February, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 29, 2008 — Take the elevation of Britton Hill, Florida's highest point, and multiply it by ten. You still won't have the length of the document BÖWE BELL + HOWELL scanned to secure the Guinness World Record here on Monday, Feb. 25.The record-setting scan measured 3,875 feet and lasted one hour, 17 minutes and 22 seconds. BBH employees used the award-winning Trūper 3600 low-volume production scanner to handle the extra-long document: a custom-made fetal monitor strip. The uninterrupted scan took place at the 2008 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition, the healthcare IT industry's largest annual event."BBH continues to push the bounds of document scanning, in this instance by completing a scan that was nearly three-quarters of a mile long," said Mandy Lewis, senior product manager at BÖWE BELL + HOWELL. "With this record, we've again proved that BBH offers perhaps the most reliable, hardest-working scanners available — and we think our customers, who rely on BBH scanners day in, day out, would wholeheartedly agree." Guinness World Records judge Gareth Deaves traveled to Orlando from London to validate the record. He confirmed that the attempt met the criteria set forth by Guinness World Records, including that the scanned document was a continuous file in one single page and that the original document was made out of paper. "We are pleased to recognize BÖWE BELL + HOWELL as new Guinness World Record holders for the Longest Scanned Document at 3,875 feet," said Deaves. "We congratulate everyone involved in this record breaking achievement." How BBH Went the Distance Key to BBH's world record was the Trūper scanner's new long document handling feature. The feature allows healthcare organizations to easily scan long, vital medical records, such as fetal monitoring strips and EKG printouts. Long document handling on Trūper is user-selectable, which means users can switch easily between long and regular page modes. About BÖWE BELL + HOWELL BÖWE BELL + HOWELL Scanners is always adding value to its full line of fast and dependable scanners to help organizations easily and cost-effectively transform documents into flawless digital images. BBH constantly innovates to meet customers' imaging needs with its high-end Spectrum XF Series, midrange Trūper Series, entry-level Sidekick Series and wide-format Infinity WF. Based in the Chicago area, BÖWE BELL + HOWELL Scanners has an international presence selling scanners through a worldwide channel of distributors and value-added resellers. The company is a business unit of BÖWE BELL + HOWELL. For more information, call 1-800-SCAN-494 or visit http://www.bbhscanners.com. About Guinness World Records Guinness World Records is the universally recognized authority on record-breaking achievement. First published in 1955, the annual Guinness World Records book is published in more than 100 countries and 20 languages and is one of the highest-selling books under copyright of all time with more than 3 million copies sold annually across the globe. Guinness World Records celebrated its 50th anniversary edition in 2004, a year after the sale of its 100 millionth copy. The Guinness Word Records Web site (http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com) receives more than 11 million visitors a year. Media contacts: Linda Stiglicz BÖWE BELL + HOWELL Scanners (847) 423-3029 Linda.Stiglicz@bowebellhowell.com Paul Elsberg / Anahita Wadia The Reynolds Communications Group (312) 541-9300, Ext. 106 / 101 pelsberg@reynoldsgroup.com awadia@reynoldsgroup.com

Rochester, NY, February 29th, 2008 – No less than three different customers of Rochester Software Associates, Inc. are set to take the stage at the On Demand Trade Show in Boston, on Wednesday March 5th.  They will discuss how RSA has made it easier for their enterprises using several workflow solutions.American Fidelity's Phil Larson has spoken many times on his firm's success with several RSA solutions.  American Fidelity uses M.I.S. Print to transform legacy data streams to PostScript, as well as QDirect to manage their enterprise's output.  WebCRD was added to deliver a shared archive of nearly 10,000  items, saving literally millions of dollars by increasing efficiency and through the elimination of wasted collateral.  In fact, Mr. Larson has determined RSA's solutions have helped him realize seven million dollars in savings and increase volume by as much as 300%.  Larson is scheduled to speak from 9:10 to 10am on the appropriate topic of Super Efficiency: Enabling In-Plant Growth.Don Reece of Pembina Trails School Division will discuss how his technologically advanced school system has embraced WebCRD to automate centralized printing and meet the needs of his teachers, students, and staff.  Mr. Reece's talk is 1:30 to 2:30pm under the heading  Web-to-Print: E-enabling Your Business. Donna Wagner of Great American Insurance Company will be speaking at 1:30 to 2:30pm on the topic of The Changing Face of In-Plants.  Great American is another power user of WebCRD, RSA's award-winning Web-to-Print solution. These success stories are just a few examples of how RSA's powerful and proven workflow solutions have increased centralized volume, reduced costs, and increased efficiencies.  Numerous RSA product  enhancements will be announced at On Demand, ensuring more success stories to come. RSA's solutions are available from leading printer equipment vendors.  RSA will be exhibiting at the On Demand Trade Show in Boston, March 4th – 6th, 2008 in booth 625. About RSA Founded in 1986, Rochester Software Associates, Inc. (RSA) delivers Integrated Workflow Results.  RSA’s Enterprise Workflow System includes software solutions to consolidate, optimize, and manage data center and network printing, thereby enhancing productivity and lowering costs. RSA enables Internet-based print job submission and fulfillment (WebCRD, BatesPrint, and CDPrint), enterprise print workflow management (QDirect), printer productivity enhancements (EPSPro), and print transform (M.I.S. Print, IPDSPrint, Mainframe Downloader,  RDOPrint and VIPrint). RSA's software solutions are sold by leaders in the printing industry, including Canon (NYSE: CAJ), Canon Business Solutions, Danka, IBM (NYSE: IBM),  IKON (NYSE: IKN), Kodak (NYSE: EK), Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Toshiba America Business Solutions and Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX). ### ©2008 Rochester Software Associates, Inc. AutoFlow, AutoStock, BatesPrint, CDPrint, CentralPDF, Enterprise Workflow System, EPSPro, IPDSPrint, Make Ready Integration for QDirect, Mainframe Downloader, M.I.S. Print, More Than a Storefront, PDF Pro, QDirect, QDirect.EDU, QDirect.SCAN, RDOPrint, Scan to Print Center, SurePDF, VIPrint and WebCRD are trademarks of RSA.  DigiPath, DocuTech, FreeFlow and VIPP are trademarks of Xerox Corporation.  JobReady is a trademark of Adobe.  Any non-RSA brands and product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners. Contact: Todd Bernhard 585.987.6977 Marketing@rocsoft.com

Sagem-Interstar maintains its global leadership in the dramatically expanding IP fax server segment, while closing in on the #1 position in the overall fax server market, according to industry analyst Davidson Consulting. Montreal, Canada, February 28, 2008 - Sagem-Interstar Inc. (www.faxserver.com), the global leader in advanced fax solutions for IP networks, announced today that it maintains its #1 market leadership title for the 6th consecutive year. Sagem-Interstar's XMediusFAX® T.38 Fax over IP (FoIP) solutions continue to dominate with almost 65% market share (a lead of more than 40% over its nearest competitor) in the rapidly expanding IP fax server segment, according to fax industry analyst firm Davidson Consulting's (www.davidsonconsulting.biz) recent "Computer-Based Fax Markets, 2006-2011" report. With the growing trend toward IP telephony in enterprises and MFP integrations, 2006 FoIP sales jumped to $65 million, from $31.5 million in 2005, according to Davidson. Furthermore, boardless FoIP solutions made major inroads on fax-board-dependent servers, posting a 10-fold increase in one year: "They accounted for 21.4% [up from 2.1%] of sales and were mostly driven by sales of Sagem-Interstar systems." Davidson predicts that boardless FoIP solutions will top IP fax board servers within several years: "T.38 fax solutions will take over primacy of the market. . . . Boardless solutions will take a bigger piece in 2011 with $110 million in sales, compared to $85 million for IP fax boards." Davidson also maintains that "many businesses, faced with having to make the rather large investment in new fax boards, will opt instead to implement boardless fax servers. This should benefit Sagem-Interstar." The report also indicates that Sagem-Interstar:

• Holds almost 65% share in the global FoIP market, while its nearest competitor held just under 24%
• Claimed almost 22% of the global fax server market with only a 5.9% difference from the #1 position
• Leads the European market as the #1 fax server supplier
• As the preeminent T.38 experts in the world. "No other company has the same amount of experience with writing, deploying, testing, troubleshooting and interoperating T.38 software," concluded Davidson Consulting.

"Davidson's latest report confirms what we've known since we launched XMediusFAX in 2002 - the future of our industry is boardless FoIP," said Jean Champagne, General Manager of Sagem-Interstar. "We stand at the forefront with our patented boardless XMediusFAX FoIP solutions, targeting enterprises and service providers of all sizes. Our field-proven FoIP solutions help customers reap the full financial and productivity benefits of unified communications and convergence. Through our expertise and open standards approach, our solutions leverage server virtualization, regulatory compliance, IP telephony deployments and unified communications systems." About XMediusFAX® FoIP As a completely software-based (boardless) fax server solution, Sagem-Interstar's XMediusFAX enables rapid fax delivery and fax broadcasting at the desktop. XMediusFAX boardless T.38 FoIP technology offers:

• Seamless iPBX integration and virtual machine support (e.g., VMware)
• The most advanced T.38 FoIP integration for all major VoIP gateways (e.g., Cisco, Avaya, Alcatel-Lucent and AudioCodes)
• Open standards integration with other programming languages and tools
• Integration with enterprise applications such as SAP, Siebel and Oracle for automated faxing
• High scalability to a large number of enterprise-class users by simply licensing extra channels - no extra hardware or third-party kits required
• Solves the "fax problem" in IP networks by allowing customers to eliminate costly, dedicated analog fax lines, equipment, maintenance and supplies
• Routes sensitive documents to users in TIFF or PDF format via IP networks to approved recipients and designated secure printers, thereby facilitating compliance with regulations such as HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, and Payment Card Industry (PCI)
• MFP integration (a "central driver of fax server sales", per Davidson): XMediusFAX also fully integrates with industry-leading MFPs and copiers through T.37 or proprietary integration Sagem-Interstar's XMediusFAX boardless (software-only) T.38 FoIP technology is field-proven in thousands of mission-critical environments worldwide. For more information, go to: http://www.faxserver.com/fax-server-software/xmediusfax/index.htm.

About Sagem-Interstar Inc. Sagem-Interstar Inc. is the global leader in advanced fax server solutions for IP networks. Its field-proven XMediusFAX® leverages IP telephony and Unified Communications systems to enhance productivity, collaboration and ROI by integrating fax on the desktop. Deployed worldwide in enterprises and service provider sites since 2002, XMediusFAX is the most mature T.38 Fax over IP (FoIP) software on the market. As the North American subsidiary of Sagem Communications, Sagem-Interstar is perpetually "Changing the Way You Fax" with its recognized excellence in delivering FoIP innovations. Visit Sagem-Interstar's website at: www.faxserver.com. About Sagem Communications A French, international scale, high technology company, Sagem Communications specialises in broadband communications and convergence in particular in the following areas: printing terminals, digital TV set-top boxes, broadband and residential terminals, communicating energy management solutions and telecom systems and partnerships. The company is in a leadership position in these sectors thanks to its proven capacity for innovation. Sagem Communications aims to become a world leader in convergence and broadband terminals. With a turnover of almost 1.3 billion euros, Sagem Communications employs 6,500 people on five continents and is headquartered in Paris. For more information: www.sagem-communications.com / www.sagem.com Media Contact: Gisèle Seto Sagem-Interstar Inc. Marketing Communications Phone: +1.514.422.4323 gisele.seto@sagem-interstar.com * The information contained in this press release was, to the best of our knowledge, accurate at the time of posting, but may be superseded by subsequent disclosures. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Montreal, Canada, February 28, 2008 - Sagem-Interstar Inc. (www.faxserver.com), the global leader in advanced fax solutions for IP networks, announced today that it will unveil a new release of its XMediusFAX T.38 Fax over IP (FoIP) solution. Release 5.5.2 will be showcased at the AIIM International Exposition & Conference (Booth 2967) targeting content and information management integration, from March 3-6 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Boston, MA.XMediusFAX Release 5.5.2 is the latest evolution of Sagem-Interstar's market-leading, boardless IP fax server software. It includes new features such as unique, built-in Python scripting support for easy and customizable integration with a wide range of critical business applications to enhance document processing and workflow. Release 5.5.2 also offers increased flexibility in fax routing, and a new Split Fax function that allows users to manipulate individual fax pages online. XMediusFAX's multiple benefits for ECM and document management solutions will be demonstrated at the conference. Since XMediusFAX captures metadata of every transaction, faxes can be automatically routed to archiving systems, workflow applications, inserted into databases, and sent to destinations such as Microsoft's SharePoint Server. As well, XMediusFAX enables employees to easily and securely transmit orders, records, reports and confidential documents directly from popular Microsoft Office products, ERP and CRM applications, email clients such as Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes, MFPs and Web browsers. "We're very excited to unveil the latest Python scripting and open standards innovations for our XMediusFAX IP fax server solution," said Jean Champagne, General Manager of Sagem-Interstar. "Our dedication to providing enterprises with productivity-enhancing document management solutions has never been greater and demonstrates our perpetual leadership in the fax market. Since 2002, XMediusFAX has substantially streamlined our customers' fax processing and ECM, while also facilitating regulatory compliance, providing almost immediate ROI, and allowing them to enjoy the huge benefits of Unified Communications and IP Telephony." About XMediusFAX® & Enterprise Content Management XMediusFAX excels at delivering real-time faxes to enterprise desktops by leveraging the T.38 capabilities of IP networks. By transmitting fax over IP, this software-only technology enhances productivity and integrates fax into standard electronic business processes, while eliminating the inefficiencies and costs of traditional fax. XMediusFAX is a perfect fit for corporate ECM and document management strategies for many reasons:

• CAPTURE: XMediusFAX automatically captures digital information from all incoming faxes, which both leverages IP infrastructures and enhances staff productivity since employees do not have to manually process paper faxes. Built-in XML support, OCR and other tools allow for further data and metadata capture.
• MANAGE: All faxes are processed in high-quality TIFF or PDF formats, enabling easy access, management and manipulation. Faxes can be sent to any directory with all their details (e.g., time, number of pages, etc.) included in an XML metadata file. XSLT support allows customers to transform the XML output for custom business purposes.
• STORE & PRESERVE: A highly scalable open-standard SQL fax database (MySQL) stores and archives up to 16 million faxes. XMediusFAX creates an audit trail of all faxes sent and received, to facilitate regulatory compliance and guarantee integrity of fax-based communications.
• DELIVER: XMediusFAX is the No. 1 FoIP solution on the market and ensures secure, real-time fax processing and delivery to multiple destinations such as inboxes, printers, folders, downstream business systems, and ECM or document archiving platforms. It is cost-effective fax delivery since XMediusFAX does not require boards, phone lines or third-party hardware: it leverages IP infrastructures.

Sagem-Interstar's XMediusFAX boardless T.38 FoIP technology is field-proven in thousands of mission-critical environments worldwide. For more information, go to: http://www.faxserver.com/fax-server-software/xmediusfax/index.htm. About Sagem-Interstar Inc. Sagem-Interstar Inc. is the global leader in advanced fax server solutions for IP networks. Its field-proven XMediusFAX® leverages IP telephony and Unified Communications systems to enhance productivity, collaboration and ROI by integrating fax on the desktop. Deployed worldwide in enterprises and service provider sites since 2002, XMediusFAX is the most mature T.38 Fax over IP (FoIP) software on the market. As the North American subsidiary of Sagem Communications, Sagem-Interstar is perpetually "Changing the Way You Fax" with its recognized excellence in delivering FoIP innovations. Visit Sagem-Interstar's website at: www.faxserver.com. About Sagem Communications A French, international scale, high technology company, Sagem Communications specialises in broadband communications and convergence in particular in the following areas: printing terminals, digital TV set-top boxes, broadband and residential terminals, communicating energy management solutions and telecom systems and partnerships. The company is in a leadership position in these sectors thanks to its proven capacity for innovation. Sagem Communications aims to become a world leader in convergence and broadband terminals. With a turnover of almost 1.3 billion euros, Sagem Communications employs 6,500 people on five continents and is headquartered in Paris. For more information: www.sagem-communications.com / www.sagem.com Media Contact: Gisèle Seto Sagem-Interstar Inc. Marketing Communications Phone: +1.514.422.4323 gisele.seto@sagem-interstar.com * The information contained in this press release was, to the best of our knowledge, accurate at the time of posting, but may be superseded by subsequent disclosures. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Miami, February 28, 2008 - Ricoh Americas Corporation, a leading provider of digital office equipment, is showcasing several of its innovative products and software solutions at the 2008 Graphics of the Americas show in Miami, Florida. A leading conference dedicated to new technologies in digital printing and workflow software, the show is running from February 28 - March 1 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Ricoh is located at booth #864. Ricoh is demonstrating a wide array of its products and software solutions geared toward the digital and offset printing marketplace. Among those on display will be Ricoh's line of Priport digital duplicators, devices designed to offer high-level printing and copying features to businesses, schools and organizations where long print runs are routine. These products include: · Priport DX 4542 - A color digital duplicator capable of printing large documents (11.7" x 17") with a sophisticated ink control system that efficiently manages ink delivery to reduce consumption and increase yield per cartridge. The Priport DX 4542 can print professional-grade documents at speeds of up to 120 pages per minute (ppm). · Priport DX 3340 - A color digital duplicator with print speeds of up to 130 ppm that blends advanced print functionality with cost savings, enabling cost-per-print of less than a third of a cent when duplicating over 100 or more prints.

• Priport DX 4640PD - A high-volume duplexing digital duplicator specifically engineered to deliver large volumes of two-sided documents with excellent image quality and cost efficiency. With print speeds of up to 135 ppm one-sided and 120 ppm duplex, the Priport DX 4640PD functions as a high-volume network printer as well as a digital copier. 
• Priport HQ9000 - A high-speed digital duplicator that captures the advantages of offset printing at a reduced cost. The Priport HQ9000 prints at 135 ppm and can handle a wide array of paper stock including envelopes, vellum and NCR in weights from 12.5 lb bond to 110 lb index. 
• Aficio MP C7500 - A high-speed color multifunction product (MFP). With print speeds up to 70 ppm in full color and 75 ppm in black & white, the Aficio MP C7500 is loaded with high-end features including Document Server technology for online storage and print-on-demand capability, integrate finishing options including stapling, booklet finishing, and hole punching and an 8,300-sheet maximum paper capacity from up to five sources and. 
• @Remote - Ricoh's intelligent remote management system. @Remote is a service solution that utilizes a single connected hardware appliance to collect device data, receive and report service and toner alerts and enable remote firmware upgrades. The solution allows users to remotely manage, optimize device usage and improve efficiencies across a business.

The Graphics of the Americas show floor will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 28 and from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday, February 29 and Saturday, March 1. For more information on Ricoh products, visit www.ricoh-usa.com. About Ricoh Americas Corporation Ricoh Americas Corporation, headquartered in West Caldwell, N.J., is a subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd., the 72-year-old leading supplier of office automation equipment and electronics, with fiscal year 2006 sales in excess of $17 billion, an 8.4 percent increase over the previous year. Ricoh Americas Corporation is a leading provider of document solutions. Ricoh's fully integrated hardware and software products help businesses share information efficiently and effectively by enabling customers to control the input, management and output of documents. Ricoh's line of document management devices include, color and black & white digital imaging systems, facsimile products, printers, scanners, digital duplicators, production printing products and wide format engineering systems. Additionally, Ricoh offers a wide variety of document and printing solutions directly and through strategic alliances enhancing office productivity and document workflow. Ricoh's document management software enhances workgroup collaboration and offers secure storage, retrieval and sharing of critical information. Ricoh Americas Corporation directly or through its network of authorized independent dealers markets and distributes products in North, Central and South America. For fiscal year 2006, Ricoh Americas Corporation sales exceeded $3.3 billion, an increase of 7.4 percent over the previous year. Information about Ricoh's complete range of products and services can be accessed on the World Wide Web at www.ricoh-usa.com. # # # -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contact: Russell Marchetta Ricoh Americas Corporation (973) 882-2075 russell.marchetta@ricoh-usa.com Andrew Stein Peppercom (212) 931-6190 astein@peppercom.com

Bellevue, WA - February 27, 2008 - Captaris, Inc., a leading provider of software products that automate document-centric business processes, today announced that it will support Microsoft Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 to provide customers with the opportunity to gain greater business efficiencies through Microsoft solutions."Captaris products, with Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008, bring to our customers a way to significantly maximize the efficiency of their business processes with improved decision-making and enhanced security on proven platforms," said Paul Yantus, Captaris executive vice president of Marketing and New Product Development. "We are pleased to have such a close working relationship with Microsoft, which continues to give us the opportunity to bring Captaris' suite of document-centric solutions to businesses operating within a Microsoft IT environment." "Microsoft is pleased to be working with Captaris to expand the offerings for customers of Windows Server 2008," said Ward Ralston, group technical product manager for Windows Server Marketing at Microsoft Corp. "Our industry partners play an essential role in ensuring that our customers have the best technology foundation available, and Captaris helps deliver valuable new functionality to our joint customers." About Captaris Inc. Captaris, Inc. is a leading provider of software products that automate document centric business processes. Captaris specializes in document capture, recognition, routing, workflow, and delivery. Captaris integrated solutions provide interoperability with leading line of business applications and technology platforms. Captaris products include RightFax, Captaris Workflow, Alchemy, FaxPress, DOKuStar, RecoStar, Single Click Entry, and ID-Star which are distributed through a global network of leading technology partners. Captaris customers include the entire Fortune 100 and the majority of Global 2000 companies. Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, Captaris was founded in 1982 and is publicly traded on NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol CAPA. www.captaris.com. The following are registered trademarks and trademarks of Captaris: Captaris, Alchemy, RightFax, FaxPress and Captaris Workflow. RecoStar, DOKuStar, ID-Star and Single Click Entry are trademarks of Captaris Document Technologies GmbH. All other brand names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Chandler, AZ – March 28, 2008 – Laserfiche^® welcomes ArcWare Solutions as the latest authorized value-added reseller (VAR) that will provide electronic document management solutions for customers throughout the state of Arizona. According to Managing Partner Greg Dutton, “We want our clients to have the best options available for an enterprise solution that seamlessly integrates full-text retrieval, Web distribution and workflow with all other software applications in their IT environments.” Director of Business Development Chris Meyer said, “We founded our company based on the need in the marketplace to bridge this technology gap for our clients. We provide ‘best in class’ solutions, and our company name and logo symbolize our purpose.” Greg added, “We partner with only the best companies, whose products enable us to fulfill this need. Laserfiche has a proven suite of products with a great track record, and the ongoing training and support needed to create a winning VAR.”

February 27, 2008 - To find out how the economic slowdown might affect the document imaging industry, BLI interviewed representatives at four major manufacturers and the Photizo Group, an investment research firm that specializes in financial analysis of the industry and a leading consultant to manufacturers on growth strategies. What we learned is that while the sluggish economy will present some challenges, not all is doom and gloom for the industry. In fact, it'll undoubtedly present some opportunities be it through offering certain kinds of products, focusing on specific vertical markets or by providing services that can help customers reduce costs and solutions that add value.Edward Crowley, founder, chief executive officer and managing partner of the Photizo Group, used a familiar analogy as cause for optimism. "People drive cars regardless of whether there's an economic downturn or not, so gas will always be a premium commodity," he said. "The same rings true for document imaging. Despite workflow being more electronic than paper-based these days, companies need to print and are producing an increased amount of hardcopy output, which means they have to buy supplies. The margins for ink and toner are much higher than for hardware, thus protecting this revenue stream-but only to a degree. Because the loyalty rate in terms of aftermarket consumables is lower due to third-party vendors, manufacturers will really have a do an impeccable job of pleasing their customers." Tom Salierno, senior vice president of acquisitions for Global Imaging Systems, also expressed optimism, pointing out that approximately 1 million copier-based MFPs are sold every year. That figure translates into a lot of money and doesn't even factor in printer-centric products, as well as scanners, faxes, consumables and cost-per-click charges. Still, the current recession, which some experts don't believe we're in but many do, looms over the industry. "Nobody's dominating right now," he said. "If a business has quality salespeople and is focused on improving efficiency and productivity, it can be ‘recession proof' by growing within the existing market and increasing its share-if only by a little," he said. "A company that has an 80 percent share will probably be subject to the recession, while an organization that has a share of 20 percent or less will end up stealing some away from the competition." More From The Photizo Group "The symbiotic relationship between manufacturers and dealers will be interesting to watch," Crowley said. "The field is already very competitive, but in all likelihood there'll be an elevated sense of friction. My feeling is that both sides will act more aggressively because there should be fewer contracts to be won." Crowley believes that it will be a challenging time for everyone in the industry. "Businesses tend to be conservative during recessions and stay the course instead of going a different route and purchasing another brand's equipment," he said. "This will, in effect, limit manufacturers' abilities to increase their market shares. Profits will be there if the operation is run well, but I see the trend of mergers and acquisitions playing a major role in growth rather than it coming organically via introductions of new devices and product refreshes." "I expect that hardware sales won't be as strong in the U.S. and Europe in 2008, but manufacturers will more than likely continue to see a demand for their products in Asia, which is quickly shedding its ‘emerging market' label," Crowley continued, adding that lower-end devices-laser printers especially-will fare better than those targeted toward large workgroups. "Realizing that a recession was imminent and that placing hardware in the SMB (small and medium-size business) space would be key were reasons why Océ and Xerox bought Imagistics and Global Imaging Systems, respectively." Samsung Samsung is the world's second largest manufacturer of laser printers and the fastest growing global brand, according to Jay Shears, director of office automation for Samsung Electronics America's Information Technology Division. Although he acknowledges that the industry is experiencing a "constrained" economy, Shears emphasized that the company is focusing on markets that have a strong growth trend for printing-the healthcare, education, governmental and legal markets, for example. "The voice of our customers drives our product, solutions and program development in these emerging markets, which allows us to meet our customers' needs while supplementing our existing portfolio with new technologies." Shears used the healthcare and legal markets, which "are printing intensive and will experience growth despite the economic constraints," to illuminate how Samsung's multifunctional printers can be a good investment for businesses. "We've seen a trend toward organizations consolidating the costs associated with their fleets and more and more businesses converting to printer-based letter- and legal-size MFPs versus A3-size printing systems because of the less expensive total cost of ownership (TCO)," he said. A second interesting part of this discussion is how managed print services are changing the paradigm on business printing costs. "The most critical challenge for our customers is to understand that there's a convergence happening from the traditional copier and dealer cost-per-click models with printers," Shears said. "Managed print services level the brand consideration and place the focus on TCO and our channels' ability to meet the customers' service, relationship and cost requirements. Since we manufacture most of the hardware and software technology used in our printing engines, we're uniquely equipped to quickly and efficiently meet customers' demands." In closing, Shears said, "Samsung doesn't sell hardware direct to the user. To be successful, we must align our strategy, support, solutions and products with our dealers' and resellers' business plans so they can be successful with our printing systems. Despite changes in the economy, we'll remain flexible to meet our customers' printing needs." Sharp Ed McLaughlin, president of Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America, has a similar viewpoint as most regarding satisfying customers. "We as an industry always need to keep our eyes on the customer, but even more so when there's an economic downturn," he said. "Service becomes critical because businesses are slow in ordering new equipment and they'll typically try to do more with less. Therefore, we provide the means for our dealers to ensure that people remain happy." Because recessions put added pressure on manufacturers' distribution networks, McLaughlin added, dealers will experience longer sales cycles and require more support. "The current economic landscape will contribute to the ongoing independent dealer consolidation," he said. "Last year we built a direct organization through Sharp Business Systems in major markets like San Francisco, San Diego, South Florida, Indianapolis and Arizona. We'll intensify this objective and look further at financially solid businesses in appropriate markets that could benefit from our enterprise support." McLaughlin pointed out that Sharp was one of the first copier manufacturers to be awarded the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule 36 Contract renewal through 2011, which is designed to provide federal government agencies purchasing access to office equipment, supplies and services. "We invested in the rigorous federal review process and successfully met their high standards as a contractor," he said. According to McLaughlin, the company is increasingly looking to partner with dealers and independent software vendors who understand that the future of the industry lies in technology. "There'll always be a demand for features, functions and software that improve workflow," he said. "We aim to offer distinctive products that are exceptionally reliable, highly productive, easy to use and customizable. Anyone who's merely selling a commodity product is going to find it tough. But the Sharp OSA (Open Systems Architecture) development program provides a strategic opportunity for dealers and ISVs to differentiate themselves by providing personalized solutions. Fresh applications are driving productivity so capturing these clicks enables us and our dealers to grow." Toshiba "We view the economic slowdown as part of a cycle and we believe that things will rebound," said Mark Mathews, president and chief operating officer of Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. "For us, it's all about holding steady and continuing to display a commitment to our strategy and channels." Mathews agreed with others' assessment that businesses, particularly larger ones and enterprises, are taking their time making decisions and that there's a somewhat decreasing demand for products. "We're not necessarily losing contracts, but customers are being very cautious with their funds," he said. "We've seen a tightening of money since last summer, as well as it being increasingly difficult to obtain credit. Our industry is heavily leased and the economic downturn has impacted people's ability to get funds or have their credit approved." "Adversity really shows who's doing well and who isn't," he continued. "A lot of people benefit when the market is rising, and those who aren't well prepared for a recession suffer the most-this weeds out weak performers. Toshiba focuses on what customers need during any type of business cycle and, by extension, earnings and profitability. We're always pushing managed print services, which are designed to alleviate problems and improve bottom lines. A recession plays to this theme very well." The company is careful about cost control and hiring, and proactively takes steps to ensure that it doesn't dramatically increase spending or add unnecessary people in an economic downturn, according to Mathews. "We're very tight about our asset and expense management and we fine-tune our products and services," he said. "The idea is to have good products at the right time. We're well positioned for 2008 or for however long the slowdown lasts to make it through successfully while growing our profitability." Mathews acknowledged that the company's dealers will each have a slightly different story depending on whether they're in a rural area or a city, if they're major account-based or small business-based, or if they have a certain vertical market emphasis. "Our dealers go through the same process we do as far as reviewing their business plans and making sure their expenses and controls are in place, then perfecting their marketing message," he said, noting that a dealer he'd talked to recently mentioned that it used to sell to real estate attorneys but is now focusing on bankruptcy attorneys. Xerox According to an executive in Xerox's Global Communications Group, the company won't be severely affected by the economic downturn. "We operate an annuity-based business with about 70 percent of our revenue stemming from recurring funds such as supplies, service and consulting, while about 50 percent of our revenue stems from outside the U.S.," the executive said, adding that during December, Xerox's enterprise customers in this country gave them mixed signals: there was a modest slowdown in decision making on large purchases but an increase in signings for the company's document management services. "This tells us that more businesses are looking to reduce costs and improve productivity, and our service offerings tend to be in higher demand during tougher economic times." The executive also pointed to the acquisition method preferred by businesses during this economic downturn. "Many of our enterprise customers are now doing business with us through operating leases instead of outright capital purchases," the executive said. "This means that they can spread out payments over time and bundle the purchase of the devices with supplies and services. We've especially seen an increase from customers in the graphic arts market preferring this approach. Companies see the value of operating leases where they can hang onto money for other investments and also realize productivity savings." The executive noted one other reason why Xerox is confident that its business model can weather volatility in the current economy. "We operate in diverse markets, including enterprises and the public sector, as well as the SMB space and commercial printers, which gives us broader coverage should economic concerns hit one market more than others," the executive said. "The breadth of our product line at different price points and with different levels of functionality gives us and our dealers the benefit of offering businesses more choices than anyone else in the industry." Xerox also believes that managed print services and document assessment will be of increasing importance. "Oftentimes during tough economic downturns, people are looking to reduce costs and tend to uncover hidden costs like document management-that's where we come in," the executive said. "We work with our dealers to help customers consolidate their document technology with MFPs that provide an immediate savings. Given the times, this value proposition becomes that much more compelling." .......................................................................................................... This article was originally published from BLI and can be found at http://www.buyerslab.com/news/viewarticle.asp?article=38070.