Jun 18, 2007
Canon DSF Spotlights the ‘Value Behind the Paper’
High-Page-Count applications are in clear focus at Canon
By George Linkletter
The Canon Digital Solutions Forum is a mega event and should not be missed by HVTO managers looking for specific expertise in digital color, or broader knowledge of the efficiency and effectiveness of paper-based messaging.
But be warned: you may well experience information overload. In fact, it is to be expected any time a single vendor requires a giant venue like Chicago’s McCormick Place to showcase its range of wares and solutions. Canon is no ordinary vendor. The $35 billion firm already has 20 years of experience with digital color and recently placed its one millionth digital color device.
Still, sifting through the multiple product demos, and the nearly two dozen seminars, is well worth the effort, even if much of the material is targeted at the office or department level, rather than the high-volume Data Center. Why? Because it’s always a good idea to stay abreast of related technologies, in case your job expands or you’re asked for insight or advice. Plus, it’s a very effective way to see how Canon is using its technology and application expertise to smooth and speed its entry into the Data Center/HVTO marketplace.
The theme for this year’s DSF emphasized five ‘P’s: Produce, Persuade, and Perform on Paper. And Partners. You’ll see much more of the first four ‘P’s in the next few months as they are a key part of a new national advertising campaign just launched by Canon. The fifth ‘P’ – partners – was clearly in evidence on the show floor and in the expanded support Canon is now providing to its customers.
More than 50 vendor/partners were on hand at the DSF to demonstrate how their unique capabilities worked hand-in-hand with Canon technology to yield targeted and innovative solutions. If you’re like me, you like the ease of one-stop shopping. And this was by far the most effective example of one-stop shopping that I’ve ever seen.
Just a few of the many noteworthy vendor/partner examples I saw involved: an innovative transpromo application using a software solution from Objective Lune; a comprehensive workflow management as well as a low-cost educational scanning application from Rochester Software Associates; and an easy-to-use digitized check (DDA) handling solution from Summit Innovations.
Another key aspect of the partnership that Canon discussed at the DSF involved three areas of expanded customer support. One aspect involved a new program to boost the training and competency of equipment operators, so they could perform elementary preventive maintenance procedures on their own. Customers who sign up for this program can expect to achieve higher uptime and throughput, as well as lower service costs. As might be expected, this initiative was well received by customers at the show.
A second partnership effort, called Marketing for Digital (M4D), involves the sharing of detailed reports or handbooks on key vertical markets to help customers -- especially those who may be new or inexperienced with digital printing -- better understand and penetrate those markets. Initially, four reports will be produced, one each focusing on either the retail, insurance, real estate or advertising agency segments. Eventually, a total of 24 vertical market reports will be issued. The reports will be most useful to managers at external shops who are looking to grow their business. But internal managers could also use the reports to demonstrate to their internal customers how digital technology is being used in other industries to improve customer messaging.
A third partner initiative involves a new and enhanced program of Professional Sevices. These in-depth, analytical services encompass a range of activities, including Data Capture and Conversion, Security, Document Production, Document Workflow, and Custom Development and Turnkey Implementation. The goal of this Canon program is to help customers develop and implement uniquely custom-tailored solutions spanning hardware, software and application expertise.
The hardware offering that seemed to attract the most attention from HVTO managers at the DSF was the imageRUNNER Pro7000 series. The device on display was equipped with a high-capacity roll-feed input and configured for the high-speed, on demand production of multi-page books. It was capable of producing a single copy of a book, or several different books, or several hundred copies of a book.
A single-page invoice -- detailing each book order -- immediately followed the production of each book order to help streamline packaging and minimize errors. Each of the invoices also contained a unique TransPromo-style marketing message, linked to the book order just produced, to help improve customer relations and boost sales.
HVTO managers responsible for high-page-count applications were among those most intrigued by the capabilities of Canon’s imageRUNNER. These included managers in the health care insurance industry, who were involved in the assembly of books listing health care providers, and those in the financial services industry, such as those responsible for producing imaged-DDA statements.
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Comments? Contact georgelinkletter@charter.net.