Two significant software company acquisitions stand out this month.
It’s pretty much a given that December is a slow news month, at least in the imaging industry. Although the month started with a bang with two major acquisitions, the rest of the month played out pretty much the way one might expect in the days leading up to the holidays and the start of the new year. Admittedly, we struggled more than usual assembling our monthly list of the top stories of the month, but persevered and uncovered ten stories to round out the list.
With the final weekend of the year upon us, and only two more posts planned between now and January 2, we thank you for your support and wish you a healthy, prosperous, and happy new year.
ECI Acquires Print Audit – ECi Software Solutions has announced that it has acquired Print Audit. Print Audit’s product suite includes tools for managed print services (MPS), device data collection and document management for both dealers and users. Print Audit will become part of ECi’s Field Service Division, and the team will report to ECi’s Field Service President, Laryssa Alexander.
LRS Acquires Drive – Levi Ray & Shoup, Inc. has announced that it is acquiring U.S.-based Drivve Inc. and affiliated companies in Europe. This digitalization software provider will join the Enterprise Output Management division of LRS. According to Drivve Inc. CEO Thilo Lutzeler, “Like LRS, the Drivve team has been focused on optimizing specific elements of the document lifecycle. Separately, each company has become a leader in its own market space; together, we will be able to offer customers a comprehensive document ecosystem that streamlines every aspect of information capture, imaging, management, security, and distribution.”
HP Expands Channel Partner Program ““ HP Inc. announced a new expansion of account opportunities for U.S. print premier channel partners. Beginning immediately, thousands of Managed Print Services Specialty accounts that were previously directly engaged by HP will begin to be made available as premier channel opportunities. The program is reportedly the next step in the company’s office printing strategy to concurrently grow contractual and channel this year, while earning incremental market share in both the A3 and A4 categories. Under the expansion, a larger segment of MPS accounts will be served with one dedicated HP lead account manager who spearheads print and copy solutions and one channel lead for MPS. The HP lead account manager is exclusively committed to each customer and the channel collaborates with the HP account executive to serve the customer together.
CIT Group Names New CIT Bank President – CIT Group Inc. has announced that Robert Rubino has been named president of CIT Bank, N.A., the banking subsidiary of CIT, and head of Commercial Banking, effective Feb. 25. Rubino will join the company’s Executive Management Committee and report to Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer Ellen R. Alemany. Rubino will be responsible for the oversight and growth of the commercial banking divisions, including commercial financing, real estate financing, equipment financing, commercial services and railcar financing.
Sharp Introduces New MFPs ““ Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America introduced a new line of Advanced and Essentials Series color document systems. The eleven new models include seven that are available now, and four models that will be available in early summer 2019. All the new models offer Sharp’s touchscreen display, which is common across 30+ models in Sharp’s multifunction printer lineup. The new MFP Voice feature, powered by Amazon Alexa, enables users to interact with the machine by using verbal commands. These new color models also integrate with network environments and offer access to an expanded list of cloud services that include Box and Dropbox. Additionally, Adobe Embedded Print Engine technology enables users to direct print PDF files from a variety of sources. Sharp’s new Application Portal, available in the Spring 2019, will allow administrators to add new applications and update existing ones from the touchscreen of the machine.
Toshiba Rolls Out New MFPs – Toshiba America Business Solutions has unveiled two new e-STUDIO series of multifunction printers. The latest MFPs comprise six color (e-STUDIO7516AC series) and four monochrome (e-STUDIO8518A series) models delivering as many as 85 pages-per-minute. The e-STUDIO7516AC series blend six models generating 55 to 75 color pages-per-minute and are available in four-drawer configurations. Toshiba’s monochrome e-STUDIO8518A series includes four models producing 55 to 85 pages-per-minute with tandem drawers standard. All 10 new Toshiba MFPs tout a larger 10.1-inch touchscreen front panel. Toshiba’s Elevate user interface additionally allows for complete customization of the new MFPs.
DPOE Companies to Re-brand Under New Name Pulse Technology – Des Plaines Office Equipment (DPOE) with offices in the Chicago area, and its northern Indiana affiliates, Kramer & Leonard McShane’s, will soon operate under a new common name, Pulse Technology effective January 1, 2019. The transition follows a re-branding effort undertaken at the direction of the company owners. There is no change in the ownership or management of the companies.
Toshiba Releases Elevate 2.0 – Continuing its commitment to improve the customer experience, Toshiba America Business Solutions introduced its Elevate 2.0 multifunction printer customization platform. The cloud-based platform enables the personalization of Toshiba’s current e-STUDIO MFPs by allowing Toshiba resellers to add new functionality and customize the user interface (UI) to match each customer’s exact needs. Elevate 2.0 features the introduction of Elevate Composer, a design portal and app store accessible exclusively to Toshiba’s resellers. Elevate Composer enables authorized Toshiba resellers to create a custom UI that can be deployed to one or multiple e-STUDIO machines. Elevate Composer also includes a drag-and-drop style graphical UI with more than 40 workflow applications from which to further tailor a client’s e-STUDIO MFP.
Epson Releases New Print and Device Management Solutions – Epson America, Inc., a provider of printing solutions, has launched Epson Print Admin Serverless and released the new version of Epson Device Admin solutions to empower customers to easily take control of their printing environments. Epson Print Admin Serverless is an affordable, embedded print management solution designed to work with Epson WorkForce Enterprise products to enhance security and manage print and scan workflow, according to Epson. Epson Device Admin is a device management solution designed to simplify the installation, configuration and management of networked Epson business inkjet printers.
Brother Announces MFPs Targeted at the Public Sector – Brother International Corporation announced a lineup of document imaging devices and a portfolio of personalized services and solutions that can be customized to support federal, state, and local government agencies that are tasked with protecting data from loss and security threats. The Brother Workhorse TAA compliant devices, including the HL-L6400DWG monochrome laser printer and the MFC-L6900DWG monochrome multifunctional all-in-one includes increased document security with three lines of defense at each level: network, device, and document.
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