Huge “managed-print-services” deal scored by OCE !!!

“Managed-Print-Services".... hmmmm.

Before I take you to the OCE Press Release, a few comments .....

If I’m recalling this correctly, in 2010, ARC (American Reprographics Company) mentioned, for the first time, that it was going to venture into the “managed print services” business. Service Point Solutions recently announced two managed print services deals that it recently won. And, for the first time ever at an IRgA Convention, the business of “managed print services” was a topic at one of the breakout sessions at last year’s IRgA Convention. Actually, I think there were two different breakout sessions that covered “managed print services” at last year’s IRgA Convention. The upcoming IRgA Convention in Vegas will also have a breakout session devoted to the “managed print services” business. One could conclude from all of this that “the business of managed print services” offers opportunities for growth; if it did not, I seriously doubt that companies like OCE, Canon, Ricoh, Xerox, ARC, and many, many others as well, would be devoting so much time, effort and energy to this segment of the printing/imaging/reprographics business. On one occasion last year, ARC’s management mentioned, during an “earnings call”, that ARC had already scored several nationwide managed-print-services deals. There is fine line between the “FM” (OnSite Services) business and the “MPS” (Managed-Print-Services) business. This morning, PAA Research issued a report on ARC, and, in that report, PAA Research mentioned several statistics from its most recent survey of 20-25 U.S. Reprographers. Of those surveyed, still 35% do not offer “FM” services. A few years ago, I listened to an industry friend talk about his desire to get his company involved in offering “FM” services and the challenges was facing to put that in motion. Roll forward to the present. By now, his firm has pushed very well, very successfully, into the “FM” services business. He recruited the “right” people to run that business segment of his company, he provided the resources for that business segment, and he and his team developed strategies for both operations and sales. Nothing good ever comes without hard work. Rarely is risk not a factor. But, history shows that, most of the time, hard work and taking risks pays off. In my opinion, Reprographers who do not offer “FM” services are missing the boat. The same applies to Reprographers who are not exploring the opportunities in the managed-print-services-business.

Okay, let’s get to the OCE Press Release ……..

Océ signs worldwide contract with GDF SUEZ for printers and managed services

Venlo, The Netherlands, Tuesday, February 22, 201 –

Océ, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, today announced it has won a contract to supply the multinational utility company GDF SUEZ with over 9,000 multifunctional devices, plotters and supporting services over the coming years. The contract formalizes the business partnership between Océ and GDF SUEZ organizations in more than 20 countries around the world. The global business potential for Océ is estimated at over EUR 55 million.



Building further on long-standing partnership

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This new contract confirms a relationship of over 20 years between Océ and GDF SUEZ. The first international agreement between the two companies dates back to end-2005, when Océ’s sales organization in Belgium first won an order from Electrabel – the Belgium-based energy company and now a subsidiary of GDF SUEZ. This was followed by a first Europe-wide contract in 2007. Since then the relationship has grown to involve Océ Business Services, Digital Document Systems and Wide Format Printing Systems, all supplying specialized systems and services to GDF SUEZ.



Contract underlines GDF SUEZ’s confidence in Océ.

The business partnership between Océ and GDF SUEZ was confirmed by a global tender for multifunctional devices, plotters and managed print services launched by GDF SUEZ in 2010. “The awarding of this contract underlines GDF SUEZ’s confidence in Océ to meet its total needs for printing systems and the related managed services”, said Noël Custers, Global Accounts Director for Océ. ”GDF SUEZ organizations around the world can now benefit from a pre-negotiated contract under which they can simply call off the required systems and services. As well as that the contract includes managed print services from local Océ organizations under a predefined Service Level Agreement. Overall the new contract will save the GDF SUEZ companies time and cost in fulfilling their printing needs, and give them the assurance of state-of-the-art systems and services.”
 


The GDF SUEZ tender procedure was coordinated from its Paris head office, and was managed by a team of IT, Purchasing and Facility Management specialists from several of its Business Units and companies. On the Océ side the tender was handled as a global account management project, supervised by the company’s head office in Venlo (Netherlands) and involving representatives from its country organizations in Belgium, France and the Netherlands as well as Océ Direct Export.



Océ draws on Canon office products in contact fulfillment

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In fulfilling the GDF SUEZ contract Océ will draw on the office products of Canon, that completed an offer for Océ common shares outstanding in March 2010. The products to be supplied will include the Canon color and black & white multifunctional devices and other related products for the office segment. In combination with the contract execution by the industry-leading Océ sales and service organizations in the countries concerned, this further strengthens the proposition to GDF SUEZ and marks a further step in the integration of Océ and Canon.



As well as regular maintenance to ensure that the agreed availability levels are consistently achieved, the Océ services include print workflow management and optimization to streamline customers’ document processes and cut printing costs. 


All printing requirements from a single source.

GDF SUEZ selected Océ for this contract primarily because of its satisfaction with the company’s performance on earlier contracts. This is based on the combination of a complete product range, allowing Océ to meet all printing requirements from a single source, and proven customer service and support. The latter includes the ability to support the implementation and roll-out at all GDF SUEZ locations, together with the assurance of continuing close customer support. 



Global roll-out with dedicated Océ support staff.

The new contract is the first for GDF SUEZ on such a broad international scale. Due to the size of the operation Océ has assigned dedicated staff to support its operating companies in the overall fulfillment and execution process. The implementation process started with a test phase in Belgium, France and Romania from August 2010, involving delivery of all the required products in those countries within tight deadlines. This was followed by kick-off meetings in Paris during October marking the official global roll-out of the project.

Congratulations to the OCE team members who scored this deal!