HP’s ‘Managed Print’ Strategy: Threat or Opportunity?

IN-PLANTS HAVE watched it happen for years: Some of the same vendors that sell them equipment are also trying to shut them down by pitching facilities management services to their bosses. So when HP announced it was going to start providing "managed print services" and "offering outsourced alternatives," the natural reaction in the in-plant world was a head-shaking "here we go again."

Turns out, though, that there was something of a mixup in terminology. The "office printing" HP wants to help companies manage is not the printing going on in their in-plants but that being produced by their copiers and desktop printers—what HP's Francis McMahon, Marketing Director for the Graphic Solutions Business, calls "the cubicle environment."

"We're not looking at what's going on in the in-plant, nor do we have any expertise in managing in-plants, nor do we have any intention, through this current initiative, to do anything with the in-plant," says McMahon, putting to rest any lingering fears that HP wants to take over in-plants.

HP, McMahon says, wants to help organizations save money by printing their office documents more efficiently. It will assess the office devices currently in place, determine how many are really needed based on the number of people and the typical volume, and replace the fleet with HP multi-function devices.

Of course, we have seen this before—vendors offering free "consulting" services that result in (surprise!) a recommendation to replace office equipment. As you would all no doubt agree, the in-plant is in a better position to provide copier management services. Its assessment of the current copier environment will likely be more unbiased, as will its equipment recommendations. (And unlike HP, Xerox or others offering managed print services, the in-plant is not looking to make a profit, only to save the organization money.)

As you've read in this magazine (last month, in fact), many in-plants are already offering print management programs. It's a great way to show the in-plant's value by using the expertise of managers to save the organization money. Still, as many of you have learned, people don't like it when you threaten to take their desktop printers away. So HP's push into managed print might actually help in-plants make their case; if a respected office products company like HP says this is a good idea, there must be some merit to it.

At the same time, though, HP's move should be viewed as a call to action for all managers who haven't yet thought about providing this service. Make no mistake, HP plans to talk to your bosses about this. They may not want to take over your in-plant, but they can cut you out of the picture by beating you to print management. Then that's one less value-added service you can provide.

In-plants are already hearing from HP. A sales rep contacted the University of North Carolina-Wilmington last month to discuss managed print. When the rep learned that the in-plant already had a print management program in place, he backed off. (Or rather, he moved on to the next organization.)

So stay alert and start taking steps to manage your organization's printing devices, before the opportunity slips away.