{"id":6282,"date":"2013-11-27T08:16:00","date_gmt":"2013-11-27T13:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theweekinimaging.com\/?p=6282"},"modified":"2013-11-27T15:54:51","modified_gmt":"2013-11-27T20:54:51","slug":"my-top-10-take-homes-from-sharps-national-dealer-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/feature-articles\/2013\/11\/my-top-10-take-homes-from-sharps-national-dealer-meeting\/","title":{"rendered":"My Top 10 Take Homes from Sharp\u2019s National Dealer Meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CPO<\/a>If I\u2019ve learned one thing after covering this industry for as long as I have, it\u2019s never count anyone out and don\u2019t believe all the rumors. Okay, that\u2019s two things, but who\u2019s counting?<\/p>\n

Earlier this month I attended Sharp\u2019s National Dealer Meeting in Orlando and as one might expect from Sharp over the years, it was a first-class affair. The theme was Tour De Force 2013, and after leaving Orlando there was no doubt in my mind that Sharp is still a force to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n

What follows are my top 10 take homes from this year\u2019s meeting that when taken cumulatively, \u00a0underscore Sharp\u2019s continued relevance to the dealer channel.<\/p>\n

Sharp\u2019s Business Solutions Division holds its own \u2013<\/strong> After all the rumors and innuendo about Sharp\u2019s survival thanks to the financial issues affecting its parent company, Sharp\u2019s Business Solutions Division had revenues of $1.6 billion, up 14 percent from 2012. Better yet, SIICA President Doug Albregts reported that Sharp Corporation grew 9 percent in 2013 and is reporting positive net income for the fiscal year. \u201cThings are good, you help make things good, but we\u2019re not taking anything for granted,\u201d said Albregts.<\/p>\n

Sharp partners with Tech Data \u2013<\/strong> This distribution partnership with Tech Data for Sharp was one of the more significant announcements coming out of Orlando. Albregts heavily emphasized that this is not an open distribution relationship, it\u2019s for Sharp authorized dealers and partners only. The partnership is expected to reduce the time it takes for dealers to receive products from Sharp. According to Albregts, the goal is to do that in a two to five-day time frame while also allowing dealers to order third-party products from Sharp on the same invoice. \u00a0Albregts added that this will give dealers an option to sell more products and services directly to their customers. To help sell this concept to the dealer audience, Albregts brought out Bob Dutkowsky, CEO of Tech Data along with Jeff Gau, CEO of Marco, one of the top dealers in the country, who has been doing business with Tech Data for 25 years. Gau said, \u201cIf you\u2019re going to be in the IT space you\u2019re going to need a partner. It\u2019s going to work, it\u2019s a good model.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharp takes to the cloud –<\/strong> The introduction of Cloud Portal Office squarely targets the Sharp B2B channel and provides organizations with a software solution that allows mobile workers to share information and the organization to maintain control and security over the documents being shared.\u00a0 What\u2019s notable about this cloud-based solution, which Sharp considers a differentiator, are the many capabilities it offers to the B2B channel. (See the News Bytes section for in-depth details on Cloud Portal Office.)<\/p>\n

A continued commitment to interactive digital displays –<\/strong> \u00a0Although there were mostly passing references to the interactive digital display systems during the General Session, these devices were prominently featured in the Product Showcase and set Sharp apart from most of the other OEMs. In a channel where multiple income streams have become critical to survival, Sharp dealers ought to appreciate the AQUOS BOARD interactive digital displays, a product category that most of their competitors don\u2019t possess.<\/p>\n

The introduction of Advanced Series and Essential Series MFPs \u2013<\/strong> Here Sharp offers something for everyone, with everyone being users looking for MFPs with advanced capabilities and users who need more of a traditional MFP that copies, prints, and scans. The Advanced Series consists of the MX-M365N, MX-M465N, MX-M565N) monochrome workgroup MFPs and the Essentials Series consists of the MX-M364N, MX-M464N, and MX-M565N, a total of six new models that will appeal to both types of users. The Advanced Series models target sophisticated workflow environments and include a 10-inch tablet-style touchscreen, wireless networking, and retractable keyboard. They\u2019re also Cloud Portal Office ready. The Essentials Series offer copying, networking printing, and network scanning without the fancy features of the Advanced Series.<\/p>\n

Sharp makes a push for light production color \u2013<\/strong> I\u2019ve written about this before, but based on the square footage devoted to production products at the Product Showcase and Mike Marusic\u2019s comments during the General Session, Sharp now has a strong, well-featured line of color production products, most notably the Pro Series MX-6500N and MX-7500N color document systems.\u00a0 Further illustrating Sharp\u2019s seriousness about this product segment, a seminar, \u201cHow to Make Money Selling Production Color,\u201d presented by EFI offered dealers insights into the color production space and strategies for successfully selling color production.<\/p>\n

21st<\/sup> century service via MICAS \u2013<\/strong> With the rollout of MICAS, Sharp now has a cloud service application that allows dealerships to automate the control and monitoring of Sharp devices through real-time service notifications and remote diagnostic capability. MICAS is described by Sharp as a content management system that will enhance the troubleshooting of MFPs and can reportedly pinpoint issues or errors with the assistance of printed and video content. The benefit to end users is increased first-call resolution. \u00a0And that\u2019s good for dealers too.<\/p>\n

A strong partner presence \u2013<\/strong> One constant at Sharp National Dealer Meetings has been a strong partner presence. In Orlando, 28 partners were scattered across the Product Showcase, including BEI Services, Compass Sales Solutions, DocuWare, Drivve, EFI, LMI Solutions, MaxxVault, Nuance, PaperCut, Prism Software, Protected Trust, and Square 9 Softworks just to name a few. For those keeping score, Sharp now has 171 partners here in the U.S. and 211 globally.<\/p>\n

The introduction of Laura Blackmer to the dealer channel \u2013<\/strong> SIICA\u2019s new senior vice president, Channel Sales, has replaced the retired Rich Boomsma, and if first impressions are worth anything, seems to offer a breath of fresh air and a computer channel perspective to Sharp\u2019s dealer channel based on her previous positions at HP and other technology companies.\u00a0 She\u2019s still new\u2014only with the company for less than six months at the time of the national dealer meeting\u2014but has been logging thousands of frequent flier miles, meeting with Sharp dealers across the country and learning about their businesses. Based on my conversations with some of the industry analysts covering the event and dealers at the meeting, the general feeling was that this was a good hire.<\/p>\n

A preview of the NEO Series desktop color printer \u2013<\/strong> Briefly mentioned during the General Session and included in the Product Showcase in the shape of a non-working prototype, this 30-ppm desktop color A4 printer is in the development stage and slated for a March 2014 roll out. The plan is for it to come standard with OSA and built-in wireless. According to Marusic, the NEO Series will provide a competitive CPC and a dual-component supply strategy in a small footprint.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If I\u2019ve learned one thing after covering this industry for as long as I have, it\u2019s never count anyone out and don\u2019t believe all the rumors. Okay, that\u2019s two things, but who\u2019s counting? Earlier this month I attended Sharp\u2019s National Dealer Meeting in Orlando and as one might expect from Sharp over the years, it was a first-class affair. The theme was Tour De Force 2013, and after leaving Orlando there was no doubt in my mind that Sharp is still a force to be reckoned with. What follows are my top 10 take homes from this year\u2019s meeting that when taken cumulatively, \u00a0underscore Sharp\u2019s continued relevance to the dealer channel. Sharp\u2019s Business Solutions Division holds its own \u2013 After all the rumors and innuendo about Sharp\u2019s survival thanks to the financial issues affecting its parent company, Sharp\u2019s Business Solutions Division had revenues of $1.6 billion, up 14 percent from 2012. Better yet, SIICA President Doug Albregts reported that Sharp Corporation grew 9 percent in 2013 and is reporting positive net income for the fiscal year. \u201cThings are good, you help make things good, but we\u2019re not taking anything for granted,\u201d said Albregts. Sharp partners with Tech Data \u2013 This distribution partnership with Tech Data for Sharp was one of the more significant announcements coming out of Orlando. Albregts heavily emphasized that this is not an open distribution relationship, it\u2019s for Sharp authorized dealers and partners only. The partnership is expected to reduce the time it takes for dealers to receive products from Sharp. According to Albregts, the goal is to do that in a two to five-day time frame while also allowing dealers to order third-party products from Sharp on the same invoice. \u00a0Albregts added that this will give dealers an option to sell more products and services directly to their customers. To help sell this concept to the dealer audience, Albregts brought out Bob Dutkowsky, CEO of Tech Data along with Jeff Gau, CEO of Marco, one of the top dealers in the country, who has been doing business with Tech Data for 25 years. Gau said, \u201cIf you\u2019re going to be in the IT space you\u2019re going to need a partner. It\u2019s going to work, it\u2019s a good model.\u201d Sharp takes to the cloud – The introduction of Cloud Portal Office squarely targets the Sharp B2B channel and provides organizations with a software solution that allows mobile workers to share information and the organization to maintain control and security over the documents being shared.\u00a0 What\u2019s notable about this cloud-based solution, which Sharp considers a differentiator, are the many capabilities it offers to the B2B channel. (See the News Bytes section for in-depth details on Cloud Portal Office.) A continued commitment to interactive digital displays – \u00a0Although there were mostly passing references to the interactive digital display systems during the General Session, these devices were prominently featured in the Product Showcase and set Sharp apart from most of the other OEMs. In a channel where multiple income streams have become critical to survival, Sharp dealers ought to appreciate the AQUOS BOARD interactive digital displays, a product category that most of their competitors don\u2019t possess. The introduction of Advanced Series and Essential Series MFPs \u2013 Here Sharp offers something for everyone, with everyone being users looking for MFPs with advanced capabilities and users who need more of a traditional MFP that copies, prints, and scans. The Advanced Series consists of the MX-M365N, MX-M465N, MX-M565N) monochrome workgroup MFPs and the Essentials Series consists of the MX-M364N, MX-M464N, and MX-M565N, a total of six new models that will appeal to both types of users. The Advanced Series models target sophisticated workflow environments and include a 10-inch tablet-style touchscreen, wireless networking, and retractable keyboard. They\u2019re also Cloud Portal Office ready. The Essentials Series offer copying, networking printing, and network scanning without the fancy features of the Advanced Series. Sharp makes a push for light production color \u2013 I\u2019ve written about this before, but based on the square footage devoted to production products at the Product Showcase and Mike Marusic\u2019s comments during the General Session, Sharp now has a strong, well-featured line of color production products, most notably the Pro Series MX-6500N and MX-7500N color document systems.\u00a0 Further illustrating Sharp\u2019s seriousness about this product segment, a seminar, \u201cHow to Make Money Selling Production Color,\u201d presented by EFI offered dealers insights into the color production space and strategies for successfully selling color production. 21st century service via MICAS \u2013 With the rollout of MICAS, Sharp now has a cloud service application that allows dealerships to automate the control and monitoring of Sharp devices through real-time service notifications and remote diagnostic capability. MICAS is described by Sharp as a content management system that will enhance the troubleshooting of MFPs and can reportedly pinpoint issues or errors with the assistance of printed and video content. The benefit to end users is increased first-call resolution. \u00a0And that\u2019s good for dealers too. A strong partner presence \u2013 One constant at Sharp National Dealer Meetings has been a strong partner presence. In Orlando, 28 partners were scattered across the Product Showcase, including BEI Services, Compass Sales Solutions, DocuWare, Drivve, EFI, LMI Solutions, MaxxVault, Nuance, PaperCut, Prism Software, Protected Trust, and Square 9 Softworks just to name a few. For those keeping score, Sharp now has 171 partners here in the U.S. and 211 globally. The introduction of Laura Blackmer to the dealer channel \u2013 SIICA\u2019s new senior vice president, Channel Sales, has replaced the retired Rich Boomsma, and if first impressions are worth anything, seems to offer a breath of fresh air and a computer channel perspective to Sharp\u2019s dealer channel based on her previous positions at HP and other technology companies.\u00a0 She\u2019s still new\u2014only with the company for less than six months at the time of the national dealer meeting\u2014but has been logging thousands of frequent flier miles, meeting with Sharp dealers across the country and learning about their businesses. Based on my conversations with some of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[82],"tags":[1031,1032,1034,1024,1025,1030,544,1026,1029,250,333,1027],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6282"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6282"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6288,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6282\/revisions\/6288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}