Hard to believe, but December (and 2024) have slipped into the history books. It was a sometimes weird, often wonderful and occasionally astounding year. What will 2025 hold in store?
Well, last week’s reveal that Xerox was acquiring Lexmark was a reminder to always expect the unexpected (and that M&A is a always trendy). But the year as a whole brought about new trends to watch and a few others that were a continuation from the previous campaign and continue to shape our industry.
This month is our annual State of the Industry report on trends and predictions. We were fortunate to have a few trends leftovers bouncing around in the notebook. This week we will include the views of executives from manufacturers and other providers to the industry. If we can scare up enough spare nuggets of wisdom, we’ll offer similar takes from the dealer point of view next week.
Karl Boissonneault, Xerox: The ongoing rise of remote and hybrid work will drive demand for solutions that support seamless collaboration and communication. This includes cloud-based services, video conferencing tools, and secure remote access solutions. Manufacturers and suppliers will need to focus on developing and providing products that facilitate remote work, ensuring they meet the needs of a more distributed workforce.
Laura Blackmer, Konica Minolta: We will see an increased adoption of intelligence information management technology, which is helping businesses organize, manage and understand their data.
Monte White, Distribution Management: Diversification isn’t anything new but will continue into 2025 and beyond as market participants must face the headwinds of compressed demand in the Office Print space. Many players both OEMs and Dealers are well down the road to growing revenue streams outside of traditional office print.
In order to grow top line, businesses will either need to grow market share or find new markets to explore. At DM, we look to do both but are firmly committed to the Printing and Imaging space to ensure we add the most value to all of our partner relationships.
Kuoying Wang, Katun Corp.: Sustainability will remain a key driver, not only for environmental preservation but also as a strategy for investing in durable, long-lasting products. This approach boosts profitability while reducing waste and minimizing environmental impact.
Jacob Hardin, Epson: End-user workflows are becoming more dynamic, driving the demand for additional software and hardware features that can adapt boxed hardware to specific business needs. The traditional one-size-fits-all approach is no longer effective in many cases.
Jose Estebanez, Kyocera: Cloud printing, ECM, and digitization are becoming critical for optimizing workflows and improving productivity. Public administration and other sectors seeking to reduce complexity and enhance efficiency will drive demand for these solutions. Dealers who integrate these technologies will become strategic partners for organizations undergoing digital transformation.
Martin Golobic, GreatAmerica Financial Services: We anticipate continued consolidation and succession planning for office equipment dealers which will encourage further innovation as these “new” dealers actively pursue technology and process improvements to provide an enhanced, modern experience for their customers.
Brent Martin, ARLINGTON: AI will continue to creep into smart printers, copiers, and MFPs; enhancing workflows and minimizing waste for consumers.
