THE YEAR AHEAD: MURATEC
February 11, 2008 – Muratec’s Lou Stricklin discussed
the company’s plans for its first color MFPs, the planned launch of an open
architecture software platform, as well as the increasing competition in the
MFP market from printer-based manufacturers as part of our continuing
series on the year ahead.
Muratec has come a long way from its fax-based
manufacturing roots, adding copiers and monochrome MFPs over the last few
years. Now, according to Lou Stricklin, marketing manager at Muratec, one of
the biggest goals for the company is the introduction of its first color MFPs.
The first two devices in Segments 1 and 2 will be developed by another
manufacturer. According to Stricklin, the units will be positioned in the
copier space because Muratec intends to offer aggressive cost-per-copy pricing
and service. The devices should be available early in the second quarter.
The third product, with a maximum A3 (11" x
17") paper size, will be Muratec-manufactured and scheduled for release in
late summer. A fourth product may be announced in the second half of the year.
The four units will have tandem engines, so the monochrome and color speeds
will be almost identical.
The second big goal for 2008 is the launch of an open
architecture software platform. Stricklin explained that the platform, which is
a Muratec-manufactured firmware update, will for the first time allow users to
use a Muratec MFP to capture metadata from a scanned document and then send
that data to a document management solution, such as DocuWare or Documentum.
The firmware will be made available for the MFX-1450
and MFX-2050
MFPs, which offer speeds of 14 ppm and 20 ppm, respectively. “Since Muratec’s
niche has always been low-end segment models, we always try to produce
innovative features that separate us from the competition. The launch of the
open platform is a first for Muratec and we expect our MFP customers who are
using document management solutions to greatly benefit from this feature,” said
Stricklin.
Stricklin explained that there are two big challenges
for Muratec in 2008. The first is the increasing competition from traditional
printer-based manufacturers such as HP and Lexmark. “We see the same
competition the dealer channel sees. The HPs of the world are entering the MFP
space so we have to continue to make strides in producing reliable, easy-to-use
products that offer aggressive supplies and cost-per-page pricing.”
Stricklin noted that one of Muratec’s limitations is
that it is not a full-line manufacturer. “As a result of our ‘low-end niche,’
we have to continually show value to dealers and make them realize that they
should do business with Muratec because we are an easy company to work with.” While
the company has no plans, at least for 2008 and 2009, to manufacture MFP
products beyond Segment 2, because most of the major manufacturers concentrate
on the higher-speed segments, Muratec enjoys a strong market share in Segments
1 and 2, Stricklin said.
The second challenge Muratec faces in 2008 is the
eroding fax-centric multifunction market. But this may be a blessing in
disguise according to Stricklin, because as the fax-centric market is losing
customers most of the primary manufacturers are no longer making fax-centric
devices and Muratec is picking up some of this business. In fact, the
government sales team at Muratec still receives many bids from state and
federal governments for fax-centric devices. Muratec is also adding
enhancements to the new F-525
and F-565
fax units, which are replacing the F-520 and F-560, respectively. “Muratec has
built fax units with enhancements to be more than just analog devices. In
addition, all of our fax units are network ready out of the box,” said
Stricklin. The new e-mail gateway feature enables the fax unit to connect to a
fax server application such as Captaris’ RightFax or LightningFAX; address book
locations have increased from 300 to 1,000; Secure Print restricts documents
from being printed until a user enters a PIN code at the device; and the print
on demand feature allows users to print a document from a network folder from
the device.
While some of the primary manufacturers are
establishing IT reseller channels, Muratec has no intention of establishing one
in 2008. Stricklin said that all of Muratec’s distribution is via the Business
Technology Association (BTA) channel. At one point, Muratec sold its products
through retail stores and VARs, but as retail sales declined due to competition
from Brother along with retail stores selling “very good equipment,” Muratec
dropped out of retail and joined the BTA. “The BTA channel has been a very nice
fit for Muratec. Unlike selling in retail, no advertising is required, and
taking calls from dealer sales teams is less cumbersome than taking retail
calls.” Stricklin noted, however, that a number of Muratec dealers see more opportunity
to sell MFPs in conjunction with software and solutions, so some may establish
relationships with IT resellers who provide such capabilities.
