BNP Paribas joins NAPPS as lead leasing partner

Print and document management industry body announces key partnership

Financier BNP Paribas Leasing has thrown its weight behind a fledgling printing industry body, NAPPS, joining up as its first financing support provider for members.

Aaron Warham, director of NAPPS, a nationwide association for photocopier and printer suppliers, said the BNP Paribas partnership would help the year-old organisation in its primary goal of setting higher standards for the managed print services (MPS) and document management-related sector as a whole.

"It is a big step for the association, as finance and lending is a major cornerstone of the industry which is now represented in the NAPPS partnership scheme, council, and development groups," Warham told ChannelWeb.

Warham (pictured) said driving any positive change through the UK's MPS and document management channels requires participation from all leading corporate stakeholders. NAPPS has already signed up several leading print industry vendors, most recently Xerox.

"As the major finance provider to the UK market, BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions brings a deep understanding of the relevant issues facing the industry, which will feed directly into the NAPPS Council and Development Groups ... as the leading finance partner," he added.

Chris Cowell, sales director at BNP Paribas Leasing, said it is easy for suppliers to take their eye off the ball in times of rapid technological change, as the industry is currently experiencing. Issues such as service and ethics are key matters that should not be ignored, he added.

"[BNP Paribas Leasing] is committed to ensuring that we continue to provide a first-rate service to our partners and customers, and this means we must set the standard. We fully support NAPPS' vision to provide consistent document management and MPS standards across the channel," he said in a statement.