in theory but this is a new approach which very well might happen. Who bought HP and Kyocera? I still think some aspects of Xerox will be sold historically Xerox will remain the facility management leader. HP is all over and large colleges and major manufactures. I don't they will be gone anytime soon.

quote:

Originally posted by Art Post:
Kiwispike:

Understood, but I just don't see much from HP. I consider them more of a printer player than an MFP player. I also think the Japanese will be more aggressive in buying up the competition to preserve clicks.

You don't think someone like Canon could open up the piggy bank for HP?

Perhaps its market space related to what you see?

HP are winning a large number of Global MPS accounts from Xerox and in terms of capturing pages are way ahead of many of the major copier vendors. Their revenue is something like 192 Billion and Imaging & Printing is a full 3rd of that. Canon wouldn't have the cash.

If anything you will see HP buy a major player, look at EDS, Indigo, Autonomy etc. They are going through the process of merging 2/3rd's of their company at the moment and allot of that saving is going into R&D - expect to see something right in your back yard end of the year.

quote:

Originally posted by Kiwispike:

quote:

Originally posted by Art Post:
Kiwispike:

Understood, but I just don't see much from HP. I consider them more of a printer player than an MFP player. I also think the Japanese will be more aggressive in buying up the competition to preserve clicks.

You don't think someone like Canon could open up the piggy bank for HP?

Perhaps its market space related to what you see?

HP are winning a large number of Global MPS accounts from Xerox and in terms of capturing pages are way ahead of many of the major copier vendors. Their revenue is something like 192 Billion and Imaging & Printing is a full 3rd of that. Canon wouldn't have the cash.

If anything you will see HP buy a major player, look at EDS, Indigo, Autonomy etc. They are going through the process of merging 2/3rd's of their company at the moment and allot of that saving is going into R&D - expect to see something right in your back yard end of the year.

I would say it's the market place that I see, hey, they said that about Ricoh not being able to buy IKON and look what happened, maybe HP just sells the Imaging someone where down the road.

The copier manufacturers need to start buying companies that that will give them a revenue stream. I'm of the opinion that manufacturers should start buying companies like dropbox, officedrop and box and then give away the free service with the MFP and then have a premium plan. They should also start buying some of the document management companies that have server base and cloud based solutions.

Once upon a time we sold just a copier, that machine only made copies and nothing else. As time passed other 3rd party companies started developing sorters (remember Gradco), key counters (remember Hecon), coin op units (can't remember one of these). Eventually the copier manufacturers incorporated all of these features into the analog copier (except for the coin unit).

Copiers then went digital and we found players like Peerless (that's the only one that I can remember) that made the print boards and I'm sure there where others. Here too copier manufacturers bought companies or bought the technology so they could make their own.

As we move to the new office the leading manufacturers are evolving into service lead comapanies that can provide most if not all of the solutions that would be required in the office. Companies like Ricoh, Canon and Epson all have projectors, Ricoh has tablets, Canon has err well....I'm sure they something other than copiers and printes. But, would it be too far fetched to think that one day you could buy a Ricoh or Canon phone systems?

I can only think that services led companies will need to lead with services and solutions, and document management and storage companies would be prime targets where the manufacturers could enable the revenue stream. Let's face it, if a company like Auxilo can't make trun a profit in Healthcare MPS neither will the manufacturers.