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Universal Office Copiers and Printers

Introduction
 
Each new generation of office output technology has the potential to change the structure of the industry. Advances in engine design, marking materials, media, and controllers create new economics and opportunities for the industry. With the migration to connected digital copier/ printers almost complete, the next big thing in the office will be the migration to "universal" copiers and printers (UCPs) capable of printing or copying competitively in color as well as black & white.
Market Opportunities

UCPs represent the best opportunity for sustained growth in office equipment placements and service/supplies revenue streams. There are millions of workgroup copiers and printers installed worldwide producing billions of pages per year.

Moving a portion of this installed base to universal devices and a portion of the page volume to color would be worth billions of dollars to equipment manufacturers, supplies vendors, and the distribution channel.

More importantly, those vendors that best understand the nature of this window of opportunity realize that it represents a unique period to gain share in an increasingly competitive market.

Market Acceptance

To understand the market acceptance for a universal device, we asked our survey respondents several questions. First, we asked participants how interested they would be in a universal office output device that could be used for black & white and color printing and copying.

33% of respondents said they would not be interested or would only be minimally interested in such a device. Nevertheless, 67% stated that they were moderately interested or very interested in the concept of a universal copier/printer. This is a high percentage and positive news for vendors and distributors, especially considering that there has been very little marketing effort to date to promote this concept.

We asked those respondents that expressed an interest in a universal office output device why they were interested. 77.5% of survey participants said that they were interested in this type of device because of the ability to print documents with color and black & white pages. It is obvious from this response that there is a strong desire to create the type of mixed media documents It is encouraging that our survey respondents recognize the impact of such a document and the convenience and productivity of running it on a single device.

The next most popular reason for favoring a universal device was the savings on capital expenses because there would no longer be a need to purchase two devices. Recognizing this fact will enable vendors and distributors to present compelling proposals to consolidate equipment to new and faster devices. A similar process is going on today as monochrome printers are being consolidated and replaced with multifunction devices.

We asked respondents who were not interested in a universal office output device to list the reasons for their lack of interest. The top three reasons given were:

• Already have dedicated equipment
• Concerned about equipment cost
• Concerned about operating cost

The first reason for lack of interest in a universal device (already having dedicated equipment) can be addressed with creative financing plans that most vendors and distributors already have in place. The second two responses are probably given by those that hold the perception that color-enabled equipment and running costs are expensive. These concerns can certainly be addressed with strong marketing programs and competitive pricing. 

CAP Ventures will investigate the topic of UCP’s in more detail in a landmark multi-client study entitled Universal Office Copiers & Printers: Worldwide Market Opportunities and Product Requirements. The research will include over 750 interviews with office equipment decision-makers to determine market interest, product requirements, price sensitivity, applications, brand preferences, channel preferences, and other factors influencing the adoption of universal office equipment. The surveys will be conducted worldwide in North America, Western Europe, and Japan.

The study will focus on the workgroup environment for equipment that produces between 10 and 70 pages per minute. CAP Ventures will provide a worldwide market size and forecast for universal office copying and printing equipment, services, and supplies by key product segments.

The research will identify market segments, critical success factors, customer requirements, usage patterns, purchase plans, and other items that will drive vendors’ product, service, marketing, and sales activities.

To learn more about the study or to sign up as a client, please contact Alison Hipp at ext. 126.