“Industrial Print Is The INew Frontier for Dealers” ndependent dealers must enter the industrial print arena—the print industry’s only real growth area—in order to survive increasing pressures on MFP margins and cost per page to grow their business for the future. That was the key message delivered yesterday at The Cannata Report’s co-located event at GRAPH EXPO 15. “Independent dealers bring a unique method of distribution for industrial printers,” said Frank G. Cannata, Analyst, President, and Editor-in-Chief/ Publisher, “The manner in which they service their customers and pay close attention to their needs is virtually unparalleled.” The Cannata Report gathered a number of industry notables at its first ever event at GRAPH EXPO who shared their insight and expertise and provided a 360-degree view of the industrial print arena for dealers. According to Frank G. Cannata, and CJ Cannata, analyst, partner and SVP brand strategy and development, there were a number of key takeaways from “The New Print: Vital Growth Opportunities for Dealers in the Industrial Space.” Frank Romano, Professor Emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology, delivered the seminar’s keynote presentation, “The New Print.” Romano stated, “Of course dealers can play a major role in the distribution (L to R) Frank G. Cannata, Analyst, President, and Editor-in-Chief/Publisher, The Cannata Report; and Frank Romano, Professor Emeritus, RIT and of industrial printers. The inks are not proprietary and the ability to print on plastics and any kind of materials opens up to a whole range of output for commercial printers supported by the independent dealers you are talking about,” Romano said. “These new materials and suppliers are perfect for the dealers.” On the financing front, Fred Carollo, VP, Everbank Commercial Finance spoke to two different funding options for dealers. The first option includes “minimum committed service and supplies revenue interest free, world renowned print authority annual upfront funding of minimum service and supplies in contract with a discount in the funding or passing service and supply revenue to a dealer when received,” Carollo said. The second option includes “adding the first years’ service and supplies into the initial funding as a part of the equipment financing, which can be presented as year one service with supplies included for a specific number of prints and can add remaining years’ of services and supplies as pass through.” Dealer attendees at the event represented over $750 million in total revenue. In addition, a number of industry notables from the manufacturing, software, and services segments of the industry attended. These guests included EFI’s (Booth 1902) SVP, Worldwide Sales and Marketing Frank Mallozzi; Canon U.S.A.’s (Booth 1213) VP and General Manager, Marketing and Professional Services Dennis Amorosano; Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.’s (Booth 1913) President and COO Rick Taylor; Ricoh Americas Corp.’s (Booth 1231) VP, Production Printing business group John Fulena; Clover Imaging Group’s SVP, Worldwide Sales and Marketing Luke Goldberg; ESP/SurgeX’s VP, global accounts Mike Naples; Psigen Software Inc.’s business development manager Chris Brown; and Square 9 Softworks Inc.’s VP, North American sales Jeff McWilliams. Konica Minolta Eases Transition to 3D Printing At Konica Minolta’s (Booth 667) press conference Monday afternoon, it did a rapid-fire presentation of newly announced products and solutions on display in its booth, including its easy-entry option for 3D printing. Announcements include a new, more customer- and applications-centric website launching in October 2015 and the PROKOM online community set for 2016. PROKOM will have two levels, a free level for all KM customers and an “elite” level that includes high-level business development services such as service level agreements, strategic planning, ROI measurement, and marketing plans. Of particular interest, however, was Konica Minolta’s recent partnership with ZVerse, a leader in 2D-to-3D print software automation, design service, and fulfillment solutions. ZVerse enables printers to take any 2D product and make it 3D printable. Printers work through a co-branded web-to-3D print storefront and can offer everything from 3D printed promotional products to signs, event marketing pieces, and architectural models. “We will train them, show them how to get business from it, and through ZVerse even manufacture it for them,” says Gavin Jordan-Smith, Vice President of Solutions and Product Planning for Konica Minolta. “It’s a great way to ease printers into 3D print and gain a comfort level before they buy a 3D printer.” EDSF Scholarships OSupport “The Next You” n Tuesday night at its Give Back @GRAPH Scholarship Night, the Electronic Document Scholarship Foundation (EDSF) (Booth 4262) honored its most recent scholarship recipients and gave them a chance to say thank you to the people and companies who are generously supporting their education. “Our scholarship recipients are the cream of the crop,” says Roger Gimbel, EDP and President of Gimbel & Associates and master of ceremonies for the event. “The applications process is rigorous, and unlike other programs, scholarship recipients have to reapply every year.” Most scholarships are given to juniors or seniors at the college or graduate level who have proven their commitment to the industry. Applicants need to have a minimum GPA of 3.0, be actively involved in community service, and through a written essay be able to express their reasons for wanting to come into the industry. Scholarships in the range of $1,000 to $10,000 are given directly to individuals for graphic communications programs at accredited four-year colleges or technical schools. This year, scholarships are going to Madison Burns, a junior in digital communications at the University of Toronto Mississauga; Nathan Matt, senior in graphic design at Northwest Missouri State University; Mitchell Morgan, sophomore in media arts and technology at RIT; and Alissa Roy, junior in media arts and technology at RIT. According to Gimbel, it is not unusual for scholarship recipients to come back from their training and work for companies supporting the scholarship program. EDSF has a goal of being able to gift $100,000 in scholarships every year and encourages all members of the industry to provide donations. “If young people don’t get involved in our industry now, where are the future leaders going to come from?” asks Gimbel. “We need to make the investment in our young people. You never know—they may be the next you.” Parallax Digital Delivers HUn-Paralleled Production P (Booth 1202) announced that Parallax Digital purchased the HP Latex 3500 Printer at GRAPH EXPO 15, expanding unattended printing capabilities to handle high-value applications that require fast turnaround times and immediate installation. The new press builds on the company’s existing HP Latex portfolio, including HP Latex 3000 and HP Latex 360 Printers. Offering comprehensive graphic display services from large-format printing and corporate branding to signage, Kennesaw, GA-based Parallax Digital recently used existing HP Latex devices to produce a variety of branding elements for Junior Achievement of Georgia (JA of Georgia) to outfit its new JA Discovery Center at Gwinnett. “Junior Achievement of Georgia was looking for a print provider that could help put the finishing touches on our much-anticipated Nathan Matt, Senior Graphic Design Northwest Missouri State University Alissa Roy, Junior Media Arts & Technology RIT Madison Burns, Junior Digital Communications University of Toronto Mississauga Mitchell Morgan, Sophomore Media Arts & Technology RIT new JA Discovery Center at Gwinnett,” said Leela Woodfield, Director of Investor Relations, JA of Georgia. “The finished product speaks to the creativity and dedication Parallax provides to customers like us, who are looking for high-quality, timely installations that will invigorate our education setting.” “Parallax Digital has continued to grow our HP Latex offering, taking advantage of the technology’s environmental benefits and certifications that result in faster project turnaround times,” said David Clevenger, President, Parallax Digital. “The new HP Latex 3500 Printer will help us take on more requests for high-quality work that requires swift movement from production to installation. Without HP Latex technology, we would not have been able to meet JA of Georgia’s demands, and our team looks forward to accepting this type of customer challenge more often.” HP Latex 3500 Printer in HP’s booth at GRAPH EXPO 15 Official Show Daily | PrintingNews.com GRAPH EXPO | September 16, 2015 | 15
GraphExpo Show Daily September 16, 2015
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