The Cannata Report’s Co-Located Event at Graph Expo 16 Showcased Trends, Technology Developments and Finance Strategies

Orlando, FL – September 28, 2016 – Technology developments and an expanding array of new printing applications in industrial printing provide the independent dealer channel unmatched opportunities to revitalize their business. That was the central takeaway at The Cannata Report’s co-located event at Graph Expo 16 titled Dealer Opportunities and Strategies for Expansion in Industrial Printing yesterday.

“Industrial printing represents the leading growth and profit opportunity for dealers in the world of print,” says Frank G. Cannata, analyst, president and editor-in-chief. “The timing is perfect as the leading tier one manufacturers Canon, Konica Minolta and Ricoh either have launched or will begin providing commercial print products this year.”

The Cannata Report, the leading media resource for the independent office products, workflow solutions and business technology dealer channel, hosted a panel of industry leaders to showcase industrial printing as a viable growth position for the independent dealer channel. This year’s program was designed to further the dialogue initiated at its first-ever Graph Expo event in 2015. According to Frank G. Cannata, and CJ Cannata, analyst, EVP and publisher, this year’s program detailed a clear action plan for dealers.

“One of the best ways for dealers to get involved in industrial print is through print media,“ said Steve Urmano, director, wide format, InfoTrends who delivered the keynote address. “They need to embrace the current market for banners, posters, POP materials and sign graphics, but as well look to the new opportunities emerging in fabric media for soft signage.”

Urmano made a strong case for dealers to enter the industrial space by citing a number of industry growth drivers, including:

• shifting trends in consumer goods that require just-in-time print solutions across a number of industry segments, among them packaging and label printing
• developments in wide format technology and the vast array of emerging applications, from laminates and glass to apparel and décor
• the latest innovations with specialty UV printed applications

Also participating on the panel was Jeff Stellinga, Eastern sales director, Everbank Commercial Finance who spoke of the importance of addressing an end user’s need for the “how” to acquire element of a transaction. Stellinga specifically highlighted two different funding options or strategies for dealers. The first option includes “utilizing a low monthly equipment lease payment for the first year so that an end user can grow into their usage economically by basically just paying for consumables in year one,” he said. The second option includes “adding the first years’ service and supplies into the initial funding as a part of the equipment financing, which can be presented as year one service with supplies included for a specific number of prints or coverage and then the dealer can add remaining term’s years of services and supplies as pass through starting in year two of the term.”
Dave Perrotta, director, business Manager, AMETEK Electronic Systems Protection (ESP), presented an overview of how dealers can use an industrial protection portfolio to protect mission critical industrial print solutions. He discussed a full range of power quality solutions to safeguard the profitability and uptime of Industrial Print applications, including single and three phase UPS and power protection systems, diagnostics, and analytics.

CJ Cannata provided closing remarks regarding his assessment of the industrial print arena from the perspective of drupa 2016 and Graph Expo 16, telling the audience, “After attending drupa 2016 and Graph Expo 16, it is clear major traditional MFP manufacturers are spending more than a substantial amount of their R&D dollars on high-volume/digital/industrial printers, a sure sign where they are hedging their bets for the future. Dealers need to pay attention to this. Expanding their imaging businesses outside of the office is essential to dealers’ long-term viability and success. Industrial printing is one future growth opportunity in imaging that they should consider.”

Senior level executives from the leading manufacturers attended the event, including Canon U.S.A., Inc., EFI, HP Inc, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc., and Ricoh Americas Corporation, as well as top-level industry executives from the software and services segment of the industry. Scott Cullen, managing editor of The Cannata Report, closed the event with a Q&A session.

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