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PRINT.IT
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Mobile Printing
A perfect fit
Although they have only just
formally announced their
alliance, Samsung and IT
services provider Getronics
have been working together
for more than two years
– closely for six months –
and have already won six
international MPS contracts
including a 25-30 million
euro deal with German
supermarket chain Kaufland.
Mark Cook, Getronics CEO,
said that with six global service
desks and field engineers and
service personnel deployed in
70 countries, Getronics is able
to deliver managed print and
other ICT services to Samsung
customers internationally. “We
are able to deploy services and
machines as an MPS on behalf
of Samsung. We procure
devices, set them up and
service and maintain them
over time,” he said.
Getronics sales teams and
Samsung deal generation
teams will initially focus on
the European market, but
they plan to expand into other
regions in the future. They
are targeting sub-FTSE 100
and FTSE 250 companies
with operations in multiple
countries and are focusing on
Getronics’ existing customer
base and new prospects
identified by Samsung.
Cook said: “We will look at
our existing customer base
of hundreds and hundreds
of companies globally and go
in there to embed MPS in a
current solution or bid for new
business where we would not
have had a robust offer before.
For example, where there is
a public sector IT outsourcing
deal we are now able to offer
Samsung’s solution.”
Like Samsung, Getronics
is adapting its offering in
response to the growth of
mobility and cloud computing.
Its core services revolve around
field engineers, break-fix and
service desk, but it now offers
a much wider portfolio of ICT
services that Samsung can
leverage to enhance its offering
to enterprise customers.
“Globally, there are some
key priorities for us as a result
of what we call portfolio shift,”
Cook explained. “Our core
is field engineers, break-fix
and service desk, but the
new world is about cloud,
unified communications,
infrastructure as a service
(IaaS), consulting and MPS.
Our plan over the next 3 to
5 years is really to focus on
these core portfolios. That’s
why Samsung talk about the
perfect partnership: they could
have chosen a larger company
but we are embarking on the
same path.”
www.getronics.co.uk
Upwardly mobile
Even by the standards of
Samsung Electronics, a target
to increase revenue from $185
billion in 2012 to $400 billion
by 2020 looks ambitious. More
so when you consider that the
consumer electronics market
in which it is so strong is
becoming more price-sensitive
with lower barriers to entry.
Samsung’s solution, outlined
at a press conference at March’s
CeBIT exhibition in Hanover, is
to strengthen B2B sales across
all divisions, including its newly
independent business unit
Printing Solutions Business. In
Western Europe, B2B currently
accounts for about 30% of
Samsung Electronic’s turnover.
Unlike other Samsung
business units, the printer
business already generates
96.5% of its revenue from B2B,
but it is still under-represented
in key areas of the market.
Following the launch last year
of its second generation A3
devices, Samsung wants to step
up a gear and repeat the success
it’s enjoyed with its A4 devices in
the more sophisticated business
and enterprise space.
Samsung is putting mobility at the heart of its
printer growth strategy. James Goulding reports
It aims to do this by
strengthening four key areas:
• Product
– through good
design; leading edge
technologies, such as the all-in-
one board in its latest devices;
and an expanded range of A3
devices (Samsung plans to
launch 50ppm + A3 devices
next year);
• Service
– by enhancing its
service and support capability
with dedicated hotlines for
print; more field engineers
and training; improved parts
availability; and efficient
delivery;
• Solutions
– with a particular
emphasis on the cloud,
mobility and security; more
embedded solutions; and
a stronger managed print
services offering; and
• Channel Partners
– Samsung
remains 100% committed to
the channel and aims to build
deeper relationships with
channel partners.
Global agreement
The early fruits of this approach
could be seen at CeBIT on
Samsung’s busy exhibition stand
where Ringdale was showing an
embedded version of FollowMe;
Stethos was promoting its forms
management solution (sold
in the UK by Fontware); and
PrintFleet was demonstrating its
fleet management software.
PrintFleet recently signed a
global agreement to manage, host
and administer a cloud-based
print fleet monitoring solution for
Samsung resellers. This will make
it easier for Samsung resellers
to offer managed print services
(MPS) and enable them to benefit
from lower prices achieved
through Samsung’s global
purchasing power.
Another example of
Samsung’s strategy to grow
through partnerships with
solutions providers and channel
partners is its alliance with
international IT solutions provider
Getronics, which for the first
time will enable it to put together
global MPS agreements for multi-
national organisations and wider
ICT solutions (see box for more
details).
The X factor
The X factor in Samsung’s
proposition is its strength in
mobility and smart technologies.
Unsurprisingly, this is an area
where the smartphone leader
believes it has an advantage over
competitors.
Dr Kiho Kim, president of
Samsung Printing Solutions
Business, said he would bring
all his experience of smart
technology to bear on the
development of printers. “One
of the reasons I am in charge
of the new print solutions unit
is that I was in charge of the
development of smartphones
and SmartTVs. I am going to
adapt those state-of-the-art
technologies to give better and
cheaper print solutions for end
users,” he explained.
Dr Kim’s assertion that
“users find printers difficult and
confusing pieces of equipment
to use” is debatable, but his
ambition to apply technologies
from smartphones and smart
TVs in printers is interesting. The