Page 10 - BOSS Today Issue 12

Office machines

Computers and printers may be well established, but two other

machines are also growing in popularity in today’s offices

hink of the phrase “office insists that the demise isn’t quite In our brief survey two productivity through digitalised
Tmachines” and two examples as drastic as you might expect. machines in particular come up workflows, turning hard copy
immediately spring to mind. He says the fax machine is still – scanners and shredders. The documents into shareable digital
Computers, obviously. They in “holding it’s own as a back up fact that they are both proving information. They enable workers
all their diversity are probably for when the email server dies popular could be seen as a sign to scan various different types
the one machine more than any or in busy sales departments of how office life as a whole of documents at once with
other that has revolutionised that deal with a diverse range is moving away from keeping multipage detection, creating
the way offices work today. of customers with differing everything recorded on pieces searchable PDFs to organise
And then you might think of technology capabilities”. He of paper. documents quickly into digital
printers as well, possibly more admits, however, that even then First, scanners. Jones at databases.”
in the background now but still they are morphing so that faxing Brother UK is incredibly confident
muttering away quietly. is included as a function in more about them, quoting InfoSource Linked in
But what about all the other multifunctional devices like forecasts claiming that the Olivetti too, sees a noticeable
machines that make up many of multifunction printers (MFPs). market for single function move towards scanning. UK
today’s offices? How is the market So what, then, are the real scanners is expected to double in marketing manager Alison Locke
for them developing? Some big hits of today? What are the size between 2011 and 2014. says: “We do still do A4 and A3
products like the fax machine ancillary machines that really are He says it is easy to MFP products, but they are
seem to have declined in proving something of a money understand why. “The new breed becoming much more linked
importance, although Phil Jones, earner for the well-focused of high-speed, compact desktop in with the internet so you can
UK country head at Brother UK, dealer? and mobile scanners help drive scan in what you see on there.

10 BOSS TODAY | May/June 2012

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