Pay Attention--New Panasonic A4 Strategy Adeptly Positions Company For Recovering SMB Market
February 26. 2010 - While most office-imaging vendors are stilling clinging to their A3 (11"x17") office-imaging strategy, Wirth Consulting believes Panasonic's decision to focus on A4 (8.5"x14") systems well positions the company for penetrating the recovering SMB (small and mid-size business) market.
Vendors who continue to cling to A3 are being short-sighted; the need for A3 is small as it is, and will continue to shrink. While some may argue that in-house production of large-format documents such as brochures, collaterals, etc., is critical, it's more likely that these documents will increasingly be distributed electronically (via e-mail, Internet and intranet, etc.). Moreover, current research indicates that only 10 percent to less than 2.5 percent of office workers print on A3-size paper. For nearly any organization, that means that it would be better off investing in a dedicated low-volume A3 printer/copier--with the rest of the workforce using less expensive, less energy-intensive, and more compact A4 imaging equipment. And, with companies large and small poised to begin spending again on technology equipment, but still keeping an ever-wary eye on spending, the fact that A4 systems cost at least one-third less than A3 systems makes them a no-brainer.
Wirth Consulting recently had the opportunity to evaluate Panasonic's newest A4 offering, the DP-MB350 (right), a 35-ppm monochrome office MFP with a list price of $1,999 (which is about 33 percent lower than list pricing for a major competitor's A3 offering in this segment). We put the DP-MB350 through extensive testing--painstakingly evaluating not just "speeds and feeds," but the complete end-user experience, from un-boxing, to initial setup, to replacing supplies, and using software. We were particularly impressed with the following:
- Hardware setup of the DP-MB350 is incredibly easy and fast--dealers take note that your service technician will literally require just about 5 minutes to remove the system from its shipping carton and set up. Better yet, your customer can do it. Why? Unlike with most systems, there are no components (such as duplex unit, paper drawer, etc.) to unpack and install, and no protective tape, cardboard, etc. to remove. There are no screws, adapters, brackets, etc. to deal with, and there's minimal packaging, which means minimal waste disposal. Even toner and drum are pre-installed.
- When it came to speeds-and-feeds, the DB-MB350 put in rock-solid performance. Indeed, in network-print mode, the DP-MB350 actually clocked at 37.32 ppm (exceeding Panasonic's rated 35 ppm print speed) when printing our 10-page Adobe Acrobat test document.
- Spec-wise, the DX-MB350 doesn't skimp. There's a standard 10Base-T/100Base-TX Ethernet network interface (and optional wireless network connectivity), 50-sheet automatic duplexing document feeder, automatic duplexing printing, and 520-sheet paper capacity (expandable to 1,040 sheets). Also covered is document distribution with color scan to e-mail, computer workstations, and FTP servers. Panasonic includes its user-friendly Quick Image Navigator software for managing scanned documents from the computer workstation, document distribution, and for advanced document management of scanned and saved files. Document distribution is also provided via Super Group 3 walkup fax, fax archiving, and LAN and PC fax.
- Ease-of-use is top-notch--from a modern, attractive control panel, to straightforward software.
- Image quality was also very good--resolution was good, text was clear and crisp, and printed photographic output displayed smooth halftones and shading.
As Terry Wirth, president of Wirth Consulting, notes in the DP-MB350's WYSK Hands-On Test Report, “The DP-MB350 represents a new order in the world of office-machine sales, distribution and support. The DP-MB350 features an office-machine look, feel and performance at a fraction of the price of the typical A3 MFP. Coupled with literally five-minute installation, solid software, minimal support requirements, and elegantly simple operation, office-machine dealers should relish the opportunity to market the DP-MB350. End users will benefit from a solid A4 office machine with fast tested print speeds, and state-of-the-art user friendliness and top-notch software.”
KX-MB3020 For Retail Channel
For the retail channel, Panasonic is marketing the KX-MB3020, which is also based on a 35-ppm monochrome print engine, and has a list price of $499.00. As Terry Wirth notes, "It's one of the few devices in its class that provides office-machine look, feel and performance, 10-minute hardware installation, minimal support requirements, elegantly simple operation and restrained but state-of-the-art software.”
As with the DP-MB350, image quality is sufficient for virtually all office-imaging applications, and we clocked the system at 36.59 ppm printing our 10-page Adobe Acrobat test document. Hardware setup was a quick 10 minutes (toner and drum must be installed), and combined network and software installation took all of just 10 minutes. Spec-wise, all the bases are covered: standard Ethernet network connectivity, automatic duplexing document feeder, and automatic duplex printing. For document distribution, there's color scan to computer workstation, OCR application, e-mail addresses, and FTP sites.
From our vantage point, as more companies and customers recover from the economic recession, many will be re-assessing their A3 needs more than ever, and will welcome low-cost A4 systems that can get the job done at a cost that's just a fraction of that for A3 systems. In the near future, we wouldn't be surprised to see more A4 systems from PANASONIC that feature color and/or document finishing.