InfoPrint Solutions gets rolling in 18 countries
IBM and Ricoh joint venture enters the market place with official launch in several countries
InfoPrint Solutions (IPS), the joint venture printing company formed earlier this year by IBM and Ricoh, officially began operating in 18 countries, including the UK, last week.
Ricoh owns 51 per cent of the business, which was formerly IBM’s Printing Systems Division, and will progressively acquire the remaining 49 per cent over the next three years.
Phil Self, UK managing director at IPS, told CRN: “The UK business operates out of IBM Warwick and currently has 45 dedicated sales and marketing staff. In a year’s time, subject to regulatory approval, all the maintenance people will come across. Until then, IBM will provide the maintenance support to IPS under a services agreement.”
According to Self, the channel for IPS will remain the same as it was when it was IBM’s Printing Systems Division.
“The existing IBM Printing Systems resellers will continue to sell our solutions,” he said. “There are no firm plans to consolidate Ricoh’s channel into IPS.”
The former Printing Systems distributors – Avnet and Northamber – will also remain on board.
“We are now a smaller, nimbler company and are happy with the two distributors we’ve got,” Self said.
Asked what the benefits of the new joint venture are for resellers,
Self said: “Our portfolio of software and solutions has been enhanced through the addition of Ricoh, which will give resellers more offerings in their kit bag.”
However, Jason Harcourt, senior analyst at Context, said Ricoh will face some challenges.
“Ricoh has been trying to establish a footing alongside the mainstream printer vendors for a long time,” he said. “It has had great success with the copier/multi-function printer market, so using IBM’s name and existing channel might be a good strategy.
“Ricoh has enjoyed quote a good name in the UK despite being at the expensive end of the market, but that is something that it possibly needs to rethink if it is looking to be competitive. I think the market will be quite a tough nut for it to crack and Ricoh does need to play to its strengths.”