Dealers--More Than Middle Men
When consumable margins began to tumble, and a groundswell was created by the bundling philosophy and competition to bring down electronic imaging pricing, the ability of manufacturers to sustain these technical services diminished.
The Evolution of TPP
"Thus, the evolution of the third-party service provider (TPP) . . . This evolution, while still very young and not yet universally accepted, is also changing the way service suppliers and manufacturers are dealing with printers," Faughnan explains. "TPPs that generally service more than one manufacturer's equipment can now provide support to multiple pieces of equipment at a site, making it easier for a printer to protect its equipment investment. Previously, the printer would need to deal with multiple manufacturers for technical and applications support; they need now only deal with one, making consistency of delivery and ownership possible."