C-level executives and dealers from around the imaging industry convened in Scottsdale, Arizona, Wednesday, February, 17, for the opening of the annual Executive Connection Summit (ECS).
Hosted by Technology United, described as “companies…aligned in their commitment to drive intelligent, interconnected solutions and innovation forward,” the ECS 2016 kicked off with a press conference on February 17, at 4 p.m. at the Valley Ho hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Speakers at the press conference included representatives from Konica Minolta, Clover Imaging Group, BEI, GreatAmerica Financials, PrintFleet, Print Audit, LMI, and OKI.
Mike Stramaglio, President and CEO, MWA Intelligence, Inc. (MWAi), took the stage and offered opening remarks.
“We’re trying to talk about things within the framework of this industry [and] about how to take this industry forward in a very dramatic and transformational way,” said Stramaglio.
Stamaglio spoke about a meeting with Konica Minolta last year in Los Angeles in which “disruption” was a key theme. He recounted the 90 years of disruptive change in the BTA channel and suggested that the industry was undergoing a similar disruptive period today.
Stramaglio then introduced Rick Taylor, President and COO of Konica Minolta.
Although Taylor was introduced twice at the event, that would be the last time as COO. He was promoted to Executive Officer of Konica Minolta Inc. and President and Chief Executive Officer of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. the following day.
Taylor offered a preview of his Thursday presentation, noting some of the negative trends in hardware and printing, but concluding that there was a “great amount of opportunity” remaining in the office technology space.
He said that one area he considered to be an historical weakness preventing greater growth was inadequate ERPs.
“I think back when I was a dealer back in the nineties and the frustrations I had about getting information out of my system to help my customers,” recounted Taylor. “The systems haven’t improved that much in thirty years.”
Taylor complimented MWAi for its work with SAP and its “different look at managing the business,” and a “different integration with how to communicate with customers” and how it was capable of managing different business opportunities.
Taylor then announced that Konica Minolta would make a $20-25-million investment to utilize the Forza product for its dealers.
Taylor’s pledge to throw the resources of Konica Minolta to support a wide adoption of Forza was probably the biggest story at ECS.
ECS was also Clover’s first opportunity to publicly address the transition to its new “marketing umbrella,” the newly named Clover Imaging Group (CIG).
Luke Goldberg, Global SVP of Sales and Marketing, CIG, discussed the “new concept,” stating that for the last 10 years Clover has been acquiring a “very formidable portfolio within the imaging space that encompasses every aspect of what dealers do: services, parts, collection, imaging, solutions – all those aspects that drive our businesses.”
Goldberg explained how for the last 5 years, Clover’s acquisitions behaved and operated differently. He listed MSE, West Point Products and Depot International, and said that they had “operated as separate entities under the Clover umbrella.”
“Dealers might be buying from all three of those entities,” he said. “So what we did was create a sales and marketing umbrella that we call the Clover Imaging Group that encompasses all aspects of what we do; all aspects of the imaging space.”
“It’s been completely rebranded,” added Goldberg. “It looks completely different because we wanted it to be a complete departure from what we did before.”
BEI’s Bud Karakey expressed how they are utilizing big data and “creating actual solutions,” such as helping guide technicians. Other solutions Karakey mentioned included an automated scheduling platform and a shipping supplies automation and auditing platform that can provide warnings to the dealer about shipping-related issues.
Jennie Fisher, SVP and GM, GreatAmerica Financials, spoke about the company’s go-to-market strategy. She stated that although financing is the core of what they do, they also focus on “helping customers be more efficient and continue to grow with the industry.”
Fisher highlighted three solutions that GreatAmerica was introducing to the market on a limited basis: DocEase, an electronic document package that allows for the preparation and signature for dealers to provide to their customers; the integration with Forza, and an HR consulting services.
Doug Johnson, Chief Strategy Officer, LMI, addressed the “bifurcation” of the market and emphasized the importance of value add in combating commoditization. He said LMI would focus further expansion around services and solutions.
“I want a viable company 30 years from now when nobody is printing anymore,” he said.
Johnson advised that if you are selling supplies as a commodity in today’s market, an online presence is a must.
Asked how Kodak fits into LMI’s strategy, Johnson replied: “The Kodak brand is the one part that sits on the commodity side. “
Johnson asserted that for typical small businesses going online, it’s difficult to find a non-OEM brand that is recognizable and reliable.
“One thing that Kodak has done a very good job of is licensing across product categories. The idea was to have the brand as an OEM alternative. [There is a] whole bunch of no-name stuff [out there] – Kodak is not that. The brand has tremendous value,” he said.
Jennifer Jacobowitz, Marketing Director, OKI, described the growth the company had experienced in the dealer channel and said they planned to continue that success.
Jacobowitz cited the founding of the 12-member regional OKI dealer council as an example of how they plan on continuing to provide tools to their dealers.
“We’re placing seats in different regions [and] helping craft better support for dealers [in the future],” she said.
Joacobowitz also stated that OKI was helping dealers expand into different segments, such as production print and wide format.
Chris MacFarlane of PrintFleet, spoke about how the company was utilizing Forza to better integrate and explained how it had changed its business to have a hosted service. He also mentioned the two products released in the last 18 months: Vision, software for small- and mid-market dealers, and Link.
Print Audit’s VP of Business Development, West McDonald, recounted the “huge interest in seat-based billing ”that came out of the 2015 Top 100 Summit.
McDonald acknowledged the concerns regarding seat-based billing, but suggested that it was the only viable path forward and away from the commoditization of cost per page billing. He would discuss this in greater detail in a presentation with CIG’s Goldberg on Thursday.
That evening, at a poolside dinner at the Valley Ho, MWAi’s Mike Stamaglio rode up on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle donated by CIG. The motorcycle was to be auctioned to support Jillian’s fund, a charity that helps working families spend time with their cancer-stricken children. Jillian’s fund is MWAi’s chosen charity and the beneficiary of their participation in the Rolling Thunder Ride, an annual event that honors veterans and raises money for charity.
Editor’s note: We will be publishing articles covering many of the topics from ECS over the next two weeks.
