3 Breaking news this month, a move that many in the industry did not see coming, was the announcement that HP Inc. was to acquire Apogee. IDC analysts Jacqui Hendriks and Sharon McNee, described it as a very strong offensive and defensive move by HP Inc. in the battle to conquer the market (page 16). HP clearly stated its plan to disrupt the $55 billion A3 copier market when it purchased Samsung’s printing business and this latest transaction will undoubtedly further its growth ambitions. It will be interesting to watch how the deal pans out – what the impact on its existing reseller base will be and how quickly it will swap out competitors’ MIF to HP products. Printronix suggested that print technologies like laser can be prone to premature failure, paper jams and print quality issues when exposed to high extremes of temperature, humidity and dusty conditions. With Britain basking in unprecedented high temperatures this summer, PrintIT Reseller asked some of the UK’s dealerships what, if any, impact the heatwave has had on service call-outs (page 28). Also in this issue, Brother UK’s Mike Anderson provides food for thought on how marketing communications need to change to attract and retain MPS customers, and Ian Birch Managing Director of IBC Group, answers some key questions around the impact of the new GDPR on direct marketing. This month’s Q&A is with Chris Mooney, Sales Director, ABC, West Midlands branch, and PITR spent 60 seconds with Dean Chisholm, Deputy Managing Director Group Support, Tecserv. And finally, if you’ve got any news about your business to share, would like to be included on our monthly VOX POP panel, have a compelling business success story or simply wish to comment on any industry issues, please get in touch with us at
[email protected] Michelle Ryder , Editor PRINT.IT Reseller is published by Kingswood Media Ltd., Amherst House, 22 London Road, Sevenoaks TN13 2BT • Tel: 01732 759725 Email:
[email protected] www.printitreseller.uk No part of PRINT.IT Reseller can be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher. © 2018 Kingswood Media Ltd. Design: Sandtiger Media www.sandtiger.co.uk 04 Bulletin What’s new in printers and printing 16 Acquisitions HP Inc. announces a definitive agreement to acquire Apogee 20 Research Keypoint Intelligence- InfoTrends serviceability study reveals key trends 22 Video Conferencing Zoom says a renewed interest in video communications technology presents opportunities for resellers 24 Direct Marketing IBC Group MD Ian Birch, answers some key questions around the impact of the new GDPR on direct marketing 26 Opinion Marketing communications need to change to attract and retain MPS customers, says Brother UK’s Mike Anderson 28 Service The channel comments on the non-impact the heatwave has had on service call-outs 31 Dealer Profile Growth through acquisition is pivotal to Vision’s five-year business plan 34 Recruitment New start-up brings decades of experience to field sales and service recruitment 36 Supplies Following the integration of its business into the THS Group, Parsia is targeting 30% growth 38 Interview One-to-one with Xerox’s Carlo Longhi 40 VOX POP This month’s panel discusses popular solutions and the key challenges facing the print and IT channel 48 View from the Channel Chris Mooney, Sales Director, ABC, West Midlands branch 50 60 seconds with... Dean Chisholm, Deputy Managing Director Group Support, Tecserv ISSUE 55 · 2018 print it reseller.uk Comment Register online To receive your regular FREE printed copy of PrintIT Reseller Magazine simply fill in our online registration form at www.printitreseller.uk/register If you no longer wish to receive PrintIT Reseller magazine please email your details to
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