Printer channel gets new accreditation organisation

Body aims to combat price pressures and boost reputations

Two channel players have teamed up to form a new accreditation organisation that advances the cause of print and printer suppliers.

Aaron Warham (pictured, below left), formerly channel manager at printer maker Riso, said that he and another Riso employee, Godfrey Gummer (pictured, on right), had decided to form an accreditation organisation that they believe will help print and printer suppliers band together and improve their brand while beating current price pressures.

The organisation is called the Nationwide Association of Photocopier and Printer Suppliers (NAPPS), and is based in Cheadle, Cheshire.

"At the lower end of the market, aggressive price competition is creating congestion. Our members will still compete on very tight price points, but by achieving the NAPPS accreditation they can differentiate themselves based on their independently checked service offerings," Warham told CRN.

At the mid and upper ends of the print and printer market, the new NAPPS accreditation will help members by putting their customer-facing processes under independent scrutiny - outside themselves and their manufacturers, he said.

"Our accreditation will add to our members' competitive advantage," insisted Warham.

The organisation has attracted 22 members so far, according to Warham, including Xeretec Digital and B&M Office Machines. The plan is to have three layers of membership, targeting the needs of resellers, vendors, and other suppliers of print technologies.

"We aim to represent and promote these guys as leading lights of the industry," he said.

This would engage not only printer makers such as Toshiba, Ricoh and Kyocera, but perhaps even ISVs, integrators, and even document management-related providers such as the likes of Equitrac, Warham suggested.

The annual subscription is £899 and the venture so far is self-funded, Warham said.

"We want to build a partner-based environment," he said. "And it recognises that services are the key here; everyone has to offer some robust services offering."

NAPPS representatives plan to attend the Business North West trade show in April, and the annual Chamber of Commerce conference in London, Warham said.