Document Imaging Vendors Focus On TechSelect Partners

Making their inaugural appearance at the TechSelect partner conference here Thursday, executives from the two vendors said the professional services margins in the document imaging business are up to 70 percent.

The document imaging business is Tech Data's fastest-growing specialized business unit (SBU). Tech Data has five dedicated vendor product reps in the document imaging SBU and recently added a government field sales manager.

"The full-service solution provider is walking away from a big opportunity" by not getting into the document imaging business, said Wayne Crawley, vice president, Americas region, for Kodak's Document Imaging Systems division.

Kodak is set to unveil next year new state, local and federal government-focused programs for solution providers, Crawley said.

Solution providers are most successful selling $60,000 to $120,000 document imaging solutions, he said.

Don McMahan, senior director of sales for Fujitsu's Imaging Products Group, said many solution providers are looking to reduce their reliance on desktop systems in the wake of the turmoil surrounding the Hewlett-Packard/Compaq merger and are anxious to explore new business opportunities.

"The margin here is all about the services opportunity," McMahan said.

Fujitsu Monday will unveil its newest imaging product, the SI486 low-volume production color scanner, aimed at the midmarket with a $15,995 estimated street price, McMahan said. Fujitsu also is bringing to the table training, seminars and starter kits to help solution providers get into the document imaging business, he said.

The document imaging business is strongest within workgroups and departments in corporations, McMahan said. "People selling into the enterprise are having trouble, but people selling entry-level solutions are doing really well," he said.