May-June News Bytes

Following are the big and small news stories for the month of May.

PrintFleet Releases PrintFleet Enterprise v3.1  

May 31, 2012 – PrintFleet Inc. has announced released the newest version of PrintFleet Enterprise (PFE) software. According to the company, this is a major release that includes new functionality over PFE 3.0.

“We are very happy with this release,” states Chris McFarlane, President & CEO, PrintFleet, “It has been installed on a number of customer pre-production servers, and is live on Samsung’s PrintIQ MPS program.” 

Highlights of the new functionality include automated supplies-fulfillment enhancements, device bulk editing (via CSV import/export), and customization of the model database. Supply alerts are now tracked per-supply (one alert per supply type/color), and are active until the situation is resolved. A new Supply Detail screen that shows detailed history about a single supply has been well received by our customers; in fact it has been called ‘awesome’.

All of these new features are supported by the new foundation PrintFleet has created with the PFE 3 series. According to PrintFleet, this foundation accelerates still more, its ability to deliver accurate, reliable and consistent device data, increased performance, and scalability.

The trial site has been updated to PrintFleet Enterprise v3.1. To have access to the trial site please contact sales@printfleet.com 

John Lowery

Lowery Receives SBA Award in the Nation’s Capital 

May 31, 2012 –  John Lowery, Applied Imaging’s President, is flanked by U.S. Small Business Administration’s Marie Johns (l) and Karen Mills (r) on May 21st in Washington D.C. when Lowery was honored by the SBA as Michigan’s Small Business Person of the Year.

Founded in 1987 by Lowery, Applied Imaging is an independently-owned provider of document imaging and managed information technology services. With offices in Grand Rapids, Metro Detroit, Lansing, Kalamazoo, Big Rapids and Muskegon, Applied Imaging has grown to over 130 employees with revenues totalling over $26 million. 

GreatAmerica Launches Managed IT Services Navigator Business Planning Program for Summer 2012

May 24, 2012 – GreatAmerica Leasing Corporation has announced the launch of its Managed Information Technology (IT) Services Navigator Program. The program, which includes two Webinars and a one-and-a-half day business planning session, is designed to help dealers and resellers develop or grow their Managed IT Services business. The training covers planning, implementing and growing an equipment dealer’s Managed IT Services business and is facilitated by a dealer who has experienced great success in this space, Milton Bartley from ImageQuest out of Nashville, TN.   

“GreatAmerica has fully committed to helping our customers be as successful as they can be with Managed Services,” says Jennie Fisher, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the GreatAmerica Office Equipment Group. “Dealers and resellers will get hands-on Managed IT Services business-planning guidance from an industry veteran who has successfully transitioned his business model into Managed Services. In this program, Milton is incredibly open with both the mistakes he has made along the way, and the successes he’s celebrated, and that can be a tremendous time and money saver to a dealer forging this new territory.”

Three years ago in anticipation of dealer and reseller Managed Services’ needs, GreatAmerica invested in creating a GreatAmerica subsidiary company, Collabrance, LLC, as a Master Managed Services Provider. The company invested millions of dollars in a Network Operations Center (NOC), software and technology tools, process development and personnel to offer a cost-effective method of entry into the Managed Services space for dealers and resellers. 

“As we worked with more dealers and resellers on their Managed IT Services business, we identified a need to help them increase their rate of success by learning from those who had ‘been there; done that’—which is how Managed IT Services Navigator was born,” states Fisher.  

The Webinar is offered twice, and gives participants insights into five things that Milton Bartley would have liked to have known before he started his Managed IT Services business, but had to learn the hard way. Participants are urged to ask questions at the end of the Webinar presentation.

Webinars: Building My Managed IT Services Business – Top 5 Lessons Learned

Includes a 30 minute presentation and 15 minute audience Q&A 
Tuesday, June 19^th 10:30 a.m. Central
Thursday, July 12^th 10:30 a.m. Central

1.5-Day Managed IT Services Navigator Business Planning Session
Tuesday/Wednesday, August 7-8, 2012
Hosted at GreatAmerica Headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

The one-and-a-half day session guides executive teams through the step-by-step development of a business model and operational structure, and covers:

• Situational Analysis

• Business Plan Guide
• Development of Business Model and Operational Structure

• Branding and Marketing Strategies

• Sales Force Engagement Strategy and Compensation

• Go-to-Market Strategy

• Goals and Benchmarking from day 1 to day 360

Session fees are bundled to accommodate three Managed IT Services decision makers from each dealer or reseller. The President/Owner, Chief Financial Officer, and Sales Manager are recommended to attend. Additional staff members can also be included for an extra investment.  Participants do not have to be current GreatAmerica or Collabrance customers to take part in the Navigator programs. For additional information or registration for either the webinar or 1.5 day business planning session, contact GreatAmerica at (319) 261-4166 or go to www.greatamerica.com/ManagedITNavigator. 

OMD and La Crosse Dealer Management Software Now Integrated with Supplies Network

May 29, 2012 – OMD Corporation, part of the Digital Gateway office equipment division of ECI Software Solutions, has announced the completion of several new integrations between the OMD and La Crosse dealer management systems and Supplies Network, a provider of IT consumables in the United States. The integration between OMD, La Crosse and Supplies Network will include automation of purchase orders, acknowledgements, and stock/price checks. All three of these new integrations will automate the ordering process which makes the process more efficient for dealers, according to a press announcement. With a click of a button, dealers creating their purchase order in OMD or La Crosse can have it automatically transmitted to Supplies Network and an acknowledgement is generated from the receipt of the purchase order.   Within the OMD and La Crosse systems, dealers are able to click on a Stock/Price Check button to get the real-time inventory and cost back from Supplies Network. For more on OMD and La Crosse, visit www.ecisolutions.com.

Sd|University to Hold Service Management University August 28 – 29

May 29, 2012 – Sd|University, the advanced training division of Strategy Development, is conducting Service Management University (SMU) on August 28-29, 2012 at the Katun headquarters in Bloomington, MN.

“I appreciate the opportunity to work with Katun again,” states Ken Staubitz, service consultant for Strategy Development. “Katun has an outstanding reputation for going above and beyond in providing value and services to their customers. We are proud to be partners with them.”

BEI Services, another Strategy Development partner, will be offering their clients a $400 account credit to attend the August SMU. “We are also very excited to be teaming up again with BEI Services to bring this value-added opportunity to our August SMU attendees,” adds Staubitz.

The SD Service Management University provides service leaders with concrete steps they can take to achieve sustainable margins over 52%, and achieve 60%+ margins in managed print services. Staubitz will teach the intensive, two-day program, designed by Strategy Development consultants. Participants will learn to use the industry service model to assess their department’s strengths and weaknesses, develop specific actionable plans to address areas of opportunity, execute action items to drive sustained profitability and quality customer service, instill ownership and accountability for desired results, properly manage parts, and successfully deliver profitable service in the MPS world.

The SD SMU is recommended for a dealership’s entire service leadership team, including the vice president, director, service manager or service supervisor.

Print Audit Reveals Web Printing Trends for 2012

May 28, 2012 – Print Audit, the print management company, has released a summary of assessment results from organizations running its in-depth assessment software, the Print Audit Assessor. In a series of press releases over the next two months, Print Audit will be revealing printing trends that have been observed by compiling Assessor reports from 75 large organizations across a wide variety of industries. This week Print Audit has unveiled the following interesting Web printing trends that were discovered in the Assessor reports: 

• 10% of printing now originates from a Web browser.
• Recipe Websites represent 3% of printing in every environment and are printed with enough consistency to make them the most printed type of document across North America.
• On an annual average, March Madness and fantasy football documents represent 3% of printing in any environment.
• Of the major Web browsers (Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox), 95% of all Web printing originates from Internet Explorer.
• On average 60% of pages printed from Internet Explorer are printed in color, while only 2% of Google Chrome and 5% of Firefox pages are printed in color.

 Based on Print Audit 6 software, the Assessor is a tool exclusively built to enable office equipment dealers to run a comprehensive assessment in their customer’s print environment for up to 60 days. The Assessor tracks 35 fields of information about each print job. For example, the software tracks who printed, the application, printer, number of pages, color information, document name and more. For more information on the Print Audit Assessor, visit
www.printaudit.com/assessor.asp 

Nuance PDF Converter 8 Delivers New Collaboration and Productivity Innovations That Make It the Better PDF Software for Business

May 22, 2012 — Nuance Communications, Inc. has announced the release of Nuance PDF Converter Enterprise 8. The newest version of the software increases office productivity through PDF editing and sharing features that reduce the steps needed to get jobs done, according to a Nuance press release. PDF Converter Enterprise 8 also improves the way users share documents and collaborate with new connections to Web and cloud technologies — all at about one-third the cost of Adobe Acrobat, according to Nuance.

PDF Converter 8 includes full-page PDF editing which makes it as easy to edit a PDF as changing a Microsoft Word document. It also features Dragon Dictation, the speech recognition tool that allows users to use speech to create text for sticky notes or input text into PDF document. To aid in document collaboration, this release adds PDF Collaboration, which enables simultaneous editing of the same PDF by multiple users, document and screen sharing, and chat and voice sessions during the editing process.

With PDF Converter 8, Nuance has outpaced Adobe as the industry’s most innovative provider of PDF solutions for businesses. PDF Converter 8 delivers unmatched connectivity to the cloud with the new ability to save and open PDF files in cloud services such as PaperPort Anywhere, Dropbox or Evernote, providing anytime, anywhere access to PDF files. The version has new connectors to Documentum and Xerox DocuShare that broaden connectivity to popular document repositories.

The complete family of Nuance PDF solutions is available through Nuance’s global network of reseller, retail and e-commerce partners. Nuance PDF Converter Enterprise 8 is $149 with volume discounts available through the Nuance Open License Program. PDF Converter Professional 8, targeting individuals and small workgroups, is $99. Upgrade pricing and support products are also available. For additional information on features, pricing and volume licensing programs, please visit www.nuance.com/pdf.

Gary Schwartz Joins Strategy Development 

May 21, 2012 – Strategy Development, an industry leading management consulting and advanced training firm, welcomes the addition of Gary Schwartz to the team as a consultant. Schwartz, with more than years of experience in the industry, has spent his career progressing through management assignments with IKON Office Solutions and Ricoh. As a consultant with Strategy Development, Schwartz will be able to leverage his multifaceted experience to coach dealers towards achieving significant operational and productivity improvements in the sales operations and business planning areas. 

Most recently, Schwartz served as strategic account manager for IKON North Texas, where he directed a team of 150 employees with a focus to solutions sales, including managed document services (MDS/MPS) and facilities management (FM). Schwartz joined IKON Office Solutions as director of financial operations after a career at Coopers & Lybrand LLP. After deciding to pursue a career in general management, Schwartz was appointed regional manager for IKON’s New Mexico branch with responsibility for sales, service and operations. After growing sales over 60 percent in a three-year period, Schwartz was promoted to general sales manager in IKON’s Greater Texas Area with responsibility for five sales teams, and was subsequently promoted to director of sales with responsibility for seven sales teams and 60 sales professionals. In every assignment Schwartz grew revenue and reduced sales turnover. 

“I am very excited to be part of the SD team,” says Schwartz. “The sales operations processes that Tom Callinan developed at IKON worked exceptionally well when implemented without alteration, and my experience demonstrates that strong sales processes support exceptional results. I am looking forward to helping dealers achieve greater success in their traditional copier business as well as MPS/MNS.” 

“Gary’s experience in both finance and sales will greatly benefit our clients and the dealer community,” adds Tom Callinan, principal of Strategy Development. “To me, a clear indication of success is when a manager can repeat their success in different locations or in different positions. Gary has demonstrated success at multiple levels of sales leadership in multiple States as well as in financial operations roles. I am excited to have him as a part of the Strategy Development team.”

Ed Carroll has decided to leave SD to join one its clients, TGI Office Automation, as COO/CFO. 

Konica Minolta Receives BLI “PRO Award” for bizhub PRESS C7000 

May 21, 2012 – Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. has announced that Buyers Laboratory Inc. (BLI) has awarded Konica Minolta an inaugural “PRO Award” for “Outstanding Color Light Production Device” for the bizhub PRESS C7000 Color Digital Press.

BLI’s new “PRO Awards” recognize the best production devices as determined in rigorous production field tests, which cover such factors as image quality, color consistency, productivity, ease of use, media handling and job management. 

“The Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C7000 offers high-quality output, with a number of bar-raising results,” says David Sweetnam, head of European Research and Lab Services for BLI. “In fact, this device is the first production unit tested ever to receive BLI’s five-star rating for color consistency, with no peak Delta E drift of more than 3.0 in 12 corporate logo colors over 1,000-page print runs of BLI’s test document on coated or uncoated media. Solid density was also impressively consistent, with very low density variance when printing BLI’s 100 percent solid-coverage test suite. Fine lines and text, too, were reproduced at a very high-quality level even in default mode.” 

BLI’s field evaluations for the PRO Awards entail three full days of intensive testing during which tens of thousands of impressions are printed—from 30,000 to more than 150,000 depending on the model. Devices are tested for productivity with coated and uncoated media in a wide range of weights and sizes and using various finishing options to simulate a wide variety of real-world job scenarios. BLI technicians also evaluate image quality, including production of halftones, text and fine lines, plus density levels, variations in density, and color drift over the course of a 1,000-page print run. In addition, BLI assesses media-handling capabilities in terms of the paper sizes, weights and capacities supported, media catalog integration, and inline finishing options available. The test also includes an assessment of ease of use for setting up, submitting and managing jobs; loading paper and toner; switching out operator-replaceable components; and removing misfeeds. 

WestPoint Products Nominated for Three Recharger Readers’ Choice Awards

May 17, 2012 – West Point Products, a provider of premium replacement imaging supplies, printing services and innovative recycling programs, has been nominated for three 2012 Recharger Readers Choice Awards. A past recipient of multiple Readers Choice Awards, the company has been nominated by industry peers in the “Quality Leader: Toner”, “Quality Leader: Inkjet”, and “Best Managed Print Solution” categories. 

West Point Products has been a frequent nominee in the Quality Leader categories in past years, and has now also garnered multiple nominations for Best Managed Print Solution. This year’s nomination in the Best Managed Print Solution Category comes in a year that the Axess MPS suite of products and services was significantly enhanced, now including the proprietary Axess TCO Calculator and proposal generating tool. First launched in early 2011, the Axess TCO has garnered a great deal of attention in the industry and is believed to be the driving force behind the company’s nomination. 

The Readers Choice Award voting will take place from May 1-June 30, 2012. Voting forms will be in the May and June issues of Recharger Magazine as well as online at www.rechargermag.com. The winners will be announced at the Readers Choice Awards ceremony at World Expo on Wednesday, July 18.

Toshiba Earns Business Technology Association’s Top 2012 Channel’s Choice Award 

May 14 – Toshiba America Business Solutions (TABS) was recently presented with the 2012 Channel’s Choice Superior Performance award by the Business Technology Association (BTA). Paul Cox, senior district sales manager, accepted the award on May 2 from 2012-13 BTA President-Elect Terry Chapman during a reception at BTA Mid-America’s Gateway to Success event at the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Louis, Mo. This is the 13th time TABS has received BTA’s top award since the Channel’s Choice Awards were established in 1989. In addition, TABS received Channel’s Choice awards in three other performance categories: Corporate Support, Distribution and Inventory. 

Two other vendors were also presented with 2012 Channel’s Choice awards at the BTA Mid-America reception. Muratec America Inc. received an award for its Outstanding Performance as a Secondary Product Line Provider. It was accepted by Jim D’Emidio, president of Muratec America. This is the ninth time Muratec has received the award. Copystar received the 2012 Channel’s Choice award for Product Line. The award was accepted by Bob Burke, vice president of sales. 

A comprehensive look at the balloting results is presented in the BTA 2012 Channel’s Choice Report, which is free to BTA members. The 104-page report provides  an unparalleled view of how dealers rate their vendor partners. The report was prepared for the association by Industry Analysts Inc., based in Rochester, N.Y. The report is now available for download at www.bta.org/ChannelsChoice (a member username and password is required to download the report). 

EFI PrintMe Mobile Selected as 2012 Mobile Merit Award Winner and CTIA E-Tech Award Finalist 

May 11, 2012 – EFI has announced PrintMe Mobile was named winner of the 2012Mobile Merit Award in the mobile services, enterprise products/services category. PrintMe Mobile was also chosen as one of five finalists for the CTIA Emerging Technology (E-Tech) Award in the Enterprise/Vertical Market, General Business Solution category. These accolades show the increased importance enterprises are now placing on enabling users of tablets and smartphones to print from their devices, according to an EFI news release. 

The 2012 Mobile Merit Awards recognize companies, individuals and technologies that have shaped the way in which the world communicates. This year’s winners were judged based on industry impact, innovation, technologies, social importance, implementation and overall success factor. The CTIA E-Tech Awards honor the most innovative new products in 15 categories spanning the areas of mobile apps, consumer electronics, enterprise and infrastructure. Hundreds of entries were judged by a panel of recognized industry experts, media and analysts, and scored on innovation, functionality, technological importance, implementation and overall “wow” factor.

PrintMe Mobile is the only enterprise software that enables direct Wi-Fi printing from iPads, iPhones and Android devices, from within the application they are using, to any existing network printer regardless of brand. Users enjoy the ease of simply selecting print within their application and printing to the printers that automatically populate in a drop down menu. Developed for the enterprise, PrintMe Mobile works across multiple subnets, is scalable to thousands of users, and provides powerful management and job reporting capabilities for IT administrators. The software is simple to use, manage, and deploy, often installing in less than 20 minutes. 

Print Management Solutions Group and GreatAmerica Leasing Corporation Present Managed Print Services Sales Training

May 9, 2012 – In an effort to help dealers be as successful as possible with their Managed Print Services (MPS) initiatives, Print Management Solutions Group and GreatAmerica Leasing Corp. have announced an MPS Sales Training session hosted at GreatAmerica headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on June 5-6. Office equipment dealers will learn how highly successful MPS programs work, how to develop an effective consultative sales process as well as techniques and tools for managing complex decision teams.

“We know that while there is tremendous opportunity with MPS, dealers can face challenges with shifting to a solutions sales model and putting a good process in place. Sales training offered by individuals who have walked in these MPS shoes and been successful can really make a difference. This is why we’re hosting this training for Print Management Solutions Group—to make it accessible to dealers and increase their success in growing their MPS business model,” says Jennie Fisher, senior vice president and general manager, Office Equipment Group, GreatAmerica Leasing Corp.

Participants will walk away with a complete set of application tools to put into practice when they get back to the office—from a Prospecting Guide to a CD Application Tool Kit and a host of other proven best practices, process outlines and actionable tools, according to GreatAmerica.  

The GreatAmerica hosted session is being facilitated by Teri Dunn, director of training and consulting for Print Management Solutions Group. Teri is a recognized MPS expert, and former VP of marketing for Global Imaging Systems/Xerox. The training is designed for dealer owners, VP of sales, sales managers, and sales professionals and will take them through selling the value proposition of MPS, and a step-by-step engagement process for better ensuring sales success.

In this two-day session, attendees will learn how to:

• Easily Approach C‐Level Decision Makers
• Build a Compelling Case for “Quick View Assessments” 
• Become a Print Assessment Expert!
• Create Compelling Proposals!
• Close More Business!
• Eliminate the Competition!
• Differentiate Yourself in the Marketplace!

For details about the two -day event or to register, visit www.printmanagementsolutionsgroup.com.

Toshiba Records Sixth-Straight and 13^th Overall BTA Channel’s Choice Award

May 8, 2012 — Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. has been recognized with the Business Technology Association’s (BTA) 2012 Channel’s Choice Award for Superior Performance as a Primary Product Line Provider. This is the sixth-straight year Toshiba has earned BTA’s highest award as the industry’s best product line provider for independent dealers, and 13^th year overall. Toshiba was also recognized as the winner of Channel’s Choice Awards in other key performance categories, including Corporate Support, Distribution and Inventory.

The BTA Channel’s Choice Awards were publicly announced May 2 in conjunction with the BTA Mid-America “Gateway to Success” event at the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Louis. The awards are based on ballots completed by independent office technology dealers nationwide representing all copier/multifunction product (MFP) vendors in the industry, and tabulated on behalf of BTA by Industry Analysts, Inc.

Imaging Industry to Transform in Orlando

May 8, 2012 –With attendance growing faster than ever and exhibition space sold out, Transform 2012 Global will be the educational and networking event for the imaging industry this year, according to sponsor Photizo Group. The conference provides guidance for imaging professionals to successfully navigate the convergence of IT managed service and traditional hardware.

Photizo Group has built an agenda based on vital research and data. The firm has recruited more than 35 industry leaders to address topics ranging from entry-level managed print services to advanced business process optimization and IT outsourcing. Top executives from HP, Ricoh, OKI, and Xerox will answer attendees’ questions regarding the future of the imaging industry during an executive panel.

“At Transform 2012, you’ll have the opportunity to meet industry leaders – these are the guys who have built successful service-centric businesses before it was the trend,” says Ed Crowley, CEO and founder of Photizo. “You will get the information to transform your business and take home solutions to sharpen your competitive edge.”

The analyst team will share findings from their latest studies, including key attributes of successful Hybrid Providers, analysis of copier vendor market positions, and the implications of market innovation.

On May 25, Photizo will unveil insights from its Digital Workflow Transformation Advisory Service during a press conference and a special presentation to attendees. This new service provides a critical window into the effect of the digital age on the imaging industry, how competitors are reacting to this change, and what these changes mean to your business model.

Transform 2012 Global marks Photizo’s tenth educational conference in a series of events that have taken place throughout the world. To learn more about Transform 2012 visit www.photizogroup.com/global2012 

Print Audit to Exhibit at Transform 2012 in Orlando Florida

May 7, 2012 – With 50 percent of printing revenue projected to be under an MPS contract by 2014, the transformation to services is critical. This month, Print Audit will show attendees at Transform 2012 how they can transform their business by adopting its new Premier subscription program. Premier is designed to help office equipment dealers win new customers, keep current customers and make a lot of money.

Print Audit Premier is a subscription based program that allows office equipment dealers to greatly increase their profit margins on print management solution sales by providing access to all of Print Audit’s products for one low monthly fee. With Premier, subscribers will receive access to a full array of print management tools that can be used to uncover more sales opportunities, truly manage printing in any environment, lower print costs and add value to the dealer’s machines in field.

Transform 2012 will take place May 24 – 25th, 2012 in Orlando, Florida at the Hilton Bonnet Creek. For more information on Print Audit at the conference, please visit booth 210 or visit the following link to receive a special discount off your registration: hwww.printaudit.com/transform

ECi DDMS Announces Further Integration with Katun on the Private Supply Network  

May 4, 2012 – ECi Software Solutions has announced that version 10.3 of the DDMS business system has been integrated with alternative office equipment supplier, Katun Corporation, using ECi’s Private Supply Network (PSN). 

ECi’s PSN automates the process of exchanging B2B data. The Katun PSN integration in DDMS 10.3 automates item and pricing file import via ECi Content Integration software. It allows sales agents to check Katun’s stock availability and pricing in Order Entry in real time and allows purchasing agents to securely transmit purchase orders and receive Katun acknowledgements of allocated inventory. By eliminating the need to enter item details or re-key orders manually, ECi’s PSN helps avert costly human errors. 

Katun is one of dozens of wholesalers and manufacturers in many industries — office supplies, office equipment, IT consumables, janitorial/sanitation, office furniture systems, lumber and building materials, manufacturing and more — who have taken advantage of ECi’s exclusive PSN technology. The process automation and efficiencies it achieves in turn fosters mutual customer loyalty.

Strategy Development Presents sd|university Classes in St. Charles, MO in June

May 3, 2012 – Strategy Development is conducting their sd|university classes at the Supplies Network offices in St. Charles, MO. The SD MPS Sales Fundamentals Workshop will take place on June 5-6, followed by the SD MPS Advanced Sales Workshop on June 7, 2012.

“We are excited to be partnering with Supplies Network to hold our first classes under the sd|University name,” states Gary Schwartz, consultant for Strategy Development. “With sd|University, we’ve created an innovative way to look at your investment in your biggest asset – your people. Our Tuition Program views training as a relationship rather than an a la carte plan, saving a dealership tens of thousands of dollars. We challenge you to avail your best and brightest to the best training in the industry – without limit and without additional cost. You will see a return on investment after just one class.”

Strategy Development launched sd|University at last month’s ITEX show to much enthusiasm. Even though the annual tuition is based on the number of sales professionals your company has on staff, you are not limited to sales classes; as a tuition paying company, your employees – sales, service and management – can take advantage of every SD University Class.

If you are not enrolled in the tuition program, you can still attend Strategy Development’s award-winning education by enrolling for the individual classes. This award-winning training—receiving the highest accolades over the last six years—is available at the lowest individual class investment in the industry.

The two-day basic class, SD MPS Sales Workshop, will be led by Schwartz and will cover the MPS sales process for both small, fewer than 25 devices, and mid-sized, 50 – 250 devices, companies. Your sales team will learn the proper contact level and value proposition based on company size; how to get an appointment at the correct level; how to identify the areas of pain associated with the print environment based on company size; how to conduct an effective and efficient assessment to support the business case for a change; how to price a transaction, both outsourced and equipment led; and finally, how to present a winning proposal.

The one-day SD MPS Advanced Sales class, also led by Schwartz, will focus solely on the quarterly business review (QBR), a process Strategy Development introduced to the MPS community. With proper execution of the QBR you will consistently gain share of wallet within your customers’ accounts.

The MPS Sales Fundamentals class will arm your sales professionals with the tools they need to be successful in MPS and be successful at taking customers from your competitors. Once you start to grow your portfolio of mid-sized MPS customers, the MPS Advanced Sales class will demonstrate specifically how to continue to gain share of wallet within your customers’ accounts.

Both classes will use a case study approach that makes it simple for your sales professionals to “connect the dots” when they return to the office and start selling. Each class participant will have worked on real-world examples of assessing, pricing, and proposing MPS agreements.

For more information on sd|University and how the tuition program works and how it stacks up against the competition please visit www.sd-university.com. For more information or to register for the SD MPS classes, please visit www.strategydevelopment.com/content/registration or contact Tom Callinan at callinan@strategydevelopment.com or at (610) 527-3317. 

Ricoh Demonstrates “Clickable Paper” at drupa 2012 

May 3, 2012– Ricoh Production Print Solutions LLC has announced the demonstration at drupa of Clickable Paper, a new planned cross-media service enabling consumers to point an iPhone or Android smartphone at any printed surface and receive related online content. Clickable Paper technology is applicable to any kind of printed media such as newspapers, magazines, direct mail, books, brochures and posters. All types of digital information or services can be linked including multi-media content, web sites, e-commerce services and social networks. 

The company contends this technology is especially relevant to commercial printers, in-plant users and publishers, as it has the potential to empower them to provide rich cross-media content to their customers. Consumers will be able to instantly recognize a clickable page with an easily identifiable logo. 

The Clickable Paper demonstration includes a mobile app and authoring process that links on-line content to any segment or ‘hotspot’ of the printed media. The smartphone is pointed at an area of interest within a printed medium, the captured image is recognized, the hotspot is identified and the relevant content is presented to the user. 

At drupa 2012 Ricoh is teaming with PTI Marketing Technologies– a Web-to-print service provider – to demonstrate Clickable Paper. It will be demonstrated on a variety of printed media, including a preview version of the new book, Precision Marketing, authored by Ricoh’s Sandra Zoratti, which examines real-world implementations and benefits of precision marketing. The clickable hotspots will take readers to related videos, experts’ blog posts, and industry reports that provide greater in-depth information for the reader. 

Ricoh Shows Ricoh Pro L4000 Series Large Format Inkjets at drupa 2012  

May 3, 2012 – At drupa 2012 Ricoh is demonstrating a prototype of the future of large format inkjet technology for the graphic arts market. The Ricoh Pro L4000 series features the next-generation of Ricoh’s piezo-electric print heads with durable latex ink in seven colours; CMYK, light cyan, light magenta and white. It offers extensive media support on a range of substrates and is ideal for the environmentally conscious buyer of printed signage, point of purchase and indoor and outdoor display. It will be available in North America and Europe in the first quarter of 2013.

The aqueous nature of the latex ink means that is has a low environmental impact, while the introduction of a white ink means that print buyers can optimize color vividness on transparent or color materials, according to Ricoh. Additonally, the company says that print clients will benefit from brilliant color on all substrates when ordering signage, branded materials and marketing collateral. The print service provider can fulfill client needs quickly and efficiently – avoiding time consuming steps such as foils or cut-outs — to produce highly vibrant and crisp whites. Productivity is further enhanced with an output speed of up to 18.1 m2 per hour.

The Ricoh Pro L4000 series also features multiple jetting print head technology to produce three different drop sizes at once and as small as four picolitres in size. The result is smooth, lifelike images every time. Furthermore, its extensive media support enables clients to order print on a wide range of substrates such as PVC, tarpaulin, synthetic paper, coated-paper, non-coated paper, textiles and more.

BEI Services Congratulates Customer Recipients of imageSource Magazine’s Perfect Image Awards 

April 30, 2012 – BEI Services congratulates their customers who were recently awarded imageSource Magazine’s Perfect Image Award. Nine businesses received the magazine’s prestigious award for outstanding achievement in a specific category.  Award recipients were selected from an impartial judging process based on a variety of information gathered regarding business model and overall performance. The national awards were presented to representatives from each business at the ITEX National Expo & Conference. BEI Services customers who were honored include: 

1. Dealer of the Year:  Marco
2. Outstanding Service Program:  Thermocopy
3. Outstanding MPS Program: FlexPrint
4. Outstanding Customer Service Program:  ProSource
5. Outstanding Marketing Campaign:  Modern Office Methods
6. Outstanding Managed Services Program:  Marco 

“Seeing these dealerships being honored for outstanding performance in these key areas is great to see,” says Wes McArtor, President of BEI Services, Inc. “We are very proud to call them our customers and to see them achieve this level of success.”  BEI Services has been a long time provider of business equipment and performance benchmarking.  The idea that you cannot manage what you cannot measure has been a standing company philosophy.  “It just goes to show that spending time to assure exceptional processes are in place to gauge program performance is key to attaining success.  These dealerships have set the standard, and this is a considerable accomplishment.” 

First Data Implements Substantial Fleet of InfoPrint 5000s

April 30, 2012 – Ricoh Production Print Solutions LLC has completed one of the largest color implementations in its history at First Data, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing. This comprehensive installation includes 15 duplex InfoPrint 5000 GP color inkjet systems, 4 of which are coupled with InfoPrint 5000 MP MICR units. Deployed by First Data primarily for printing credit card statements, the InfoPrint 5000 was chosen because of its reliability, color consistency, and ease of use. The printers are installed and operating in two First Data print facilities.

First Data serves more than six-million merchant locations, thousands of card issuers and millions of consumers worldwide. Using the InfoPrint 5000 system helps the company enable cost savings for its customers while still meeting exacting standards thanks to the advanced color solution, which allows high-quality, drop-on-demand color printing — eliminating the need to store pre-printed color stock or destroy obsolete stock and enabling First Data customers to tailor statements with customized messages and offers, according to Ricoh.

Konica Minolta Offers K-12 a Solution for Managing Student Test Data  

April 30, 2012 – Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. has launched integration with Performance Matters, a Web-based solution that provides an integrated platform for student assessment, data management and teacher effectiveness as part the Konica Minolta EnvisionIT Education Suite. The Performance Matters cloud-based assessment and data management platform fully integrates with the control panel on Konica Minolta bizhub multifunctional products (MFPs – print, copy, fax and scan all in one system) allowing for easy printing, scanning and grading of student exams.

Using the Konica Minolta and Performance Matters solution, teachers or administrators can download test data from Cloud-based servers for printout at centrally located bizhub devices and scan in the test when they are complete. Performance Matters scores and grades the student assessments scanned on the bizhub and combines the results with all other relevant student data into color coded reports and dashboards. Teachers and administrators have continuous access to student performance data in real time to assess student learning and to make the best possible instructional decisions based upon student needs.