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The global printing company, Xerox, has been present in Romania since 1968. At that time, 5 copies were made per minute. Currently, approximately 140 pages are printed per minute.
Printers are becoming increasingly efficient, but clients are printing less and less. To meet sustainability requirements, companies are also trying to reduce paper consumption.
Print is dead. Long live print
Therefore, clients must be attracted differently. How exactly, we asked Ionuț Baciu, indirect sales manager at Xerox Romania.
I've been asked by friends, a few acquaintances. Sir, still at Xerox? But hasn't print disappeared? Now, with all this digitalization? What are you doing? Still working? I mean, does Xerox still exist? Yes, the answer is yes. Xerox exists and will continue to exist for a long time. We even have a saying, "Print is dead. Long live Print."
Why? Because over these 20-something years, we have reinvented ourselves. And even if you might think that print is disappearing and we're going to go bankrupt, well, no. We have made sure to do these things in a proper business manner. To reinvent ourselves, to transform.
The first transformation: changing the business model. From selling products to selling services. In the '90s, the company introduced the concept of printing services in Romania for the first time. Clients no longer have to buy the equipment,
they just rent it. Thus, they also avoid the hassle of repairs and recycling at the end of the life cycle.
The second transformation of the business model: digitalization. From a manufacturer of printers weighing tens of kilograms to a producer of lighter, multifunctional equipment that incorporates dozens of software applications.
Practically, through multiple internally developed digital solutions, the company that invented the first photocopy actually helps its clients to stop photocopying.
A paradox explained by Bogdan Cobuz, printing services manager at Xerox Romania.
Yes, it's somewhat a paradox. Because it's a market reality: printing volumes are decreasing, and it's normal for this to happen. Xerox, a leader in this field, tries to protect itself somehow and not lose interest or coverage with clients. For this reason, we have created a multitude of software applications that our clients use to improve their daily work at the office, increase their productivity, and enhance their security. And very importantly, we help them become sustainable.
By modifying processes and through technology, a century-old company manages to remain relevant. Because from a printing partner, it becomes a digital, security, and sustainability partner.
In 2024 (it was mistakenly written as 2014) the company manages to place 40,000 printing devices on the market. An increase of 10% compared to the previous year.
The change in the business model through digitalization and selling a "product as a service" is discussed in episode 15 of the campaign "Second Life. Circular Economy Models", produced by Asociația Soluții Sustenabile with the help of the environmental consultancy company Stratos. A project initiated to accelerate Romania's green transition by providing good practice examples from the business environment.
The other 14 episodes can be viewed here.
