{"id":39035,"date":"2020-03-12T12:36:19","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T19:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=39035"},"modified":"2020-03-13T07:22:07","modified_gmt":"2020-03-13T14:22:07","slug":"ink-boldly-epsons-inaugural-inkjet-conference-aims-to-give-competition-the-cold-shoulder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/feature-articles\/2020\/03\/ink-boldly-epsons-inaugural-inkjet-conference-aims-to-give-competition-the-cold-shoulder\/","title":{"rendered":"Ink Boldly: Epson\u2019s Inaugural Inkjet Conference Aims to Give Competition the Cold Shoulder"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
The view from a Loews Santa Monica balcony<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During the onset of its PrecisionCore rollout for the office\ninkjet space, Epson vowed to make a bold play that could help the technology\nbecome as dominant as it has in the consumer and industrial sectors. And during\nlast week\u2019s Ink Boldly, Epson\u2019s first-ever business inkjet conference, the\nmanufacturer brought that quest more into focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story behind Epson\u2019s office inkjet play \u2013 where it assembled a cracker jack team of marketing, sales and service mavens within 100 days, culminating with the release of a trio of WorkForce Enterprise series A3 models \u2013 is well known. But the manufacturer welcomed 225 attendees from roughly 80 dealers to Loews Santa Monica (California) to get an up-close and personal view of a range of innovations, from wide-format devices to MFPs and Epson Remote Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Keith Kratzberg, president and CEO, Epson America<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Keith Kratzberg, president and CEO of Epson America,\nwelcomed attendees during his opening day keynote presentation with a look at\nthe company\u2019s Epson 25 global strategy, which focuses on innovation around\ninkjet, visual (projectors), robotics and wearables technology. Epson has used\npiezoelectric technology in inkjet printing for more than 25 years, and\nunveiled its PrecisionCore technology 10 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With proven success in textile printers, industrial label\npresses, wide-format graphics printers and consumer desktop models, the copier\nmarket seemed to be the logical progression for inkjet, especially with it\nbeing a $13 billion market. \u201cWhy enter the copier market? It\u2019s the\nsingle-biggest dollar prize in the industry,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re all in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epson is used to having market-leading success in its other\nmarkets, with top shares in projectors (51%), photo printers (61%), supertank\nprinters (95%), point of sale printers (44%), photo scanners (71%), SCARA\nrobots (32%) and timing devices (12%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, it helps to have a marketing platform that\nincludes Mercedes F1 racing sponsorship and the monstrous celebrity that is\nformer NBA star Shaquille O\u2019Neal, who has more than 30 million followers on\nsocial media. Shaq\u2019s print and television ads with Epson have elevated the\nmanufacturer\u2019s profile to unprecedented heights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kratzberg compared Epson\u2019s office inkjet team to an\nexpansion franchise in sports. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a couple of draft choices, some new\ntalent coming out of college and some new trades,\u201d he said. \u201cWe may not be the\nbiggest team, but we punch way above our weight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inkjet Wins<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Mathews, who introduced Kratzberg after a brief\noverview, returned to the stage to further extol the virtues of office inkjet,\nnoting \u201cWherever inkjet goes, inkjet wins.\u201d The vice president of North America\ncommercial sales and marketing shared the story of Epson\u2019s most strategic win\nof 2019, which involved a cruise travel client with two ships that had a need\nfor an average of 40,000 prints per month, per device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mark Mathews, vice president, North America commercial sales and marketing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mathews noted that client feedback touched on all the key\nvalue propositions of Epson\u2019s PrecisionCore technology \u2013 the heat-free process,\nlower cost of ownership and expanded productivity. And underscoring Epson\u2019s\ncommitment to its dealer partners and its lack of a direct operation, he\nemphasized \u201cYou are the only way we are going to market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In speaking to the company\u2019s heat-less technology, Mathews\nlater touted, \u201cHeat bad, cold good, Epson awesome\u201d to a round of laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joe Contreras, commercial marketing executive\u2014Office\nSolutions, then took the stage to talk about Epson\u2019s Replaceable Ink Pack\nSystems (RIPS) and, in particular, two new WorkForce Pro releases for 2020, the\nWF-C879R and the WF-C878R. First announced last month, the 878R is an update to\nthe 869R, while the 879R is a net-new model. New to the models are stapling and\nbooklet-making finishing options. Contreras emphasized the energy savings\naspect of the machines, which consume 85% less power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Joe Contreras, commercial marketing executive \u2014 Office Solutions <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Contreras also discussed the company\u2019s A4 printer\/MFP line\nand illustrated Epson\u2019s reach with an overview of a client, the Georgia Cyber\nAcademy, which has 10,000 enrolled students who attend school remotely. Epson\ncame to the rescue of the Academy, which had faced extensive parental concerns\nregarding the price of consumables under the previous vendor, by providing\n8,000 printers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another new offering is Epson Remote Services, which provides\nreal-time information and service notifications to bolster dealer fleet\nmanagement efforts. Twenty Epson dealers took the free cloud-based ERS for a\ntest drive prior to its release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Document scanning is another area where Epson bolstered\nproducts for mobile, desktop, flatbed and photo applications. The company\nrecently expanded its line of commercial document scanners with the DS-32000\nand DS-30000 large-format devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contreras also gave an overview of the SureColor T and P\nseries wide-format printers. The T series is aimed at technical environments\nfor verticals such as architecture, engineering and construction, while the P\nseries provides photo-level image quality for proofing and graphic design\napplications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No Heat Required<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The WorkForce series MFP with finishing solution<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Product Manager Matt Kochanowski provided a deeper dive into\nthe beauty of PrecisionCore\u2019s heat-free technology and walked the audience\nthrough each of the new or updated MFP offerings: the WF-C20600 (60 ppm color),\nWF-C20750 (75 ppm color), WF-C21000 (100 ppm color) and the WF-M20590 (100 ppm\nmonochrome). The C20600 is the newbie to the line, as Epson wanted to provide\ndealers with a solution to offer for the low-end volume needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Matt Kochanowski, product manager<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver the course of contracts, end-users are saving hundreds\nof dollars just on power usage,\u201d he noted. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to install a\n220-volt outlet because it uses the standard 110.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Optional finishing capabilities provide for stapling,\nstacking, booklet making and two- to four-hole punching. They complement the\nmachines enhanced productivity and new box functionality with internal hard\ndrive support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kaila Murphy, also a product manager, gave the audience a\nrundown on Epson\u2019s A3 and A4 desktop solutions, a line that features 21 models.\nThe fact that these machines require no warmup time should not be lost on\nusers. She gave an example of a federal government agency processing multitudes\nof visa applications in short order. She reiterated the value enjoyed by the\nGeorgia Cyber Academy, with the Supertank series providing more print life for\nstudents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kaila Murphy, product manager<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Murphy piqued dealers\u2019 curiosity by walking through Epson\u2019s\npartner program, which includes upfront discounts (up to 30% for Platinum\nmembers), deal registration (10% additional), a SPIFF program for up to $200\nper unit and 10% VIR for new partners (up to $2,500 cash back). She also\nhighlighted a number of promotions currently available and discussed the\ncompany\u2019s sales and marketing tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day\u2019s activities were rounded out with a pair of\neducational sessions, along with a tour of the technology fair, which showcased\nEpson\u2019s product line in action for a number of verticals markets, including\neducation, AEC, hospitality and government. Compact and concise, Epson\ndelivered an overall message that communicated office inkjet is here to stay,\nand the manufacturer is looking to add another market leader notch to its belt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During the onset of its PrecisionCore rollout for the office inkjet space, Epson vowed to make a bold play that could help the technology become as dominant as it has in the consumer and industrial sectors. And during last week\u2019s Ink Boldly, Epson\u2019s first-ever business inkjet conference, the manufacturer brought that quest more into focus. The story behind Epson\u2019s office inkjet play \u2013 where it assembled a cracker jack team of marketing, sales and service mavens within 100 days, culminating with the release of a trio of WorkForce Enterprise series A3 models \u2013 is well known. But the manufacturer welcomed 225 attendees from roughly 80 dealers to Loews Santa Monica (California) to get an up-close and personal view of a range of innovations, from wide-format devices to MFPs and Epson Remote Services. Keith Kratzberg, president and CEO of Epson America, welcomed attendees during his opening day keynote presentation with a look at the company\u2019s Epson 25 global strategy, which focuses on innovation around inkjet, visual (projectors), robotics and wearables technology. Epson has used piezoelectric technology in inkjet printing for more than 25 years, and unveiled its PrecisionCore technology 10 years ago. With proven success in textile printers, industrial label presses, wide-format graphics printers and consumer desktop models, the copier market seemed to be the logical progression for inkjet, especially with it being a $13 billion market. \u201cWhy enter the copier market? It\u2019s the single-biggest dollar prize in the industry,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re all in.\u201d Epson is used to having market-leading success in its other markets, with top shares in projectors (51%), photo printers (61%), supertank printers (95%), point of sale printers (44%), photo scanners (71%), SCARA robots (32%) and timing devices (12%). Of course, it helps to have a marketing platform that includes Mercedes F1 racing sponsorship and the monstrous celebrity that is former NBA star Shaquille O\u2019Neal, who has more than 30 million followers on social media. Shaq\u2019s print and television ads with Epson have elevated the manufacturer\u2019s profile to unprecedented heights. Kratzberg compared Epson\u2019s office inkjet team to an expansion franchise in sports. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a couple of draft choices, some new talent coming out of college and some new trades,\u201d he said. \u201cWe may not be the biggest team, but we punch way above our weight.\u201d Inkjet Wins Mark Mathews, who introduced Kratzberg after a brief overview, returned to the stage to further extol the virtues of office inkjet, noting \u201cWherever inkjet goes, inkjet wins.\u201d The vice president of North America commercial sales and marketing shared the story of Epson\u2019s most strategic win of 2019, which involved a cruise travel client with two ships that had a need for an average of 40,000 prints per month, per device. Mathews noted that client feedback touched on all the key value propositions of Epson\u2019s PrecisionCore technology \u2013 the heat-free process, lower cost of ownership and expanded productivity. And underscoring Epson\u2019s commitment to its dealer partners and its lack of a direct operation, he emphasized \u201cYou are the only way we are going to market.\u201d In speaking to the company\u2019s heat-less technology, Mathews later touted, \u201cHeat bad, cold good, Epson awesome\u201d to a round of laughter. Joe Contreras, commercial marketing executive\u2014Office Solutions, then took the stage to talk about Epson\u2019s Replaceable Ink Pack Systems (RIPS) and, in particular, two new WorkForce Pro releases for 2020, the WF-C879R and the WF-C878R. First announced last month, the 878R is an update to the 869R, while the 879R is a net-new model. New to the models are stapling and booklet-making finishing options. Contreras emphasized the energy savings aspect of the machines, which consume 85% less power. Contreras also discussed the company\u2019s A4 printer\/MFP line and illustrated Epson\u2019s reach with an overview of a client, the Georgia Cyber Academy, which has 10,000 enrolled students who attend school remotely. Epson came to the rescue of the Academy, which had faced extensive parental concerns regarding the price of consumables under the previous vendor, by providing 8,000 printers. Another new offering is Epson Remote Services, which provides real-time information and service notifications to bolster dealer fleet management efforts. Twenty Epson dealers took the free cloud-based ERS for a test drive prior to its release. Document scanning is another area where Epson bolstered products for mobile, desktop, flatbed and photo applications. The company recently expanded its line of commercial document scanners with the DS-32000 and DS-30000 large-format devices. Contreras also gave an overview of the SureColor T and P series wide-format printers. The T series is aimed at technical environments for verticals such as architecture, engineering and construction, while the P series provides photo-level image quality for proofing and graphic design applications. No Heat Required Product Manager Matt Kochanowski provided a deeper dive into the beauty of PrecisionCore\u2019s heat-free technology and walked the audience through each of the new or updated MFP offerings: the WF-C20600 (60 ppm color), WF-C20750 (75 ppm color), WF-C21000 (100 ppm color) and the WF-M20590 (100 ppm monochrome). The C20600 is the newbie to the line, as Epson wanted to provide dealers with a solution to offer for the low-end volume needs. \u201cOver the course of contracts, end-users are saving hundreds of dollars just on power usage,\u201d he noted. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to install a 220-volt outlet because it uses the standard 110.\u201d Optional finishing capabilities provide for stapling, stacking, booklet making and two- to four-hole punching. They complement the machines enhanced productivity and new box functionality with internal hard drive support. Kaila Murphy, also a product manager, gave the audience a rundown on Epson\u2019s A3 and A4 desktop solutions, a line that features 21 models. The fact that these machines require no warmup time should not be lost on users. She gave an example of a federal government agency processing multitudes of visa applications in short order. She reiterated the value enjoyed by the Georgia Cyber Academy, with the Supertank series providing more print life for students. Murphy piqued dealers\u2019 curiosity by walking through Epson\u2019s partner program, which includes upfront discounts (up to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":39036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1650,82,87,1638],"tags":[180],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39035"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39035"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39061,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39035\/revisions\/39061"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}