What Doug Albregts joining Marco means to Sharp and his new employer
As we previously reported on www.thecannatareport.com, former Sharp President & CEO Doug Albregts joined Marco as its new president, effective October 1, 2019. The timing of this announcement coincidentally coincided with Sharp’s dealer meeting, Oct. 1-4 in Las Vegas.
During the meeting, Sharp highlighted its Smart Office initiatives with some interesting collaboration capabilities. New were a Windows Collaboration Display and Synappx applications, which further facilitate collaboration in the office and meeting rooms. Allow us to share four salient points about the potential impact of these products for Sharp and its dealers while also factoring in the implications of Albregts hiring:
- It is a product that makes a great deal of sense for the SMB space.
- It will entail that dealers take on this product and build it as if it were a new business.
- It will require that Sharp recognize that dealers do not like change and the unpredictable performances that go with it.
- The success of the Sharp effort to shape its future offerings will depend on how quickly the company can get the leading dealers involved. Sharp must be the influencers informing their mainstream dealers that these highly recognizable dealers have taken on the product.
Scott, CJ, Carol and I attended this meeting. Each will provide their own thoughts about the agenda, what was displayed, and how it was demonstrated. For now, allow me to share my opinion about what Albregts joining Marco will mean to Sharp.
CJ and I first learned about Sharp’s efforts in creating their version of the Smart Office in May 2014. That message was repeated with greater detail in May 2018 during our last visit to Japan. During that time period (2014-2018), Albregts was president of Sharp Imaging & Information Company. He was aware of what was being developed in Japan and what it would entail in the way of a marketing effort.
Marco is one of the largest entities in the distribution of MFPs, production print, and IT Services in the United States. They are a Sharp dealer and receive their share of awards every year for their efforts marketing Sharp products. In his new role, Albregts will bring his knowledge of and experience with Sharp on precisely what these latest technology offerings are all about.
Because of this, we believe Marco will become one of the leaders in implementing Sharp’s Smart Office and quickly bring it to market, effectively becoming Sharp’s largest reseller of this technology. This is only our opinion and we have no first-hand knowledge that would cause me to make that prediction.
As a journalist as well as an analyst these are simply our predictions of what will occur. Allow me to emphasize our reasons why:
- Marco is easily the biggest and best IT Services provider in the dealer space.
- Albregts knows the technology and the company that will supply it.
- The Gaus (Jeff & Steve) are very excited about Doug joining them.
- Doug’s familiarity with the personnel at Sharp will greatly facilitate Marco’s entrance into this market.
At least to me we have drawn a reasonable conclusion of two happenings—Sharp launching Smart Office and Doug Albregts joining Marco.
We plan to interview Doug soon and will certainly discuss Marco’s plans for the Smart Office. We also look forward to visiting Marco’s annual technology showcase in 2020. I say the odds are 2 to 1 Sharp’s version of the Smart Office will be on prominent display when we do visit.
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