Covering Industry Developments in January 2023

  • Headline News: "Xerox Remains Stuck as Canon and Epson Persevere" - Financial results for the last three months of 2022 from these three companies showed an easing of supply chain issues but also a slowdown in the economy. And as has been the case for three years now, Xerox is the major laggard, with few signs of recovery; Canon continues to benefit from its broad mix of products and businesses; and Epson is trying to manage its consumer-dependent inkjet business in the post-pandemic world.
  • The Editorial: "Why Are MFP Solutions Invisible?" - The reasons for the about-face on MFP solutions are numerous and intertwined. They reflect the interplay between technological change and evolving business dynamics, overlain by the unique mores of this industry. One important reason so little gets said about office MFP software and solutions is that MFP hardware vendors have largely abandoned anything that resembles end-user marketing. What was less than mediocre marketing a decade ago is now nearly nonexistent.
  • In Other News:  "Supreme Court Dobbs Report Highlights Printer Security" - The US Supreme Court released a much-anticipated report concerning the leak in May of its preliminary opinion in the controversial Dobbs abortion case. And while the report found no culprit, it highlighted generally lax printer security at the Court as the most likely avenue for the leak. ... "Privately-Owned EFI Completes Breakup with Fiery Spin-Off" - The decision by EFI's private equity owner to spin-off the Fiery business raises interesting questions regarding the fate of the now separate EFI and Fiery companies and their relative prospects for being acquired.

  • And Even More News - Does Konica Minolta's brand loyalty matter? ... Xerox buys its fourth UK dealer in three years. ... Ricoh will soon rebrand its Fujitsu scanners. ... Ricoh Europe takes its IT services M&A spree to France. ... Canon celebrates two decades of selling IT solutions in Japan. ... Xerox agrees to sell billions in equipment leases. ... Ninestar thinks it had a good 2022. ... Konica Minolta releases Dispatcher Paragon+. ... Pantum shows updated A4 color models at CES and turns to Fujifilm for a new A3 line in China. ... Fujifilm launches more secure A4 ApeosPort MFPs plus updated printers. ... Sindoh OEMs more Lexmark and OKI models. ... Epson launches updated WorkForce Pro and EcoTank AIOs. ... HP takes ink tank AIO line down-market. ... Kyocera updates ECOSYS A4 mono printer series. ... Plus more!