Apogee CEO talks growing double digits in tough print market, and calling itself an MSP
James Clark calls the print market “the elephant in the room” despite being on track to grow double digits
Managed workplace services provider Apogee is filled with confidence for its upcoming full-year results despite a lack of faith in the performance of the print market.
After spending 2024 refocusing and realigning its priorities as a company, Apogee CEO James Clark, who rejoined the business last year, tells CRN 2025 has been a year of continued metamorphosis.
“We have sold 438 per cent more seats (customer employees) over the last 12 months in our outsourced IT offering through our acquisition of Argon in 2023.
“We've also added a significant number of customers to our managed desktop services and more than doubled again the number of seats there by 220 per cent.”
Next growth ambitions
Apogee’s financial year ended October 31.
Whilst results are yet to be released, Clark tells CRN what growth figure he’s hoping for.
“My ambition this year is to grow double-digits in revenues.
“Given that 70 per cent of our business is managed print services (MPS) and if you consider what’s happening in that market, that would be a very good result.
“If that much of your business is in a market that isn’t growing, to still grow double-digit as a business is an excellent result.
“I do expect the non-MPS side of the business - outsourced IT, managed desktop, outsourced document services and digital services - to be well beyond double-digit.
“I expect that also for next year.”
M&A and MSP title
Apogee’s most recent experience in the M&A scene was its acquisition of 50 per cent of the shares in HP product distributor CM Advanced Printing in Spain.
But Clark asserts that the number 45 ranked Top VAR’s current M&A strategy is to continue to focus on its move from being a managed print services provider (MPS) to an MSP.
“The reality is there are many different ways of gaining the capabilities that you need as a company.
“You can grow organically and you can also acquire, and we've done that already with the deals of document specialist Datatron and Argon Business Systems in 2023.
“M&A is always there as an option, and Apogee is always out there looking, but it's not at the forefront of the strategy.”
Clark adds Apogee already considers itself an MSP.
“We have that full set.
“Our winning aspiration is around continuing to serve our clients and enabling their employees to be their most productive wherever they are.
“And I think one does that through being a successful MSP.
“Our ability to show the significant increase in seats on outsourced IT, significant increase in our managed desktop offering, proves to me that we're very much now in that MSP camp.”
Challenges
Clark describes the print market as “the elephant in the room” for Apogee.
“The reality is, the print market will continue to not grow at the same speed as other forms of managed services.
“Apogee does still have a large print business. So, ensuring we continue to be super efficient, deliver against customer unmet needs in that print market, whilst investing in the new areas of growth, is Apogee’s and the industry’s challenge.
“How do you invest in these new areas? Whilst still delivering fantastic customer service in your print business which, naturally, will be difficult to grow.
“Print may be a mature market, but that doesn’t mean innovation stops. We’re investing heavily in technologies that transform how businesses manage information - from cloud-based solutions to workflow automation and managed IT services.
“These aren’t distractions; they’re strategic extensions of our expertise in document management.
“At the same time, we continue to optimise print through automation and predictive support, ensuring customers receive the same exceptional service they’ve always trusted.”