Features

How four office technology mega dealers got to be so big.

This Navy veteran, once a sonar expert on a nuclear submarine, works for All Copy Products in Colorado.

After four decades of conducting our Annual Dealer Survey, we know how change is ever-present for office technology dealers in their ongoing quest for fresh, recurring revenue streams and improved profitability.

From revenue streams to supplier breakdowns, here are 12 key takeaways from this year’s Annual Office Technology Dealer Survey in The Cannata Report.

Eighty percent of this year’s office technology dealer respondents generated revenue of less than $14 million in 2024, according to The Cannata Report’s 40th Annual Dealer Survey.

OEMs Ricoh and Sharp tie for first in the A3 printer/MFP category, while Kyocera leads in the A4 segment of the market, according to ithe 415 ndependent office technology dealers who took The Cannata Report’s 40th Annual Survey.

Managed Print Services (MPS) is the second-highest source of revenue, accounting for 13.2% of overall revenue among office technology dealers surveyed. However, several dealers integrate MPS in their overall A3 and A4 financials, so the actual percentage is probably higher. Taken together, the MPS and A3/ A4 (65.7%) revenue percentages add up to 78.9%.

Overall, more than $400 million of dealer revenue in 2024 was derived from the sale and service of toner or inkjet production printing digital presses, the Cannata Report’s 40th Annual Dealer Survey reveals.

Overall, managed IT services represented 7.6% of office technology dealer revenue in 2024.

Overall, managed IT services represented 7.6% of office technology dealer revenue in 2024.

Forty-five percent (187 office technology dealers) of Survey participants indicated they planned to purchase a fellow dealership or service company in 2025.

Perspectives: Reflecting on how the industry has transformed over four decades of change in the office technology channel.

Canon to fully expand its office MFP brand imageFORCE, emphasizing high image quality to promote in-house printing in offices.

After a decade, what’s really new with managed print services? Has MPS truly evolved? Is it even necessary for smaller customers?

The current generation of A4 MFPs offer high speeds, advanced finishing, and enterprise-grade security, matching the performance of many legacy A3 devices in the office technology space.

When it comes to managed information technology (IT) services, waiting is not an option for dealers wanting to understand how customers need and want to use artificial intelligence.

The traditional imaging business holds on, but managed IT is it for 34-year-old Pennsylvania dealer Ford Office Technologies and Johnathan Garlow, its 40-something leader.

This military veteran was a Security Forces Guard who once protected U.S. Generals stationed in Europe. Now, he recruits, coaches and helps to develop sales associates at Impact Networking in Indiana.

Some major news this summer was Kyocera’s cutsheet inkjet production printing partnership with Xerox, which is now under new leadership. But that isn’t the only headline that grabbed our attention . . . .

From interior designers and architects to in-plant shops, “print will always be there,” Frank Romano says, which is why OEMs are investing in textile printing technology.

Photos of where we were in August: namely, in Cleveland for a tech event hosted by Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises (DME) and its new subsidiary, Ohio Business Machines.

OEM Seiko Epson doubles municipal high-speed MFP deployments in Japan; employs inkjet printing technology.

Looking ahead to 2035 and production printing: Why dealerships hold the key to in-sourcing’s next chapter.

From cost savings to new applications, inkjet printing opens the door to untapped revenue streams in the production space.

Especially considering the timeframe during the COVID-19 pandemic, what longtime dealer President & CEO Keith Allison has done with production printing at North Carolina-based Systel Business Equipment is nothing short of brilliant.