Xerox plays down financial difficulties

Copier giant Xerox has been forced to quell a growing band of critics since it posted a third-quarter loss of $167m and debts of $17bn.

Copier giant Xerox has been forced to quell a growing band of critics since it posted a third-quarter loss of $167m and debts of $17bn.

There is growing concern about its future as it plans to sell some business divisions, including electric paper developer Gyricon, and to cut jobs throughout the company.

But Joe Kelly, a Xerox UK representative, said: "Talk about our being in dire financial straits is all a rumour. On 24 October we announced measures to bring the company back to its rightful standard of health." Although Kelly admitted that the measures included job losses and asset disposals, he said they would not directly affect the UK channel.

Critics have pointed out that Xerox's current troubles stem from a restructuring of its direct sales force two years ago from which it has yet to recover.

In May 2000, Richard Thoman, chief executive at the company, resigned amid speculation that he was forced out by the board.

"Xerox is relatively new to the channel, but our strategy is to make more technology available," said Kelly, adding that this would benefit the channel because Xerox brought more lower-end products into the market via resellers. "We see our UK and worldwide channel expanding," he said.

Alex Ward, business manager at distributor Midwich, said Xerox was a very important part of the company's business. "We don't see any problems with Xerox. It has gone from strength to strength. The traditional printer business is growing and product acceptance is as good as ever," he said.

First published in Computer Reseller News