At the beginning of the year I went to a publisher’s conference and there were about 40 of us there, and I was one of four men who were delegates. It seems that in publishing and PR women have a strong presence. This got me thinking and I looked at my address book: of the 7,000-plus contacts, about 65 percent are men who are primarily business owners or senior staff in remanufacturing. Of the women the vast majority are in publishing, and of those that are in remanufacturing, only a handful are business owners or in senior positions. Why? The answers are both complex and way above my pay grade, but I can tell you that from my experience in publishing, there is a wealth of talent out there.
The recent UKCRA meeting was a really good one and hopefully sets the way forward for UKCRA to support the UK industry in the years to come. Laura Heywood and Keith Moss have done a fantastic job over the last 12 years or so and the new team will, I am sure, carry the flame (Olympic theme) forward.
Rebranding, new brands, new companies – times are indeed changing, as we see Pelikan Hardcopy launch its new Prime Printing Technologies brand, AEG rebrand to HITEC-IMAGING, and the launch of Discover Imaging Products. The changes are a reflection of where the market is today. There has been a contraction in the overall volume of cartridges sold, but the sales volumes of remanufactured cartridges are increasing, especially in Europe and North America. Price pressures remain the biggest challenge and everyone (The Recycler included) is looking at how the market is changing and at how you can deliver better value. To get the value that is coming through does mean that you have to plan production and sales a lot more than you do, because leaving everything to the last minute will inevitably cost you more.
The Canon – Clover court actions are far from over and we already have patented drum gear solutions on the market – a real credit to the innovation that exists in the industry today, and a far cry from the early days of remanufacturing. I am sure Canon will be looking at the aftermarket solutions and pondering the impact this innovation will have on their business. And who knows, this might spur on OEMs to look at technology licensing to the aftermarket along the same lines as the motor industry to bolster sagging revenues.
The price of clones in Europe is increasing – last month the best price our secret buyer could get was €7.48 for immediate delivery.
When you read this, ETIRA and The Recycler’s Focus on Europe event will have just concluded. It is amazing that ETIRA is here today and I would like to thank ETIRA’s outgoing founder and treasurer Heinz Seig for his insight, wisdom and support, from well before ETIRA came to life and every step of the way since. Heinz tells me he is retiring, but if you know Heinz, retirement will mean spending a little more time doing the things he wants to do, but always keeping an eye on the industry.