November 27th, 2012
Industry
The imaging industry was clearly a mixed bag in 2012, inducing almost a collective “holding of breath” within the industry, as signs of a major industrial shift were everywhere. Declining pages reduced unit shipments, and increased margin pressure continued to negatively impact industry financials. The vendor community appears to be taking three basic approaches to change: embrace change and shift to a MPS led model with a focus on advanced MPS (such as Xerox, Lexmark, and Ricoh) shift to a broacher managed services/technology services approach (Konica Minolta, Okidata and HP) or “more of the same” offering basic MPS and competing primarily on technology (the rest).Really, the separation between vendors offering basic MPS vs. advanced MPS is so significant now, Photizo Group is breaking the MPS market size and forecast into two separate forecasts. The gulf between the “haves” and the “have-nots” is increasing steadily- but what does this mean for 2013?
In the product space, technology was thrust forward with Memject gaining significant traction as OEMs began adapting their technology and HP powering through with new page array technology announcements in the office. Lexmark’s software company acquisition spree slowed as they focused on integrating their 5 recent acquisitions into core business, with view of offering a unified sales approach. Software companies focused on developing mobile print platforms, while the “high-end” market continued to shift its focus into integrated workflow.
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