16 Things I Learned at the 2011 Muratec Dealer Meeting

Last month I attended the 2011 Muratec National Dealer Meeting at Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. What follows are the 16 most significant story lines from the meeting.

1. Muratec plans to advance in the MFP market by focusing more on managed services and device connectivity as well as networking and advanced communications technologies.

 2. Muratec is looking to excel and differentiate themselves in the market is by bringing out more energy efficient products. Two ways the company will make future products more efficient is with a new fuser and next-generation duplex scanner technology.

 3. Muratec will be developing and releasing products that offer modular design, energy savings, ease of use, network connectivity, the ability to integrate with mobile applications, and are eco friendly.

 4. By implementing a mobile design, the products can be customized at the dealer level. This will also help shorten development time and enable the company to release at least 20 products over the next five years.

5. As the industry and the market becomes more aware of security issues at the device, look for Muratec to bolster their efforts in this area as well with the introduction of security solutions focused on mobile applications and WI-FI communications.

 6. Muratec is working on new toner-saving technology that will cut toner consumption by 12 percent without affecting image quality.

 7. Muratec is committed to an open MPS strategy. As a result they’re looking to build an open secure platform that’s not limited by devices, vendors or ISPs. As a result they announced that they disclose their printer MIB information to any MPS software vendor their dealers require in an effort to ensure their dealer’s MPS contracts are profitable.

 8. An integral component of Muratec’s go-to-market strategy is a concept called, “Mark Your Territory.” The concept, according to Muratec President Jim D’Emidio is for dealers to place stickers with all their contact information on all the devices in their accounts to discourage competitors from coming in and taking away those accounts.

 9. Expect a continued focus on A4 with the launch of three new products in this category next year code-named. Sydney. The first model is replacement for the MFX-1950. This product will enable Muratec to offer strong functionality and a competitive price and help them capture market share from Kyocera and Lexmark in the low-end A4 MFP category. The second model replaces the current MFX-2550 and MFX-2570 and will offer more aggressive hardware pricing when compared to those products without sacrificing reliability, functionality, and performance. The third model, a console MFP, will reportedly feature strong imaging performance, multiple paper trays, low CPC, and aggressive hardware pricing.

10.  What’s also new are products with a hybrid design that can be configured either as a desktop or console system.

11.  More products will be coming out by December in the A3 and A4 space and Muratec will partner with strategic OEMs such as Konica Minolta and OKI Data to fill out their A3 line and low-end A4 line.

12.  The reason for a low-end A4 device is to offset what HP may be doing at the low-end of the market.

13.  Scheduled for release in October is the MFX-C2828 which is OEM’d from Konica Minolta. This will be a Muratec-branded product and have unique toner keys, offering differentiation for the channel and representing the company’s first step in their A3 expansion.

14.  In November, expect to see the MFX-C3035, an A4 color MFP sourced from Konica Minolta that will be priced higher than the MFX-C2700, however it will feature a more competitive cost per page. Additionally, Muratec will launch additional OEM-developed products in early December.

15.  Expect Muratec’s A3 lineup to grow by seven new models over the next three years starting with three new color models at 22-, 28-, and 36-ppm as well as four monochrome devices at speeds of 22-, 28-, 36-, and 42-ppm.

16.  By the end of 2012, Muratec will have released a total of 19 new products, including nine A4 mono, three A4 color, and the aforementioned three A3 color and four A3 mono.