• The following is a portion of an article authored by Patrick Henry, who reviewed product announcements and product releases at the Graph Expo trade show. The portion of the article that I’ve reprinted below is the portion that deals with the first commercially available Memjet-enabled wide-format printer. (The new printer will not be available until sometime next Spring.)

    Commentary & Analysis

    Whole is Greater than Sum of Parts in KBA-Donnelley, Xanté-Memjet Joint Ventures Announced At Graph Expo

    By Patrick Henry
Published: September 13, 2011

    As print technology providers go, Xanté is not a large company, but it innovates at a pace that would distinguish a vendor of any size. Its desire to offer small printers an affordable wide-format inkjet production system led it to seek a partnership with Memjet, whose color inkjet advancements have been recognized with a 2011 InterTech Technology Award.



    Robert Ross, CEO of Xanté, said that high-volume Memjet inkjet heads enable the 42″ wide device, named Excelagraphix 4200, to print at a speed he described as “unreal”-more specifically, one foot per second in full color. Xanté built the printer platform and supplies the controlling software.



    The Excelagraphix 4200, according to Ross, is 90% complete in terms of application intent. “We want the customer to tell us what the remaining 10% should be,” he said. Xanté will use Graph Expo and other upcoming trade shows as market research opportunities to identify optimal end-uses.



    Ross said he believes that the packaging market, in particular, is “screaming” for an inkjet solution that can create prototypes and economically handle personalized short runs. One such type of customer, he said, might be a pharmaceutical company with hundreds of SKUs that it typically distributes in very small batches.



    Xanté expects to ship the Excelagraphix 4200 next spring, Ross said. It will be the first wide-format equipment built around Memjet printheads, which presently are used in office and label printers.



    Len Lauer, president and CEO of Memjet, praised Xanté for bringing the device to technical completion within a year of the project’s commencement. He said that Memjet has been striving for a commercial wide-format implementation of its printhead technology for four years and that Excelagraphix 4200 represents that milestone.



    Michael Puyot, president of Memjet’s wide format division, said that the Excelagraphix 4200 owes its exceptionally high speed to a stitched array of five 8.7″ wide Memjet printhead channels comprising more than 350,000 separate nozzles. This array can print at up to 1,600 dpi on materials as thick as corrugated packaging stocks, thanks to an adjustable printhead-height feature engineered into the Excelagraphix 4200 by Xanté.



    Both technology partners emphasized the affordability of the Excelagraphix 4200 for small- and mid-sized printers, a segment that can find itself priced out of the market for production inkjet systems.



    Frank Romano, print technology authority and professor emeritus at RIT, was on hand for a Graph Expo media briefing at which the Excelagraphix 4200 was announced. He said that the device could be “disruptive” in enabling smaller firms to compete with big ones for inkjet market share.



    The Excelagraphix 4200 is “a high-level machine for small companies,” Romano said. “It is a new kind of machine for the marketplace that needs it most.”

  • News Release

    ARC’s Chinese Joint Venture Acquires Shenzhen Firm

    WALNUT CREEK, CA, Sep 27, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) —

    ARC (NYSE: ARC), one of the nation’s leading document solutions companies, today announced that UNIS Document Solutions (“UDS”), its joint venture in China, has acquired a leading print-on-demand service provider in Shenzhen, China, through a newly- formed subsidiary which will operate under the brand name “UNIS Print General,” or “UPG.”

    UPG operates a centralized service facility in downtown Shenzhen, one of the world’s fastest growing cities. The city is Southern China’s financial hub, and is headquarters to a high concentration of technology, business service, and manufacturing companies. UPG offers a variety of outsourced print-on-demand services, onsite services, and equipment sales. The company employs 40 people and had year-end revenues of USD $11 million in 2010.

    “Shenzhen is a bright spot, even in a vibrant economy like China’s,” said K. “Suri” Suriyakumar, Chairman, President and CEO of ARC. “While we have moderated our M&A activity in the past several years, UPG is one of a handful of great opportunities to meaningfully grow our market share in China. There are hundreds of technology, financial and business service companies in the area, several of which are already our customers. With UPG joining our team, it helps us consolidate another strategic hub in China and provides an excellent platform on which to expand our business.”

    ARC and UDS already have a significant operating presence in the Northern and coastal parts of the Chinese mainland with three locations in Beijing and two locations in the industrial hub and port city of Shanghai. Along with the UDS office in Hong Kong, UPG anchors the company in the South. Maintaining a strategic footprint is an important part of ARC’s business model as it facilitates the distribution and adoption of the company’s outsourced services, improves access to its cloud technology offerings, and consolidates market share.

    Henry Shen, General Manager of UPG and one of the company’s founders, said, “We’re looking forward to working with UNIS and ARC. Their experience, geographical distribution, financial strength and technology expertise are huge advantages we can use to grow our business. We’re very excited about becoming a part of the team.”

    About UDS UDS is a joint venture between U.S.-based ARC, and China-based Unisplendour Corporation Limited (UNIS), the high- technology manufacturer and retailing giant closely associated with Tsinghua University in Beijing. ARC holds a 65% controlling ownership stake in the venture. UDS pairs the digital document management solutions of ARC with the brand recognition and Chinese distribution channel of UNIS to deliver reprographics equipment, document management services, and digital reprographics services throughout China.

    About ARC (NYSE: ARC) ARC (American Reprographics Company) (NYSE: ARC), is one of the nation’s leading document solutions companies providing business-to-business document management technology and services to the architectural, engineering and construction, or AEC industries. The Company also provides document management services to companies in non-AEC industries, such as technology, financial services, retail, entertainment, and food and hospitality. ARC provides its services through its suite of technology products, a network of hundreds of service centers around the world and on-site at more than 5,500 customer locations. The Company’s service centers are digitally connected as a cohesive network, allowing the provision of services to more than 120,000 active customers.

    Joel’s comment:

    In the Press Release, it mentions that UPG’s has 40 employees and annual revenues (in 2010) of $11,000,000 (USD.) That works out to $275,000 annual revenue per employee, which is an extraordinarily high annual-revenue-per-employee number, even for reprographers in the U.S., where prices and wages are reportedly much higher than in China. In fact, I don’t know of any U.S. reprographer who has ever achieved such a high annual-revenue-per-employee. (I am aware of one U.S. reprographer who came close to that number, years ago, but, sorry, I ain’t gonna say who that was.) Anyway, I’ve been told that wages in China are ultra-low compared to wages in the U.S. If that’s the case, I find myself wondering how in the world a reprographics company in China can generate annual revenues of $275,000 USD per employee. Anyone know how that could be???

  • Pitney Bowes Management Services Appoints New Sector Leaders

    Tuesday, September 27, 2011

    Press release from the issuing company

    Patrick Fogarty, Timothy Healy and Stephen Whetstone Join PBMS
 


    STAMFORD, Conn., – Pitney Bowes Management Services (PBMS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Pitney Bowes Inc., today announced the appointment of three new executives to lead its commercial, legal and public sectors, including:

    Patrick Fogarty, vice president and commercial sector leader;

    Timothy Healy, vice president and public sector leader; and

    Stephen Whetstone, vice president and legal sector leader.

    These three sectors currently make up the vast majority of the company’s service contracts and represent significant growth opportunities for its document and customer communications management services. 


    
”We are very excited to be entering a new phase in our global services business,” said Vicki O’Meara, executive vice president and president, Pitney Bowes Services Solutions. “Our organization is now aligned with our customers and markets and we are very pleased to bring aboard three very successful and dynamic leaders to develop and grow each sector. Pat, Tim and Steve each bring vast experience and industry leadership as well as a proven ability to build long standing client relationships.”
 


    Patrick Fogarty has more than 22 years of experience driving strategic account growth in document solutions and services. He joins PBMS from Williams Lea, where he was national vice president, Business Development and Enterprise Solutions. Fogarty was responsible for development, strategy, marketing and solutions across North America and drove customized and transformational client solutions through process re-engineering and leveraging technology. Fogarty earned a J.D. from St. John’s University and a B.A. from Fairfield University.

”I am pleased to be joining Pitney Bowes and to have the opportunity to lead its Commercial Sector business,” said Fogarty. “Having been in the document solutions and services industry for more than two decades, I have gained immense respect for PBMS, their blue chip client list, and the quality and innovative services they offer. I am looking forward to building on that winning tradition and driving the commercial business to the next level of success.” 



    Timothy Healy brings 39 years of experience in the mailing industry. He joins PBMS from the U.S. Postal Service, where he most recently led the Retail Products and Services business. In this capacity, Healy drove more than $18 billion in retail sales in 2010 through direct U.S. Postal Service sites and retail partnership locations. He was also an Officer of the U.S. Postal Service for the last two years.

    Stephen Whetstone brings a wealth of legal market experience, having practiced for 13 years as an attorney and partner at two top global law firms, as well as building and leading legal services and global legal discovery businesses. Whetstone joins PBMS from Iron Mountain where he led their Legal Discovery business. Prior to Iron Mountain, Whetstone was a senior executive at Stratify, Inc., a legal services and eDiscovery cloud technology business, from 2005 to 2007, when it was acquired by Iron Mountain. His law firm experience was at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, LLP, where he was an equity litigation partner, and Skadden, where he was a securities litigator. Whetstone earned a J.D. from Northeastern University and a B.A. from Bates College.

    

Pitney Bowes Management Services designs, implements and operates global solutions that provide enterprise clients with customer communication, mail, print and document lifecycle services that help create more effective, efficient and compliant business processes and operations.

  • NRI, Suffolk Construction Move Fast-Track Project Forward for UMass


    NEW YORK— September 19, 2011— NRI is supporting Suffolk Construction’s efforts to rapidly move forward a major construction project for the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester without using traditional construction documents to direct the efforts.


    Typically, construction projects begin with full schematics created by architects and engineers and approved by contractors. But when Suffolk was tasked with building the Sherman Center for UMass, the project’s tight time frame required a different approach.


    “Because this was a fast-track project, Suffolk was working only from design packages, which were constantly evolving as the project continued,” said Peter Sarapas, NRI regional manager. “That makes it difficult to keep everything in order.”


    Suffolk called on NRI to manage the frequently changing documents to ensure that everyone involved in the project had the right versions with the most up-to-date information, ensuring that everyone on the construction team and all subcontractors were working from the latest information. In addition to the extensive document management services, NRI is providing Suffolk with a complete rate of equipment to allow for on-site printing and scanning with full support for continuous availability.


    “By partnering with NRI and their on-site equipment and services, we’ve gained the advantage of access to real-time digital information,” said Jason Seaberg, Suffolk Construction Project Manager. “Through this we’ve been able to gain a competitive advantage, which translates to time and money savings on our project management and coordination costs with subcontractors and suppliers.”


    Building from design packages is becoming more common as a method to decrease the time between project concept and the beginning of construction. By creating the construction documents in phases as the project moves forward, contractors can begin work while architects and engineers design subsequent phases of the building.


    While design packages more projects forward, they also add complexity to coordination, communication and timing of projects, requiring extensive document management services such as on-line document availability and approval for all parties involved.


    “Anyone can do the easy projects,” said Sarapas. “The speed of this project increased both the complexity and the importance of keeping everyone on the same page. That’s what we do well.” The Sherman Center project is on track for completion in 2012.



    Contact: Marc Fromowitz

    NRI (212) 366-7163 marc.fromowitz@nrinet.com


    NRI currently has locations in New York, New Jersey, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania,

    Massachusetts, California and Georgia.

  • HE LOOKS REALLY EXCITED, HUH?

    Triangle Printers Builds Confidence with Canon’s Revgen Program

    Published on September 20, 2011

    In part 1 of our 2 part Educational Video Series we learn about Triangle Printers, some of the services they offer and how they’ve reached their full potential with Canon’s Revgen Program.successwithprint.com.

    http://d3a577syzx0or3.cloudfront.net/player/player.swf

    Please allow video to load before playing if you do not have a high speed connection or if you are having network problems.

  • Evidently, Service Point Solutions’ French subsidiary (which is 51%-owned by SPS) recently won two important contracts. I’m pretty sure that SPS’s French subsidiary, which is known as “Reprotechnique, SA”, is still operating under a plan of reorganization (similar to Chapter 11 BK in the U.S.) if SPS’s subsidiary has priced these contracts at prices that will yield profits – and not just “sales” – these contracts will, hopefully for SPS, be a good shot in the arm for this recovering subsidiary.

    This is the Spanish language version of the Press Release, as found on SPS’ web-site:

    Service Point Francia gana dos importantes contratos

    “Caisse d’Epargne Ile de France” renueva su contrato por un valor de 0,6€ M El Nuevo cliente “La Poste” en la zona Este de París elige la oferta web-to-print de Service Point France para un contrato de tres años por un valor de hasta €0,9 M Las compañías están adoptando el portal personalizado web-to print para sus necesidades de impresión digital on-line

    13 de septiembre de 2011.

    Reprotechnique SA, la división francesa de Service Point Solutions (ticker: SPS.MC) ha ganado recientemente dos importantes contratos de clientes que han elegido una herramienta avanzada de web-to-print, la cual ofrece un entorno ultra seguro para que los documentos sean ordenados, impresos y entregados en un tiempo récord.

    Los Bancos, conscientes de la importancia de la seguridad, al igual que “Caisse d’Epargne Ile de France”, están examinando cada vez más cómo y dónde sus documentos más importantes están siendo impresos. Service Point ha visto un creciente interés en su herramienta web-to-print, ya que las compañías quieren más seguridad, mejor control de costes sin sacrificar rapidez de producción y de entrega.

    Según Olivier Crus, Director General de Service Point France: “No solo es segura la red on-line y la transferencia de carpetas encriptadas, sino que también ofrecemos nuestro propio centro logístico y de distribución para garantizar la absoluta garantía de confidencialidad y seguridad”.

    “La Poste”, el servicio de correo nacional francés, también requiere la seguridad que la herramienta web-to-print de Service Point puede proporcionar, pero en este caso son otros los factores que jugaron un papel importante en la elección de Service Point frente a otros competidores: La compañía ha citado el trabajo y el control de costes que la herramienta web-to-print ofrece, así como la opción cada vez más popular de la utilización de plantillas de impresión con campos de datos variables para que un documento, por ejemplo una tarjeta de visita, combine los elementos gráficos fijos con información personalizada introducida por el usuario, asegurando la consistencia en el formato del documento a imprimir.

    Service Point se ha convertido en el punto de referencia de la impresión profesional de información confidencial en Europa Occidental y la costa Este de los Estados Unidos. Con servicios de vanguardia como la herramienta on-line web-to-print, las compañías preocupadas por la seguridad, tales como bancos y compañías de seguros, quieren obtener más que una herramienta de impresión on-line rápida y cómoda, una herramienta que les proporcione tranquilidad.

    This is the English language translation, per Google Translate:

    Service Point France wins two major contracts

    “Caisse d’Epargne Ile de France” renews its contract with a value of € 0.6 M the New client “La Poste” in the east of Paris to the tender-to-print Web Service Point France for a contract three years worth up to € 0.9 million companies are adopting the personalized portal for web-to print digital printing needs on-line

    September 13, 2011.

    Reprotechnique SA, the French division of Service Point Solutions (ticker: SPS.MC) recently won two major contracts from customers who have chosen an advanced web-to-print, which provides an environment ultra safe for documents to be sorted, printed and delivered in record time.

    Banks are aware of the importance of security, as “Caisse d’Epargne Ile de France” are increasingly examining how and where your most important documents are being printed. Service Point has seen a growing interest in its web tool-to-print, as companies want more security, better cost control without sacrificing speed of production and delivery.

    According to Olivier Crus, CEO of Service Point France: “No one is safe on-line network and the transfer of encrypted folders, but also offer our own logistics and distribution center to ensure the absolute guarantee of confidentiality and security.”

    “La Poste”, the French national postal service, security also requires that the tool-to-print Web Service Point can provide, but here are other factors that played an important role in the choice of front Service Point other competitors: The company has cited the work and cost control tool that web-to-print features, and the increasingly popular option of using print templates with variable data fields for a document, such as a card cards, fixed graphic elements combine with custom information entered by the user, ensuring consistency in the format of the printed document.

    Service Point has become the benchmark for professional printing of confidential information in Western Europe and the East Coast of the United States. With cutting-edge services like on-line web tool-to-print, the security-conscious companies such as banks and insurance companies want more than a tool on-line print quickly and conveniently, a tool that provide peace of mind.

  • This is the Spanish language version of the Press Release, as found on SPS’ web-site:

    Service Point abre oficina en Moscu

    Barcelona, 15 de septiembre de 2011.– Service Point ha establecido un centro propio de impresión para el sector financiero en Moscú, la capital de la Federación de Rusia, sumándose así a los centros de producción de Londres, Nueva York y Hong Kong. Con esta apertura SPS podrá servir a los clientes en una nueva localidad, tanto a nuevos como los existentes en otras ciudades, dándoles así un alto valor añadido. La capital rusa es un importante centro financiero que aglutina un gran número de bancos de inversión e inversores privados cuyo campo de actuación no se limita al mercado ruso, sino también están presentes en mercados emergentes como maduros.

    Service Point reforzó de manera significativa su presencia en el negocio de impresión para el sector financiero con la adquisición de la compañía CFI en el Reino Unido que se realizó en el año 2008 y que ha sido plenamente satisfactoria. Service Point CFI ha presentado un crecimiento elevado y sostenido en ventas en el 2011, alrededor del 38% en el primer semestre del 2011 respecto al mismo periodo del año anterior. El grupo prevé la continuidad de esta evolución positiva gracias a, entre otros factores, las inversiones realizadas en la filial neoyorquina durante el primer trimestre de 2011, la buena actividad del negocio en Londres y la actual apertura en Moscú.

    Para Service Point, el negocio de impresión para el sector financiero ha sido identificado como estratégico y ésta apertura forma parte de un plan de crecimiento basado en mercados y productos de alto crecimiento, como la impresión online, impresión bajo demanda, foto-álbumes y nuevos productos de valor añadido para el sector técnico (AEC), educación y editorial, servicios y corporaciones multinacionales.

    Service Point CFI emplea actualmente aproximadamente a 100 personas, siendo Londres el centro más grande, con más de 70 empleados. CFI cuenta con cerca de 120 clientes a nivel mundial, entre ellos, muchas entidades de referencia en banca de inversión.

    Según Juan José Nieto, Presidente de Service Point Solutions, “las ventajas competitivas de Service Point, como nuestro alcance geográfico, nuestro enfoque en la seguridad y confidencialidad de los documentos de nuestros clientes y un compromiso fuerte a la calidad de nuestros productos y servicios, están plenamente apalancados en nuestra oferta al sector financiero. Esperamos seguir creciendo fuertemente, en negocio y cobertura geográfica, en un futuro inmediato. Rusia es una gran oportunidad, no la única.”

    This is an English language translation of the Press Release, per Google Translate:

    Service Point opens office in Moscow

    Barcelona, September 15, 2011 .- Service Point has established a printing characteristic of the financial sector in Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation, adding to the production centers in London, New York and Hong Kong. With this opening SPS will serve customers in a new location, both new and existing in other cities, giving them a high added value. The Russian capital is an important financial center that brings together a large number of investment banks and private investors whose field of action is not limited to the Russian market but are also present in emerging markets as mature.

    Service Point significantly strengthened its presence in the printing business for the financial sector with the acquisition of CFI in the UK which took place in 2008 and has been fully satisfactory. Service Point IFC has introduced a high and sustained growth in sales in 2011, about 38% in the first half of 2011 over the same period last year. The group expected to continue this positive development because, among other things, investments in the subsidiary New York during the first quarter of 2011, good business activity in London and the current opening in Moscow.

    For Service Point, the printing business for the financial sector has been identified as strategic and this opening is part of a plan for growth based on markets and high growth products like online printing, printing on demand, photo-albums and new value added products for the technical sector (AEC), education and publishing, services, and multinational corporations.

    Service Point CFI currently employs approximately 100 people, making London the largest center, with over 70 employees. IFC has over 120 customers worldwide, including many reference entities in investment banking.

    According to Juan Jose Nieto, President of Service Point Solutions, “the competitive advantages of Service Point, and our geographic reach, our focus on security and confidentiality of the documents of our clients and a strong commitment to the quality of our products and services, are fully leveraged in our offer the financial sector. We hope to continue growing strongly, in business and geographic coverage in the immediate future. Russia is a great opportunity, not unique. “

  • The ERA announced that Suri (CEO of ARC) will be the keynote speaker at the ERA’s upcoming regional reprographer convention in South Carolina and that his topic will be “the Future of Reprographics”.

    2011 Hilton Head Conference Education Update
    Keynote Speaker, Friday November 4th morning

    The Future of Reprographics

    Presented by K. “Suri” Suriyakumar, Chairman, President and CEO of ARC

    The ongoing economic conditions and dramatic downturn in construction activity has drastically altered the reprographics industry. In many cases, once vital businesses have shrunk to less than half their size, and others have simply closed their doors. In addition, our industry is being challenged with disruptive changes in technology, customer workflow, a growing desire for “greener” products and services, and of course, significant pressure to reduce costs while increasing efficiency.

    What will the industry look like after addressing all these changes? What will our customers want? Where should we be heading to prepare for a recovery? How will that recovery come about? Will the industry be permanently smaller or even recognizable in the future?

    Please join Suri as he considers these questions from the perspective of a long?time industry observer and advocate, and as the business leader of ARC.

    K. “Suri” Suriyakumar is the Chairman, President and CEO of ARC (NYSE:ARC), one of the nation’s leading document solutions companies providing business?to?business document management services and technology to customers in the architectural, engineering, and construction industries, as well as many non?AEC industries.

    We are thrilled to have Suri as our keynote speaker for 2011 and greatly look forward to the discussion. Please join us in Hilton Head, SC from November 3rd to 5th. All conference information including registration, schedules and hotel information can be located and downloaded on the convention page.

  • K.P. Reddy, Vice President of BIM Services for American Reprographics (ARC) has authored a book about BIM, and K.P.’s book will be released in December. It’s my understanding that you can order K.P.’s book through Amazon.com

    Title and Author

    “BIM for Building Owners and Developers”

    K. Pramod Reddy (Author)

    Product Description

    This is the first book written for building owners and developers about Building Information Modeling. Making the business case for owners’ use of BIM, the book helps owners align the use of BIM to their real business objectives through strategic planning, SWOT and GAP analysis excercice. Written by the President of RCMS, and based on his ongoing series of BIM Bootcamps he’s presented to over 1,200 owners and developers nationwide over the past year, the book presents real-world, practical guidance on effectively using BIM to improve business processes.

    Product Details

    Hardcover: 240 pages

    Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (December 20, 2011)

    Language: English

    ISBN-10: 0470905980

    ISBN-13: 978-0470905982

  • Tuesday, September 20, 2011

    Press release from the issuing company

    North Mankato, MN – Taylor Corporation today announced that it has been awarded a multi-year agreement with Office Depot , a leading global provider of office supplies and services, for web-to-print technology and custom printed products.

    Under the terms of the agreement, Taylor Corporation will provide a broad array of products and services, including fulfillment of custom printed products; document management and delivery technology; a multi-channel e-ordering platform; and a print sourcing program to support Office Depot associates in meeting customer demand. 



    “We continue to enjoy a valuable long-term relationship with Taylor Corporation,” said Kristin Micalizio, Vice President of Office Depot’s Copy & Print Depot. “By renewing and expanding our relationship with Taylor, Office Depot will take advantage of an even broader range of Taylor’s capabilities that will allow us to better serve our customers.”



    “Coming off 2010 when we were proud to receive Office Depot’s Copy & Print Vendor of the Year award, we are excited to have earned Office Depot’s continuing trust,” said ToddAlexander, Taylor’s Chief Sales Officer. “Taylor’s market-leading strength as a reseller partner is reflected by the expanded scope of this agreement, which will see Office Depot benefit from our web-to-print expertise, product manufacturing, fulfillment, and marketing to a multitude of print markets. This unmatched combination of capabilities helps our channel partners enjoy a relationship with their print customers wherever and whenever they choose to order their printed products.”