HP might be “synonymous in office printing” but the company’s share of the A3 copier market is a tiny 3 percent – a number the vendor expects to change following the launch of 16 new devices at its Global Partner Conference.
The vendor launched the new multifunction devices to partners at GPC in Boston, bringing three PageWide platforms and 13 LaserJet platforms in a bid to shake up a market dominated by Fuji Xerox, Konica Minolta and Ricoh.
The printers will include both colour and monochrome starting from 22 pages per minute up to 60 for both LaserJet and PageWide.
Ben Vivoda, HP’s director, printing systems for South Pacific, pointed to a number of benefits he hopes will move the needle in HP’s market footprint: the proprietary PageWide technology; new smarts to reduce machine servicing; and “world-class printer security”.
Vivoda predicted a massive push from HP to grab share in photocopier space. “Up until today, HP’s market share in the A3 multifunction space is about 3 percent. We’re synonymous in office printing but have never participated in the copier market. It’s really exciting for us to play in the half of the office printing segment we have played in.”
The PageWide technology ensures fewer service callouts thanks to its simpler mechanical architecture, said Vivoda. He claimed that devices would require 90 percent fewer parts replacements in their lifetime. “During the typical life of a printer, 70 parts will be replaced. We reduced this to seven parts, a massive improvement with PageWide.”
Partners will also be able to use cloud-based tools to monitor and manage customer’s devices, do remote diagnosis and spend less with visits. “We want to enable partners to place more colour devices in their customer with PageWide at a lower cost, which will drive more revenue and profit,” added Vivoda.
Dealers typically sign customers up to maintenance contracts or tie the cost of break-fix into the cost per page, so the combination of fewer replacements and smarter monitoring capabilities should mean better margins, said Vivoda. “If you can help the dealer do more remote diagnostics and remediation, the dealer can choose to put that money back into their pocket or pass that cost savings onto the customer.”
The recently announced printers, which are expected to start shipping in April 2017, also boast beefed-up security, including run-time intrusion detection, which monitors constantly for sign of attack and sends alerts into security management.
There is also a firmware whitelisting device that makes sure that only good and certified firmware have access to the devices. And Sure Start, a chip on the devices that checks for the bios integrity during boot time, shuts the device down if it detects anything wrong and reboots.
HP has also introduced a program to support partner success with HP’s A3 portfolio. Qualified partners will receive guaranteed pricing, sales tools and service support, according to the vendor.
HP Financial Services will provide a variety of flexible IT investment options to help partners and their customers acquire, pay for and consume A3 print technology.
Rob Mesaros, HP South Pacific’s managing director, said: “For decades the copier industry has lacked the technology to improve efficiency of service, keep up with security requirements, and make colour affordable.
“Today HP is changing the status quo with next generation A3 multifunction printers that bring to life a reimagined print environment that offers world-class security, maximum uptime and affordable colour.”
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