01732 759725 20 INTERVIEW several manufacturers, so I get to see the constant evolution of print devices. Seeing the new portfolios and the new features does excite me. We’ve seen the print landscape change over the past few years and we’re starting to see a lot of managed print companies coming to us for things outside of print as well. So, whilst, we’re still selling lots of printers, we’ve got resellers looking to us to provide everything from laptops, servers, to mobile phones. It’s exciting to see print companies doing well and still selling print but also expanding their portfolio. PITR: What (or who) do you think has had the greatest impact in the sector in recent years? NM: I may be slightly biased here, but I’m going to have to say distribution! When I joined the print industry in 2014, whilst distribution was used, it wasn’t used as much as it is now. At Westcoast we work with several major print manufacturers, whether that’s enabling next-day delivery on toners or hardware, assisting their resellers with large rollouts, or even storage. Ultimately, our job is to make life easier for the print dealers. And our ability to deliver next-day has led more vendors to turn to distribution to help them fulfil toner and hardware orders when they would normally struggle to provide a quick turnaround. Our vendor list continues to grow and we’re seeing vendors who wouldn’t normally go through distribution coming to us. So, 2026 should be an exciting year. PITR: If you could speak directly to someone who inspired or challenged you most in your career, what would you want to say to them today? NM: One of my old bosses told me it’s important to stay resilient in any role you’re in, to stay positive, listen to your customers, keep learning and stay up to date with industry news. So, I’d like to say – you were right! but really dealing very little with print. A recruitment consultant contacted me and said I may fit the criteria for a job going at Sharp as an indirect sales account manager. Obviously Sharp is a large, wellknown organisation, and I’m a big Man United fan – they used to sponsor Man United – and I thought this is a good fit! That’s where it all began and I haven’t looked back since. PITR: What excites you most about working in print today? NM: That’s an easy question. It’s the people. There’s certainly a lot of big characters in the print industry and I’m lucky to call some of them my friends and mentors. Also, I’m a bit of a printer geek and in my current role, I get to work with PrintIT Reseller (PITR): What was your first job in print? Nik Modi (NM): When I was 17, I worked for the Crown Prosecution Service as a case worker. Part of my job as a caseworker involved me working in the print room on a Xerox production device, copying all sorts of stuff from casework statements, pictures, anything really that we needed to send to the Crown Court. But my first real job in print was in 2014, when I joined Sharp’s indirect print team, working with dealers across the UK. PITR: What led you to enter the sector? Did you choose print by design, or accident? NM: By accident! I was working at Westcoast as an account manager My life in print Nik Modi, MPS Sales Manager, Westcoast, shares details of his life in print, what he’s learned, and the highs and the lows of our unique and challenging industry Nik Modi
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