Linking up the industry’s leading array of print-focused software into one integrated offering will give printers an end-to-end workflow at every point. Patrick Howard reports from Las Vegas.
No one has as many different soft wares for the printing industry as EFI, a fact that becomes plain in the Connect meeting space at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. I counted 16 demonstration booths for software alone, not counting the number Vutek inkjets on display.
In a year when the pace of acquisitions slowed for the software giant, although revenue at around (US)$790 million continues to climb towards the magic $1 billion target in 2016 targeted by the CEO, Guy Gecht, rearranging the product line is the main focus. According to Gaby Matsliach, the new GM for productivity software, the move towards the integrated offering will future proof printers’ investment in the company’s products.
At the opening session of the largest ever EFI Connect conference two hours ago, he announced the launch this quarter of a comprehensive portfolio of products to be framed as the Productivity Suite. With centralised portfolio product management to ensure that the different elements are always released together for rapid deployment, the aim is to make end-to-end workflow available as a single investment.
With almost every software in the hall is wearing a ‘new’ badge on them signalling different versions, bringing them all to market at the same time is a major strategic advantage. It means there will be no bottlenecks with previous iterations when new and faster software is launched.
New products, such at Metrix and DirectSmile, will now be seamlessly developed alongside the more foundational programs such as Monarch, Pace, Radius and PrintSmith. While printers will still be able to buy updates and products as standalone modules, the intention clearly is to give the printing industry an out-of-the-box Productivity Portfolio, similar no doubt to the way Adobe has developed its Creative Suite (CS) offerings.
EFI is a more balanced company at this Connect with Mark Olin, CFO, (pictured on thumbnail) announcing that its revenue is now evenly split between inkjet and software. While there’s no doubt the star product continues to be the Fiery RIP, Vutek’s move into LED wide format has given the technology a significant advantage. It provides a significant offset to the development focus of software and workflow.
Olin sounded confident that the massive investment from EFI in research and development would continue to keep the Fiery RIP ahead of the game. Xerox, Konica Minolta, Canon & Ricoh are all here and all have new Fierys to drive their latest releases.
The opening session of the Connect Conference was short and sweet with attendees splitting up into smaller focus groups to get down to the details of the industry’s leading intelligence offerings. Over the next few days I will be sitting in on some of them to find out what’s new and how it affects overall workflow.
See you soon.