Special Feature | Vendor Focus
HP Inc
In October 2014, HP CEO Meg Whitman finally confirmed what industry pundits had suspected for some time – the company would be split in two. Hewlett-Packard Enterprise would take care of HP’s enterprise technology infrastructure, software and service businesses. HP Inc would comprise the company’s PC and printing businesses. Finally, on 2 November 2015, Whitman rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to signal the formal beginning of the two new companies. OPI caught up with Thomas Jensen, VP of Worldwide Channel Sales Strategy at HP Inc, to find out more about the new business and its future. OPI: Let’s start with your goals. What are the short, medium and long-term plans for HP Inc? Thomas Jensen: We are more focused and agile than ever before. We are committed to excelling within our core business – reinvigorating printing and leading the charge in multi-form factor personal systems. Also, we will tap into growth opportunities through natural adjacencies, such as capturing A3 copier pages, and expand commercial mobility. We are strategically positioned for the future where inputs and outputs will be seamless and intuitive. We will lead in 3D printing and drive immersive computing. OPI: What will be the main focus of the print side of the division this year – especially with falling supplies sales and lower revenues? TJ: HP has been the market leader in print for more than 30 years. We believe our leadership position can be leveraged to expand the market, improve supplies trajectory and capture pockets of growth. We will do this with disruptive innovation – technology, solutions and new business models that deliver better experiences for our customers. In the core, we will reinvigorate the home and grow business share. For the home, you will see us continue to delight customers by making printing easier, producing more desirable products, and accelerating new business models including HP Instant Ink and HP Ink Advantage. For the business market, we are differentiating with security, growing managed print services and solutions, and strengthening our portfolio with new JetIntelligence and PageWide offerings. Plus, with our new-found agility, we now have the opportunity to invest and win in new and growing markets, including graphics and 3D. OPI: You mention 3D printing. What stage of development are you at? TJ: In 2014, we announced our vision for 3D printing and unveiled HP Multi Jet Fusion, a revolutionary technology engineered to resolve critical gaps in the combination
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of speed, quality and cost, and deliver on the future potential of 3D printing. We will unveil our first 3D printing system later this year. We view 3D printing as an extension of HP’s 30+ years of print leadership and a significant part of our future. We also believe that we are on the cusp of the next industrial revolution, and that 3D printing will drive a seismic shift in manufacturing workflows and production. OPI: What are HP Inc’s plans for OP resellers? TJ: Our success would not be possible without our valued channel partners. Office resellers and contract stationers are independent extensions of us and important partners in our Partner First ecosystem. The new HP Partner First programme drives growth and profitability for these partners with streamlined programmes and sales and support tools, helping them succeed in today’s rapidly changing market.
“Office resellers and contract stationers are independent extensions of us and important partners in our Partner First ecosystem” Our mission is to support our partners by being: first in speed and agility; first in simple and consistent operations; and, through increased speed and simplicity, driving growth and profitability. We are focused on accelerating channel partner growth and dedicated to delivering innovative products and solutions such as HP Instant Ink, as well as a simple and clear partner programme. OPI: What’s happening with Instant Ink? TJ: The response to HP Instant Ink has been overwhelmingly positive. The programme was developed to address customer concerns about the cost of ink, the frustration that comes with running out of ink, and the worry about the environmental impact of supplies. The beauty of the service is that it provides solutions to all of these pain points, giving customers huge savings, leveraging Internet of Things technology to automatically order and ship replacement ink to a customer before they run out, and facilitating a worry-free recycling process. The HP Instant Ink programme is available in the US, Canada, UK, Germany and France, with additional markets planned for the future. Thomas Jensen