The Blueprint

Repro 2.0

At a conference brainstorming session for a conference in 2003, web pioneer and O’Reilly executive, Dale Dougherty coined the term Web 2.0.  While others were criticizing the excesses of the dotcom era announcing the failure of the Web, Dougherty argued that all was not lost and there were new technologies emerging that would deliver innovations more groundbreaking than previously promised.  Out of the ashes was rising a second wave.  He called it Web 2.0.

I believe a similar phenomenon is occurring in the AEC reprographics market.  While many are complaining about declining printing volumes and ponder the obsolescence of reprographers, others are seeing new profitable revenue streams develop.  They are retooling their company for an evolution in the industry.  I see this as Repro 2.0.  If Repro 1.0 is an industry that made money on making copies of construction drawings, Repro 2.0 is an industry that provides critical content management and logistics services to the construction industry.  The irony is Repro 2.0 is less about “repro”, and more about content.  Reprographics services are an important component of the services offered, but just a component.

More to come…

Beginning of the End for Xerographic Technology

About a year ago my curiosity was sparked about the possibility of inkjet technology making xerographic technology obsolete.  Many in the industry could name several reasons why inkjet technology can not match xerographic technology.  These reasons all made sense but didn't set well with me.  Inkjet technology had already decimated the low end xerographic devices.  There are more inkjet projects hitting the market than xerographic devices.  Inkjet research and development is being applied to more than just conventional printing.  It is being used for 3D printing and even health care.  It is used in genetic research and it is being considered for printing organs.  With all the research and development going into this technology wouldn't you think they would be able to eventually overcome the issues that make xerographic technology better?

I had a conversation at a dinner party over the weekend with a research and development employee of a global printer manufacturer.  I asked him questions about inkjet versus xerographic technology.  He told me that there is virtually no research and development going into xerographic equipment.  It is all going into inkjet.  I asked him about the Memjet technology.  He was skeptical of it because memjet is a R&D company versus a manufacturing company.  His claimed they had one good technology, but there were many other components required to make a complete solution.  He thought that HP's Edgeline technology was a more compelling technology primarily because he was more confident in HP's ability to execute and bring a complete product to market.

There is a lot of excitement about the KIP Color 80, and I believe this product has a place in the market.  Primarily because the wide format market certainly moves at a slower speed than the small format market.  It may take longer to implement the inkjet innovations in wide format devices.  It is clear to me that in the long term inkjet will be the technology that makes xerographic technology obsolete.  The $1M question: When?  Who knows, but based on the rate of change seen in the market I believe it will be sooner than later.

The Power of Blogs: $4 Billion Lost in Six Minutes

Blogs are competing with mainstream media as a source for trusted information.  Apple Inc. lost $4B in market capitalization in six minutes yesterday when a popular blog author posted information from a seemingly trusted source that the iPhone would be delayed for several months.  The stock recovered when it was determined to be false.  See the story here.

Inspiration - One Man's Junk

Many have commented that the reprographics industry isn't glamorous.  It is all your point of reference.  A smart and passionate business owner can turn a seemingly unglamorous business into an exciting business.  Below are clips from 1-800-GOT-JUNK.  I attended a week long entrepreneurial eduction program at Stanford University with about 50 other entrepreneurs from around the world.  Brian Scudamore the founder and CEO of the company was in my class.  He is a humble and passionate leader.  Look at what he has achieved with something that isn't glamorous.

CNBC Story

Daily Huddles (see Rockefeller Habits) for a powerful business best practice.

 

Building a Powerful Brand

Another insightful post from Seth Godin on branding and building your brand.  He talks about the brand of AT&T (or Cingular) versus FedEx.  With FedEx you get what you expect.  With Cingular you almost never get what you expect. 

How often do your customers get what they expect?  Is it closer to Cingular or FedEx?  Can you measure it?  Do you change the measurement if you ask for an extension?