{"id":54331,"date":"2023-03-23T12:50:56","date_gmt":"2023-03-23T19:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=54331"},"modified":"2023-03-23T12:50:58","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T19:50:58","slug":"inkboldly-attendees-provide-views-takeaways-of-epson-dealer-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2023\/03\/inkboldly-attendees-provide-views-takeaways-of-epson-dealer-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"InkBoldly: Attendees Provide Views, Takeaways of Epson Dealer Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Epson America\u2019s InkBoldly dealer conference came full circle during the Feb. 6-7 dealer conference in Huntington Beach, California. While it wasn\u2019t the first major manufacturer conference to be held following the pandemic\u2014Kyocera, Sharp, Konica Minolta and Brother, among others, have opened their doors to reseller partners during the last 12 months\u2014InkBoldly was the final gathering in March of 2022 before the pandemic shutdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The return of InkBoldly, in a sense, signals the resumption of business as we knew it. Whether it is really \u201cas we knew it\u201d remains to be seen, but Epson\u2014like many of its competitors\u2014has pivoted its technology to address the wide range of working environments that have emerged from COVID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The OEM is doubling down on the promotion of its simple, smart and clean PrecisionCore Heat-Free technology, and the unveiling of its new WorkForce Enterprise AM-Series A3 line of multifunction printers. Epson didn\u2019t need to trade away any assets to acquire the big man, Shaquille O\u2019Neal, to power its offensive assault and aid its marketing efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question remains, was InkBoldly a slam dunk for the nearly 250 attendees that converged on the Pas\u00e9a Hotel and Spa? We checked in with a sampling of dealers to collect their views and takeaways from InkBoldly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Tim Renegar, Kelly Office Solutions<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe event was very successful and insightful,\u201d noted Tim Renegar, president of Kelly Office Solutions in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. \u201cI really enjoyed the overview of ink\u2019s market share in printers, wide-format, production print and office A4 and A3. From those statistics, you can see why Epson is excited regarding the future of ink and their products.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renegar added that he believes the new units \u201chit the mark\u201d where the older units didn\u2019t, primarily due to the reduced footprint and the increased productivity when using finishing. \u201cThe excitement and passion among the Epson employees are truly awesome and genuine,\u201d he added. \u201cInk has and will continue to make inroads into the existing copier A3\/A4 market, and Epson seems poised to take advantage of it. The venue was very good and the intimacy of the smaller group gave us more time to network and actually talk with Epson and get things done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Tim Stanley, TDSiT<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Tim Stanley, CEO of Total Document Solutions (TDSiT) of Lowell, Arkansas, was struck by Epson\u2019s proclamation that \u201cwe are not a copier company; we are a printer company.\u201d Stanley felt its timing was perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe financial overview of how and why they will be successful seems extremely viable,\u201d he said. \u201cTDSiT is excited to bring the best technology to our great clients and Epson will be on every proposal as a lead option.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Todd Deluca, Boston Business <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In Epson, Todd Deluca\u2014president and CEO of Boston Business Technology in Plymouth, Massachusetts\u2014sees a quality organization with a sound strategy that disrupts the copier and printer space. \u201cTheir strategy of simple, smart and clean products really separates them from the competition and offers customers a real choice in technology,\u201d Deluca noted. \u201cThe meeting enabled us to tell customers that story and explain how the technology works to deliver on that slogan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are thrilled to represent Epson and our customers are thrilled about their new products.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kevin Van Kannel, UTEC<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One of the more appreciable qualities of Epson, in the estimation of Kevin Van Kannel, president of Ann Arbor, Michigan-based UTEC, is the manufacturer\u2019s grasp on its own strengths and shortcomings. But it\u2019s Epson’s commitment to breaking through with ink and its desire to settle for nothing less than a complete success that has Van Kannel in its corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that determination is going to carry them through,\u201d he said. \u201cAs I\u2019ve told other dealers, Epson is learning on the fly with this technology and I think they\u2019ve made improvements with the interface, which is simpler and easier to use.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The inkjet versus toner proposition, according to Van Kannel, has garnered much focus from a sustainability standpoint. He used the example of the number of consumables that go into generating 300,000 copies via toner-based output, and the parts that need to be replaced\u2014the transfer unit, fuser, developer, etc. These spent assets can fill a box that is destined for the landfill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll those materials get changed out every 300,000 copies,\u201d he said. \u201cBut all that waste can be replaced by that little [Epson] inkhead. When you share that story with a customer, and talk about waste and the environment, it absolutely resonates with customers. It makes sense to them and rings true.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Epson America\u2019s InkBoldly dealer conference came full circle during the Feb. 6-7 dealer conference in Huntington Beach, California. While it wasn\u2019t the first major manufacturer conference to be held following the pandemic\u2014Kyocera, Sharp, Konica Minolta and Brother, among others, have opened their doors to reseller partners during the last 12 months\u2014InkBoldly was the final gathering in March of 2022 before the pandemic shutdown. The return of InkBoldly, in a sense, signals the resumption of business as we knew it. Whether it is really \u201cas we knew it\u201d remains to be seen, but Epson\u2014like many of its competitors\u2014has pivoted its technology to address the wide range of working environments that have emerged from COVID. The OEM is doubling down on the promotion of its simple, smart and clean PrecisionCore Heat-Free technology, and the unveiling of its new WorkForce Enterprise AM-Series A3 line of multifunction printers. Epson didn\u2019t need to trade away any assets to acquire the big man, Shaquille O\u2019Neal, to power its offensive assault and aid its marketing efforts. The question remains, was InkBoldly a slam dunk for the nearly 250 attendees that converged on the Pas\u00e9a Hotel and Spa? We checked in with a sampling of dealers to collect their views and takeaways from InkBoldly. \u201cThe event was very successful and insightful,\u201d noted Tim Renegar, president of Kelly Office Solutions in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. \u201cI really enjoyed the overview of ink\u2019s market share in printers, wide-format, production print and office A4 and A3. From those statistics, you can see why Epson is excited regarding the future of ink and their products.\u201d Renegar added that he believes the new units \u201chit the mark\u201d where the older units didn\u2019t, primarily due to the reduced footprint and the increased productivity when using finishing. \u201cThe excitement and passion among the Epson employees are truly awesome and genuine,\u201d he added. \u201cInk has and will continue to make inroads into the existing copier A3\/A4 market, and Epson seems poised to take advantage of it. The venue was very good and the intimacy of the smaller group gave us more time to network and actually talk with Epson and get things done.\u201d Tim Stanley, CEO of Total Document Solutions (TDSiT) of Lowell, Arkansas, was struck by Epson\u2019s proclamation that \u201cwe are not a copier company; we are a printer company.\u201d Stanley felt its timing was perfect. \u201cThe financial overview of how and why they will be successful seems extremely viable,\u201d he said. \u201cTDSiT is excited to bring the best technology to our great clients and Epson will be on every proposal as a lead option.\u201d In Epson, Todd Deluca\u2014president and CEO of Boston Business Technology in Plymouth, Massachusetts\u2014sees a quality organization with a sound strategy that disrupts the copier and printer space. \u201cTheir strategy of simple, smart and clean products really separates them from the competition and offers customers a real choice in technology,\u201d Deluca noted. \u201cThe meeting enabled us to tell customers that story and explain how the technology works to deliver on that slogan. \u201cWe are thrilled to represent Epson and our customers are thrilled about their new products.\u201d One of the more appreciable qualities of Epson, in the estimation of Kevin Van Kannel, president of Ann Arbor, Michigan-based UTEC, is the manufacturer\u2019s grasp on its own strengths and shortcomings. But it\u2019s Epson’s commitment to breaking through with ink and its desire to settle for nothing less than a complete success that has Van Kannel in its corner. \u201cI think that determination is going to carry them through,\u201d he said. \u201cAs I\u2019ve told other dealers, Epson is learning on the fly with this technology and I think they\u2019ve made improvements with the interface, which is simpler and easier to use.\u201d The inkjet versus toner proposition, according to Van Kannel, has garnered much focus from a sustainability standpoint. He used the example of the number of consumables that go into generating 300,000 copies via toner-based output, and the parts that need to be replaced\u2014the transfer unit, fuser, developer, etc. These spent assets can fill a box that is destined for the landfill. \u201cAll those materials get changed out every 300,000 copies,\u201d he said. \u201cBut all that waste can be replaced by that little [Epson] inkhead. When you share that story with a customer, and talk about waste and the environment, it absolutely resonates with customers. It makes sense to them and rings true.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":54332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[80,1650,82,1638],"tags":[4024,1932],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54331"}],"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=54331"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54341,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54331\/revisions\/54341"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}