Reprographers, you sell plotters and scanners, but do you also sell large-format electronic display screens? And, if not, why not?

 Yesterday, I had a conversation on the phone with a guy whose company has developed two different (but related) products – one of those products is a cloud-based document management service for A/E/C drawings – the other product is an electronic display device (so, hardware) for displaying A/E/C drawings (and it can be used to project drawings on a screen or wall.)

ARC sells SmartScreens.

Kevin Rowe’s iPlanTables business sells giant display screens.

What are YOU offering?

When I asked the guy I talked to if he’d reached out to the reprographer community, he (essentially) said, “no, we don’t think they would like our electronic display product because it would hurt their printing business.”

My response to him is that, if A/E/C customers want to find ways to reduce large-format A/E/C printing, they will do that, despite what reprographers may feel about that. The transition from “printing everything” to “printing less” isn’t in the hands of reprographers, and, if reprographers want to continue in business, continue serving the imaging and document management needs of the A/E/C community, they will be wise to find solutions that will assist their A/E/C customers find solutions those customers are interested in (and want to find) rather than trying to fight the transition.  The transition to the “print less” world is inevitable.

Read this stuff:       

http://www.newforma.com/the-ideal-construction-command-center-has-these-3-screens/

http://downloads01.smarttech.com/media/infographic/standford-ig_may29.jpg

http://cife.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/TR212.pdf

AIA ABI Index for August 2016 falls below 50 (that is never a good sign)

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the August ABI score was 49.7, down from the mark of 51.5 in the previous month. This score reflects a decrease in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 61.8, up sharply from a reading of 57.5 the previous month.

Read the complete note at this link:

http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2016/09/aia-architecture-billings-index.html

Join the APDSP (formerly the IRgA) and you, too, will be considered a professional

The APDSP (the Association of Printing & Data Solutions Providers) has placed its first ad in “The Canadian Architect” magazine.

It says in the ad, in big bold type:

“MAKE SURE YOUR PROVIDER IS A MEMBER OF THE ….. APDSP”

For those reprographers who are not already “professionals”, perhaps it would be a good idea to join the APDSP so that you will be considered “a professional”?

An APDSP membership costs only $250.

Office Depot reaches agreement to sell its European business

It was announced a few days ago that Office Depot has reached an agreement to “sell” its European business to Aurelius Group.

This would make for a good case study in “how to shed $2.25 BILLION in sales in exchange for next-to-nothing.:

Reportedly, Office Depot will receive a “nominal” amount….. meaning, next-to-nothing.

Link to note on Bloomberg:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-23/office-depot-agrees-to-sell-european-business-to-aurelius-group

Perhaps, “next up” will be Office Depot reaching an agreement to sell its “print and copy” business to Taylor Communications?  I haven’t heard anything that would lead me to believe that that will happen, but inasmuch as Taylor  bought the assets of Standard Register and Staples’ Print Solutions Group, maybe Taylor would be interested in buying another loser?

http://aureliusinvest.com