What is MPS?

Have you ever wondered what MPS actually means?  I guess by definition it stands for Managed Print Services, but does anyone really know what it means to manage print?  Seems like an odd statement doesn’t it?  What’s different about MPS than traditional service contracts?  Why would an end-user want to switch from their current service agreement to an MPS program? It’s been my experience that life has more questions than answers, but since we’re asking so many questions, let’s see if we can find a few answers so we all feel better.  Feel free to disagree as you see fit, but here goes… Brace yourself…MPS – when it’s all said and done – is a very high tech, sophisticated way to sell toner – mostly compatible toner.  There, I said it.  Since I’m trying to write a blog and not a novel, here’s a short class on how MPS works:

A service company will convince an end user that they will save on their printing costs by switching their fleet of printers to certain refurbished HP models that will perform better.  Keep in mind, this will also be less expensive for the service company to maintain.  The printers will be monitored by a device (web based, or on the customer’s network) proactively, enabling the service company to replace toners, perform preventative maintenance, etc. before the customer knows anything is wrong.  In return, this keeps their customer’s down time to a minimum and improves productivity.  Of course, the biggest part of the deal to the service company will be that they supply their toner as part of the deal.  The customer will most likely pay for this service based on the number of pages they actually print.  So when it’s all said and done, the end user saves money and the service company makes more money.  Not a bad deal all the way around.

What does all of this mean you ask?  Well to us at Bradshaw, it means we’re selling more refurbished printers than ever before.  In fact, refurbished printers have been the fastest growing piece of our business for the past 2 years.  So if you are an MPS provider, that means you need a source for  quality refurbished printers and parts.  That means you need Bradshaw…

Class dismissed!

-Brett

Bradshaw's (ERP) Enterprise Resource Planning User Group Experience

I just got back from a user group conference for the ERP system we use (Microsoft Dynamics NAV) called NAVUG Forum.  It was my second time attending, and it was a great experience.  Product representatives and experts from Microsoft, VAR’s, ISV’s and users of the product from a broad variety of industries are all together in one place.  The conference presents a great opportunity to network, get questions answered and have a chance to think in new terms about business challenges.  It’s important to have some time to work on the business, and not spend all our time working in the business.

InfoPrint Announces Withdrawal From Marketing for Workgroup

In order to continue to focus on its production print hardware, software, solutions and services, InfoPrint Solutions has announced a withdrawal from marketing for workgroup, industrial and cutsheet products worldwide, with a last order date effective December 30, 2011 in the U.S. Other countries may establish an earlier date. This withdrawal from marketing includes all machines, features, machine equipment specifications, requests for price quotes and associated Maintenance Packs. Maintenance will still be available for withdrawn machines, but must be
obtained directly from InfoPrint Solutions. Excluded from the withdrawal from marketing is the InfoPrint Pro C900AFP.

Email the Dying Communication Tool

I recently read an article by Robert Whipple that addressed the communication habits of Millennials in the workplace today.  As he discussed the shift in communication tools across generations, the statistic that stuck out to me the most was that during 2009-2010 email usage grew among seniors by 28%, but fell among teens by 59%.  I sometimes worried that my teenage son might be behind the technology curve because he rarely checks or responds to e-mail, but I understand that the next generation doesn’t use e-mail to communicate socially.  They may not even use e-mail to communicate at work the way we see it today.  It is highly likely that 20 years from now even more of the transactions we process will be automated and people will interface with computers through their eyes, voice, or movements but not by typing keys.  Communication via e-mail as we know it will seem as old fashioned as faxing or writing letters does today.

Generational Differences in the Work Place

With four generations now in the workplace, employers are realizing the importance of understanding the traits and values that each generation offers and how these traits and values impact the communication between employees within an organization.  At Bradshaw, a leading distributor of printer parts, supplies and equipment, we are fortunate to have employees in each one of these categories which allows us to be well rounded.  Below is a list of some of the different generations which you may encounter when working in a large company. 

Factors in Choosing a Production or Network Printer for your Business

If you’re working for a business or corporation and need to choose the best printer, it is important to weigh your options from a technical aspect as well as a financial aspect. Whether you are using liquid ink or toner cartridge with a heated fuser, at the end of the day you want to choose the cost efficient solutions.  When selecting the best option for your business you need to be aware of what to look for in order to scale production over a period of time. Listed below are examples of quality components to seek information on before finalizing your decision on which product to purchase.

HP Axes Pre/TouchPad, Buys Autonomy for $10 Billion

If all goes as planned, HP will acquire Autonomy an information management software firm located in the UK for $10.3 billion in a deal that is expected to close by the end of this year.   According to PC World, Autonomy and it’s 2,700 employees will still operate as its own business unit within HP and will still be under current CEO Mike Lynch’s leadership.