Tag: sharp

SMEs will invest in technology whatever the cost

Posted on June 1, 2023 by - News

New research commissioned by Sharp claims, SMEs will continue to invest in technology, despite serious concerns over rising costs.

The research surveyed 5,770 SMEs across Europe, including 502 in the UK, the most significant area of investment focused on IT security, hardware upgrades and server updates for the next 12 months.

Looking at investment levels, more than half UK SMEs plan to invest over £20,000 in IT this year, with five per cent expecting to invest north of £100,000.

Businesses said they intended to invest in new hardware (33 per cent) and server upgrades (28 per cent) throughout 2023. This is in addition to security and business continuity (34 per cent) which were also highlighted as key areas for investment, Sharp said.

Cloud migration was a lower priority for UK businesses with only 21 per cent interested.  In Europe a third of firms planned to embark on cloud migration projects as they continue to deal with the challenges of hybrid working.

Sharp UK makes a “get back to work package”

Posted on December 16, 2021 by - News

Sharp UK launched a range of new technology stuff designed to support the safety of employees upon their return to the office.

The new solutions include: an updated Optimised Visitor Management system; the Communicate and Collaborate furniture range; and the Plasmacluster Air Purifier.

Sharp saw an opportunity to market such packages in June when it surveyed more than 6,000 office workers in small-to-medium sized businesses across Europe and found that over half claimed it was important for them to be able to meet with and work with colleagues physically. In addition, almost 58 percent said that working in a dynamic office environment had become more important since the pandemic.

Sharp launches new partner programme

Posted on September 17, 2021 by - News

Sharp Business Systems UK has revised its partner programme to reduce the reliance on using hardware sales as the main performance indicator.

Apparently, the outfit has been chatting to its partners and customers to make sure both understand that the business offers more than just the traditional printers.

Sharp dealer sales director Paul Leach said COVID-19 necessitated a new way of thinking.

“We knew our previous programme needed to evolve with the changing marketplace. The new programme has been designed to meet the needs of our partners and help them meet customer demand for practical, relevant and cost-effective solutions. We see the programme as a partnership. We wanted to develop and create a partner programme that is aspirational to the dealers we partner with, and ultimately leads to a successful relationship for both sides”, Leach said. 

Sharp UK scores a place on CPC framework

Posted on July 28, 2021 by - News

Sharp UK has been awarded a position as a supplier on the Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC) framework for Multifunctional Devices and Digital Transformation Solutions.

For those not in the know, the CPC framework is a resource for education and public sector institutions to find print and digital technology suppliers, providing compliance with UK Public Contracts Regulations through approved companies, ensuring value for money and saving time for purchasers.

The new CPC framework has recently expanded to include a wide range of digital transformation services, such as IT services and hardware, audio visual solutions, electronic document management, telecoms and cloud services which Sharp is now able to supply via the framework to its members and the wider UK public sector.

Sharp has been involved with the CPC framework since 2017, when it was first awarded a place as an MFD and print consultancy supplier. The company will now be able to offer a wider range of services to public sector customers through the newly expanded framework – including AV technology, IT services, telephony, and a greater variety of print services.

Sharp forms new Euro IT division

Posted on March 24, 2021 by - News

Sharp Europe has formed a new European IT Services division following the acquisition of ITpoint.

For those who came in late ITpoint was a Swiss IT Services Company that provides a suite of integrated solutions and managed service for the workplace. This acquisition further expands Sharp’s service offering. The formation of Sharp’s European IT Services division establishes its status as a digital transformation provider.

Sharp’s new European IT Services division will be led by founder of CIT, Colin Blumenthal, who is the newly appointed Vice President IT Services Europe.

Blumenthal said: “This is an important strategic milestone which will transform Sharp’s business in Europe, and enable us to continue to invest and focus on growing a service portfolio that adapts to the changing needs of our current and future customers. Further expanding this new division of our business is a strategic priority, and we are excited to bring these new offerings and add value to our customer base across Europe”.

Sharp Europe partners with TeamViewer

Posted on May 20, 2020 by - News

Sharp Europe has shacked up with market  remote access technology outfit, TeamViewer. The partnership will enable Sharp’s software partners to easily connect via TeamViewer to selected displays and support customers’ visual solutions needs remotely, it’s claimed.

The next-generation remote technology allows full remote control of a screen including: installing and uninstalling apps, reviewing device configuration at a glance, exchanging files with the display, as well as other remote access features that can be accessed at any time from a connected device.

Sharp teams up with BITVU on Screenspace

Posted on October 29, 2019 by - News

Sharp Business Systems UK announced a partnership with BITVU to resell its Screenspace digital signage solution.

Screenspace is a small form factor, Wi-Fi enabled Freedom media player, a CMS built on Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allows content to be easily uploaded, customised and displayed remotely from a computer or the Screenspace App for iOS and Android. Screenspace will be available on all of Sharp’s Professional Display models.

Sharp Europe hires Ian Barnard

Posted on April 17, 2019 by - Moving People

Sharp Europe has hired Ian Barnard as European General Manager, Visual Solutions. He will be responsible for managing and developing Sharp’s Visual Solutions business across Europe, driving forward Sharp’s sales and product strategy.

Barnard brings more than 25 years’ experience in strategic development at some of the world’s largest technology and electronics businesses, including Sony and Canon. He has spent 15 years in either global or pan-European leadership roles and has a track record of launching professional technology products. He will be based at Sharp’s European head office in Stockley Park, London.

Barnard said: “This is an exciting time to join Sharp, now that we can offer a full range of products and solutions that answer every vertical from corporate to education, from retail to transport. I look forward to building on the success of our new product portfolio, and developing strong relationships with our factories, our partners and our customers to ensure we continue to deliver engaging propositions.”

Alexander Hermann, President, Sharp Information Systems Europe, said, “Ian will play an essential role in bringing sustainable growth to our product portfolio as we continue to invest heavily in new technologies. With experienced leadership alongside our strongest ever range of products, we are in a position to assert our leadership in corporate meetings but also in new areas such as 8K.”

 

Sharp bucks printer trend

Posted on April 12, 2019 by - News

Bean counters at IDC have added up some numbers and divided them by their collective shoe size and worked out that Sharp has achieved the highest growth rate of any office equipment supplier in the last 12 months.

IDC said Sharp flogged 16 percent more multifunction printers sold in 2018 compared to 2017’s results.

What’s significant about Sharp’s performance is not only shipments but also a value growth of nine percent, which places it in the top four manufacturers for that particular metric measured in IDC’s Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, Q4 2018 study.

Peter Plested, from Sharp, said: “Sharp continues to grow thanks to our focus on designing smart, secure devices with easy-to-use intelligent features, that let people save time on the tasks they perform the most. Last year we refreshed our A3 range and launched new A4 devices with the same operation across the whole line; we see the sales results as a further endorsement of this refresh.”

However, the rest of the report didn’t show such a positive overall faring for the printer market. The sector decreased 4.8 percent year over year to approximately 26.7 million units in the fourth quarter of 2018, and it was HP that stopped the results slipping further into the red, with a 3.6 percent increase in shipments. The company posted a 1.9 percent increase in shipments over the entire year.

All other leading manufacturers posted a significant decline – with the biggest losses for Epson – its shipments were down 15.2 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2017. The majority of growth was experienced in the Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) and US markets, rather than any European territories.

4K telly market booms

Posted on July 12, 2017 by - News

television-exploding-biz-2015-billboard-650The global 4K TV market is expected to reach $380.9 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research.

The beancounters claimed that the evolving nature of the consumer electronic industry, advancements in graphic engines of televisions, increased pressure on manufacturers to reduce prices, and popularity of the ultra-high definition technology and its advantages have fueled the demand for UHD televisions in the past few years.

Latest graphic processors permit advanced technical image formats and have improved the content quality significantly hence, they are widely used in production and distribution of UHD content. Customers are getting accustomed to using such contents, which is further anticipated to spur the market growth.

The 52-65 inches’ segment dominated the global 4K TV market in 2016 since this segment has a wide range of product offering at different price points. Moreover, the adoption of novel technologies, such as Quantum dot LEDs (QLEDs) and Super UHD (SUHD) and decreasing prices of 4K TVs are expected to catapult the segment demand over the forecast period.

Televisions belonging to this range have high penetration rates as compared to the others. However, the above 62 inches’ screen size segment is expected to witness the highest growth over the forecast period owing to the declining price trend of 4K TVs coupled with increasing disposable incomes of individuals globally.

The global UHD TV market is expected to witness a CAGR exceeding 20 percent  from 2017 to 2025 owing to the changing consumer preference from HD to UHD technology along with increasing demand for high-end home products

Moreover, increasing penetration of ultra-high-speed internet, particularly in developed regions including metropolitan cities are expected to favorably impact the 4K TV market growth over the coming years.

The 52 – 65 inches’ segment accounted for the largest share in 2016, which is accredited to increasing penetration of 4K TVs in the higher economic class; however, with decline in TV prices the above 65-inch screen size segment pose high growth opportunities

The Asia Pacific region accounted over 40 percent  of the overall revenue share in 2016 and is also expected to dominate over the forecast period owing to the huge adoption along with declining prices of 4K televisions

A few key players who captured a significant market share in 2016 were Samsung, LG Electronics, Sony, Hisense, and Sharp.

 

Sharp Display will remain independent

Posted on March 10, 2015 by - News

keep-calm-and-stay-sharp-5Sharp has given up on an idea which would see it merging its troubled display business with rival Japan Display.

Apparently the company has a technological advantage over its competitors so it makes sense to keep going.

Norikazu Hohshi, the head of Sharp’s device business ,told reporters at a briefing that looking at its  overall display business he believed it should be on its own.

Sharp is due to post its third annual net loss in four years, hurt by aggressive competition from its rival and weaker-than-expected Chinese smartphone demand.

That is not to say that Sharp has not got a cunning plan to pull its nadgers out of the fire. Apparently executives are compiling a new business plan and considering investing in new nadger pulling equipment.

Chief Executive Kozo Takahashi met with officials from its main lenders Mizuho Bank and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ last Thursday, although he did not request specific amounts or make promises about restructuring.

The difficulty is that Sharp is really short of cash and may need help.

The banks agreed in September 2012 to rescue Sharp with loans and credit lines worth 360 billion yen, or $3 billion at today’s exchange rates, in exchange for promises to return to the black by this year.

Sharp then exited the European TV market and closed solar-panel businesses in Europe and the United States. However things do not appear to have become any better,

Sharp readies cloud push

Posted on November 11, 2013 by - News, Products

Clouds in Oxford: pic Mike MageeSMEs are not taking sufficient advantage of the opportunities and cost advantages of the cloud, according to a survey by Sharp.

It has launched its Cloud Portal Office today, a subscription based model aimed at SMEs with data held at Amazon Cloud Services in Dublin.

Chris Hale, product manager of software at Sharp UK told ChannelEye that people running small to medium enterprises often didn’t realise the savings that could be made by having their data in the cloud, rather than in their offices. There were advantages from the security aspect too, with backups held remotely in case of fires or other catastrophes.

Hale said companies often had little idea how much it cost to maintain their own IT equipment costs.  The Cloud Portal offering, while launched today, will go live on the 2nd of December next giving it time to train its own direct and its channels’ indirect sales force.

SMEs, Sharp said, are “not only failing to realise the business benefits the cloud can bring, but also can lose control of networks and introducing vulnerabilities”.  Of the 1,500 plus employees surveyed across Europe, 83 percent didn’t think that they had an official cloud network in the workplace.

Sharp announces new head honcho

Posted on May 14, 2013 by - Moving People, News

sharplogoSharp has announced that it has made Kozo Takahashi its new president and CEO.

The Japanese company, which last week reported a loss of $5.4 billion, has said that the current executive vice president will take the president and CEO title from 25 June.

The announcement as part of a business reorganisation aimed at helping the company return to a profit in March 2014.

The company also needs to make repayments for a new loan in September.

Last week it was reported that the company was planning to axe 5,000 of its 51,000 workers over the next three years in China and Malaysia as well as halving the number of workers at its head offices and cutting its board members by half.

Sharp moves at the blunt end of financial disaster

Posted on March 8, 2013 by - News

calmaThere are some rubbing of paws in the Far East over Samsung’s odd move to invest in Sharp.

For ages the two have been rivals, so sudden moves to smoke a peace pipe is a bit like Apple and Microsoft saying that they had been mates all the time.

The move appears to mostly come from clever negotiating from Sharp which needs an alliance in flat-screen TVs and mobile phone handsets, but it also needs some cash badly.

Samsung appears happy to write a cheque for $111 million in exchange for a three per cent stake in the Osaka-based company. It is likely that it will see a return in its money by getting a stable supply channel of liquid-crystal display panels.

According to NPD DisplaySearch, Sharp has been a key supplier of 40-inch LCD panels to Samsung, shipping over 400,000 units per quarter as well as 200,000 units per quarter of 60-inch LCD panels.

A report into the deal said that Sharp started to ship 32-inch (LCD panels) to Samsung at the beginning of 2013.

This means that Samsung will be buying more than one million panels from Sharp and it does not want someone coming in and muscling in on its supply.

Samsung can concentrate on the development of the next-generation organic light-emitting diode displays (OLEDs), which it has yet to mass produce while keeping its foot in the door with a nice low-cost supply of LCD TV display panels from its new chum.

It also isolates Apple from its main panel supplier. Sharp is currently one of the top display panel suppliers for Apple as it produces displays for the iPhone at its Kameyama plant.

Sharp can’t be too choosy about where its money is coming from. It wanted to raise millions from Foxconn, last year. But the deal fell through because the companies could not agree on the stock price and because Foxconn wanted to tell Sharp what to do.

Even after the deal with Samsung signed, the company still needs more investment. There is talk that either Intel writing a cheque but that might stuff up Sharp’s agreement with Qualcomm to manufacture next-generation LCD panels for smartphones in return for cash investments from Qualcomm.
As it is Qualcomm is already giving Sharp a contract in return for a three per cent stake in the firm once the project is completed.