Worldwide hardcopy peripherals shipments down 7.4 percent

May 17, 2012

Despite strong demand in emerging markets resulting in double-digit growth, the overall market is down for Q1 2012.

Analyst firm International Data Corporation (IDC) has announced a 7.4 percent decrease in worldwide hardcopy peripherals shipments for the first quarter of 2012, despite continued double-digit growth in emerging markets.

The worldwide laser multifunction peripherals (MFP) market also persisted in exhibiting double-digit growth during Q1 2012, up 12 percent year over year, propped up with gains of 15 percent in emerging markets.

Despite this, the worldwide hardcopy peripherals shipment experienced a down of 7.4 percent year over year to 28.5 million units.

Phuonh Hang, Programme Manager of Worldwide Hardcopy Peripherals Trackers, IDC, commented: “IDC expects growth to remain strong in the emerging markets over the next two years. We anticipate that in emerging markets vendors will continue to broaden their product lines into new market segments, especially though that take advantage of the anticipated digital document communications business. This may include related products such as educational facilities, digital display devices, and collaborative computing tools.”

HP continues as the global market leader with 40.3 percent share, followed by Epson and Canon held 16.2 percent market share each.

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Tags : Market Data

Sinn Féin politician fails to deliver promised cartridges

May 16, 2012

Jack & Jill Foundation has yet to see the cartridges promised by Sinn Fein Teachta Dála Aengus Ó Snodaigh, which are said to have been returned to Dell.

Children’s charity Jack & Jill Foundation boss Jonathan Irwin has said that Sinn Féin Teachta Dála Aengus Ó Snodaigh has failed to delivery the empty ink cartridges promised to them earlier in the year, with accounts that the cartridges have instead been sent to Dell, reports The Irish Sun.

Ó Snodaigh recently came under heavy criticism for the use of 400 toner cartridges valued at €50,000 ($67,317) in just two years. A formal complaint was launched by Stephan Kearon in April 2012.

Ó Snodaigh is said to have pledged the cartridges to Jack & Jill, who specialise in providing nursing care and support for children with neurological development issues, after the charity wrote to him. However the charity states that there has been no other contact with the Teachta Dála since February.

Irwin commented: “He said he would give us his used cartridges after we wrote to him but that was the last we heard. He later claimed there was an in-house deal with Dell that all used ones had to go back to them. But many other TDs give us used ones so I can’t see why it is a problem.

“He could even just send us the ones from his constituency office. But we embarrassed him because we took the mickey out of him a bit by asking him to send us them so he said he would. Dell don’t need them, our 294 sick babies do.”

Irwin stated that each collected cartridge can return as little as €2 ($2.53) each, although expressed the importance of even a small amount: “It may seem small but with the amount [of cartridges] he used, it could pay for a few months of care for a child. If he appears with some, I will be the first to praise him. But I am not holding my breath. We’ve been waiting patiently for nearly three months and haven’t had one, there is no sign of it.

“I would like him to lead on it, it was a nice gesture, now he just needs to cement it. What good are they to Dell? They don’t need it and my babies need that money desperately.”

Ó Snodaigh later refuted claims that he failed to uphold his word, commenting to Herald.ie: “I have been told that the spend cartridges I return to the Houses of the Oireachtas are recycled for Temple Street Children’s Hospital.”

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Tags : Charity Collection Ireland

Hardcopy market in western Europe falls 12 percent in Q1 2012

May 15, 2012

A report from IDC has indicated a “sluggish” start to the year for the western European hardcopy market, with shipments falling by 12.1 percent in Q1.

IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker for May 2012 reported that shipment levels fell from 6.6 million to 5.8 million between 2011 and 2012, and revenues also fell by 5.3 percent from $3.1 billion (€2.41 billion) to $2.9 billion (€2.25 billion) year on year. IDC noted that “laser growth remains erratic and the markets in general need some major confidence boost if 2012 is to recover to growth”.

Consumer inkjets saw the heaviest decline of 16.6 percent, with combined business markets falling 5.1 percent in turn. Colour laser products now account for a third of all laser shipments, but business inkjets in turn are now making up a fifth of all sales in the combined laser and inkjet business sector.

There were positives in the results, with business inkjets increasing 26.3 percent and high-speed inkjets growing 21.4 percent over 2011 figures. The analyst notes that demand has fallen from consumer and business markets, and continuing instability across the EU in financial circles has had an effect on GDP. It adds that consumer markets are “in the doldrums” and home inkjet shipments are “declining as unemployment rises and general confidence levels remain low”.

In a country-specific focus, Germany saw a decline in most segments, with a 13.6 percent fall in shipments from 1.74 million units to 1.51 million, with consumer inkjet falling by 22.7 percent. Business inkjet grew by 25.5 percent in contract, and whilst laser appeared to have stalled, A4 and A3 colour laser shipments increased.

The UK saw a decline of 6.7 percent but still maintains its position as second largest market in the region, with 1.06 million units shipped. Business inkjet grew here by 28.4 percent, but colour laser and monochrome saw a flat and 16.9 percent decline respectively.

France in turn saw shipments fall below a million units with a decline of four percent, the lowest of all the market’s nations. Revenues actually increased by 4.7 percent due to increase in colour and monochrome laser, whilst consumer inkjet fell only 8 percent. Business inkjet again showed a large growth of 29.9 percent, with colour laser growing 4.9 percent and monochrome declining only 1.7 percent.

Arnaud Gagneux, Director of IDC’s Western European Imaging Hardware Devices and Document Solutions group, stated: “Manufacturers and their channel partners are facing some dilemmas in 2012.

“Many customers are demanding lower costs of printing but with stipulations for improved productivity and workflows, but in general vendors still have the need to push hardware into the office environments to make their business models work, and finding the right balance between the two is a key issue in projecting future revenue and profit streams.”

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Tags : Europe Market Data

HP returns to tablet production

May 14, 2012

New devices to utilise Windows 8 operating system.

Printer manufacturer HP has announced plans to restart production of consumer tablets although the new models will not run on its previously suspended WebOS platform, reported Bangkok Post.

PCMag states that CEO Meg Whitman expressed fondness to enter the “extraordinary growth in tablet sales” at the Global Influencer Summit in Shanghai, China.

HP is said to have been in collaboration with Microsoft for some time regarding the release of a Windows 8 tablet, and in October 2011 HP spokesperson Marlene Somsak remarked: “We’ve definitely said we’ll continue in the tablet market, though we have discounted hardware for webOS.”

HP continues to produce HP Slate 500 tablets, running on Windows 7, for the enterprise markets and verticals, including hospitality and medical industries.

In February 2012, HP shed 275 positions from its webOS division, as the company progressed to making the platform open source and insisted in November 2011 that webOS would continue to be utilised in the company’s printers.

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Tags : HP Market Data Technology

UK remanufacturer rebrands with new website

May 11, 2012

I-Tel Supplies launched its new site in April 2012 to “offer a recognisable brand that offers both affordability and quality”.

The company has undergone a rebranding exercise, with the aim of offering a “one stop shop” for UK organisations looking to purchase both remanufactured and original printer supplies. The new site, launched on 3 April, includes an “industry bespoke” ordering system that has “significantly simplified” the company’s ordering process, as well as features designed to save time and offer flexibility to customers.

Starting as a remanufacturer in Cardiff, Wales in 2006, I-Tel Supplies has expanded its offerings to supply remanufactured and original consumables as well as parts and components for printers. The new site aims in turn to offer clients an individual account where all relevant facilities and products are easily available to order.

Melvin Gauci, Director and Co-founder of I-Tel Supplies, stated: “We’re fully aware of the challenges that businesses face when deciding between quality original cartridges and the cost saving that non-originals can offer.

“We are creating a brand to prevent our customers from being forced to make that choice so, whether you choose us for original cartridges or remanufactured options, you get a cartridge that will do its job.”

Gauci added: “The development of the new website really accentuates the successes of the company over the past few years and highlights the ethos and beliefs of the company that, when done correctly, a customer doesn’t have to make a sacrifice for their office supplies.”

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Tags : Remanufacturing Technology UK

Cartridge Green awarded for marketing scheme

May 10, 2012

The Ireland-based cartridge franchise won the Innovative Marketing Award from Irish Franchise Magazine for developing and selling its ink subscription service.

The service, Club Cartridge Green, provides unlimited ink to users who sign up for it, and was trialled in the franchise’s 13 stores in Ireland last year. The scheme now features an online facility that allows the company to service households that are not located near a store.

Nik Healy, Director of Franchising at Cartridge Green, stated of the award: “This is a great recognition for an Irish product, conceived, developed and launched in Ireland and now about to go to our first international markets.

 “We have a great team of people across our 13 stores at present and we hope to roll out an additional 16 over the next two years, as well as having our first presence in Britain. Cartridge Green was always going to be more than an ink refill business. We set out to change the model for printing and this award is testament to the progress we are making.”

He continued: “That old model for home printing has been to sell the printer at a low cost and the ink at a very big premium. We wanted to change the model and make home printing fun for the first time.

“We wanted people to be able to print what they want, when they want, without having to worry about the cost of the ink. Our marketing message is inviting people to ‘Be Print Happy’.  We have doubled the number of subscriptions we had initially planned for and expect to have over 10,000 subscribers within the next six months.

“With our new online service, orders are coming in from every corner of the country.”

The company previously revealed its expansion into the UK after success in its home nation.

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Tags : Franchise Ireland Marketing

Memjet to partner with Fuji Xerox for wide-format printer

May 9, 2012

The technology company has announced a partnership with the OEM to develop a wide-format printer containing Memjet technology.

My Print Resource reports that the two companies will work together to integrate Memjet technology and the printhead components into a “roll-fed 42-inch wide-format solution”, which will be marketed at “technical and production graphics applications”.

The two companies stated that the “combination of speed, colour and print quality […] are unmatched by traditional wide-format offerings”, and added that Fuji Xerox will formally launch the finished product in the Asia Pacific market when the technology is ready for retail sale. The machine follows the previous wide-format Memjet release of Xanté’s Excelagraphix 4200 earlier this year.

Memjet added details of its wide-format inkjet system, stating that its Waterfall Printhead Technology “deliver[s] more than three billion drops of ink per second”, with print speeds of 300mm per second at a print resolution of 1600 x 800 dpi, or at 150mm per second at 1600 x 1600 dpi.

Fuji Xerox follows in the footsteps of Océ and Toshiba, who were recently announced to be working with Memjet on devices containing its technology at the drupa show in Dusseldorf. At the same show, UK company Lomond presented its two additions to its EvoJet range of Memjet-enhanced MFPs.

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Tags : Fuji Xerox Memjet Wide-format

GIT Dubai expands with offices in Abu Dhabi

May 8, 2012

The Dubai-based remanufacturer has opened a new base in the neighbouring emirate of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, with plans for further expansion revealed.

The new branch, as reported by business news website Zawya, is said to be the “next step” in the company’s expansion, which will soon include a new sales office in Dubai as well as new offices by the end of the year in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) nations, which includes Saudi Arabia, the remainder of the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.

Dr. Sassan Dieter Khatib-Shahidi, CEO and Executive Director of GIT Dubai, stated: “The Abu Dhabi office is a logical progression that gives us closer access to the Emirate, along with Al Ain and its other dependencies. We believe in close support at the local level, and these new purpose-built premises follow up on that very real commitment we have to our existing customers and to attract new ones.

“Our visibility as a company is rising exponentially, and this move will certainly aid in that process.

Khatib-Shahidi continued: “In addition, I am also delighted to welcome a new member to our team, Ms Dalia Soufian, who will be running our Abu Dhabi office to the same exacting standards as we do in Dubai.

“Ms Soufian, a graduate of the University of Nebraska in the United States, is a consummate industry professional, having previously worked with the Arab Media Group and other prestigious companies, and I believe that her commitment to building on our existing reputation will see GIT move from strength to strength over the coming years.”

Soufian added of her appointment: “It’s an exciting time! We opened for business on May 1 this year, and we have already begun to make inroads into the local market. It’s a pleasure to be here in Abu Dhabi supporting the capital’s OEM market.

“On a personal note, I’m particularly proud of our environmental policy here at GIT, and how our manufacturing process not only helps companies keep costs low, but does a great deal for the UAE’s precious local environment, especially thanks to our proximity to local companies and so helping reduce both emissions and delivery times.”

In the past year, GIT Dubai has been ranked 11^th in the top 100 SMEs in Dubai, earned fourth place in the Arabia 500 fastest growing companies list, and helped assist in the production of an hourly newsletter at the GITEX trade show.

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Tags : Business Remanufacturing UAE

InfoTrends to contribute talk on Market Insight at Focus on Europe 2012

May 4, 2012

Andrew Carroll, Senior Consultant for InfoTrend’s European Communication Supplies Consulting Service, will be speaking on behalf of InfoTrends on Friday 29 June.

Imaging industry market research and strategic consulting firm InfoTrends will share inkjet market insights at this year’s Focus on Europe Conference in Nice, France.

The talk will provide an overview of the desktop inkjet category in Europe, looking at how the market is expected to develop in the coming years and how new categories such as business inkjet have emerged. Carroll will then go on to examine how each of the OEMs is performing, discuss the leading cartridge types in the market, and analyse how successful parties have been at penetrating the inkjet market.

Carroll will be able to share his knowledge of the industry’s market trends at the conference, with his current job role at InfoTrends involving conducting research, analysis, and forecasting of the supplies market, as well as responding to client inquiries. He has also held previous roles within the digital imaging industry at Understanding & Solutions and Eastman Kodak, at which he was appointed Manager of Business Research Forecasting & Analysis for the Consumer Digital Group and Film Products Group in the EMEA regions.

The Focus on Europe Conference will run in Nice from 28 to 29 June, and will also feature talks on subjects such as clones in the European market; business opportunities in Europe; and the issues and impacts of introducing MPS into your business; as well as celebrating 10 years of ETIRA’s involvement in the industry, Steve Weedon, formerly of Static Control, will give the keynote speech at the show. Sponsors of the event include OCP, Embatex, KMP, Baiksan, Delacamp, Static Control and In-Map.

For more information or to register for the conference, visit www.therecycler.com/foe.

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Tags : Events Focus on Europe InfoTrends

Lomond partners with PrintFleet to “optimize” EvoJet

May 3, 2012

The Memjet distributor is working with the MPS software provider to develop the EvoJet Office printer for use in MPS systems.

The two companies remarked in a press release that PrintFleet’s MPS software is now compatible with the EvoJet Office printer, with claims to “streamline the way for MPS providers” to use the Memjet-devised printer in MPS programmes across Europe.

The Canadian company has tested and certified the EvoJet Office and stated it is “PrintFleet-ready”, giving users the option to use the new and fast technology built into the devices in office MPS programmes, offering the ability to “remotely monitor and manage productivity, performance and costs of their printing and imaging environments”.

Lomond was revealed as European distributor of the EvoJet in October 2011, and recently revealed two new printers for the market based on the Memjet technology.

Chris McFarlane, President of PrintFleet, said of the partnership: “Adding Lomond’s EvoJet to our line-up of certified MPS devices software, and working with Lomond on develop an MPS program designed specifically for the European market place is a very exciting project.”

Ivan Bulaev of Lomond added: “The combination of Lomond’s customer care focus and strong supply chain capabilities and PrintFleet’s industry leadership and years of expertise in Managed Print Services, will allow Lomond to deliver an outstanding MPS program to our Distributor partners.”

Alexander Bulaev, CEO of Lomond, also stated his pleasure at the agreement: “Lomond is pleased to partner with PrintFleet on an MPS solution for the European market.

“At last, companies that have been stuck in the monochrome printing model can have colour at the highest speed in the world and a cost that supports their bottom line.”

PrintFleet has enjoyed a prosperous month in the aftermarket, with deals with VOW and Supplies Network and an agreement with Samsung to help launch its MPS programme. The company also endorsed the work of remanufacturer West Point Products throughout their MPS partnership.

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Tags : Memjet MPS Technology