Kevin O’Donnell started on the technical side of the business but quickly moved into sales operations, and is now the head of marketing for its graphic communications business
Pushing boundaries of productivity
What is your own history in the print industry?
Typically, the print industry is made up of two types of people: those
who join because it is a family profession, and those who fall into it
by accident—I certainly fit into the latter category. That said, both my
father-in-law and brother-in-law are printers, they even have Xerox
machines (on their own volition I should add).
I started my career at Thorn EMI, an IT business which has since
demerged. I was assigned to a printing project and I have not looked
back since. I have now been at Xerox for over 30 years. Whilst I started
on the technical side of the business, I quickly moved into sales
operations and am now the head of marketing for its graphic
communications business.
My passion—outside of the actual products—has always been understanding
what makes our customers tick, why they need the technology, and then
coming together to help them make the most of it. I love meeting our
customers, they are the real people at the coalface of this industry,
producing business and communication-based innovation for their
customers.
I love meeting our customers, they are the real people at the coalface of this industry”
What is Xerox’s most exciting technology currently?
Tricky question. From my perspective, the Versant range really pushes
the boundaries of productivity and capability in the entry-level
production space, whilst the I Gen and Colour Press sit head and
shoulders above anything else in the production colour market. It is
fantastic, for example, to see new market opportunities open up for
digital printers who can now use the I Gen’s additional colours. These
now include white and the Colour Press to produce gold and silver.
Xerox’s white dry ink for the Xerox I Gen 5 press means products like this postcard can be created with textured details
We also have our family of inkjet printers, each of which offers
something different—whether that is the cut-sheet Brenva or the Rialto’s
ability to run small-format reel to cut-sheet. We are also particularly
proud of the Xerox Trivor, which is transforming the high-end inkjet
landscape with its high quality and ability to produce on coated or
uncoated stock. This is really unique in the marketplace.
Saying that, the piece of technology that most excites me at the moment
is workflow, specifically our Free Flow Core software. It is one of our
smallest, and least expensive products, but it packs a real punch and
customers get really bought into it once they understand how it could
impact their operations. Xerox has a strong heritage in integrating
automation technologies and workflows. We are really bringing this to
the table with Free Flow Core, which allows printers to produce more in a
timely manner, freeing them from repetitive tasks and enabling them to
concentrate on running a successful business.
The largest Xerox reseller, Xeretec, exhibited at The Print Show. How was the exhibition?
It was great to be part of The Print Show in October and we were very
pleased that Xeretec flew the Xerox flag so well. I spent some time at
the show and saw good levels of interest, particularly around our
Versant 3100 and 180 products, and the ability to wrap workflow around
them. From my experience speaking to customers and other attendees, the
event seemed to be a great success.
Xerox’s Versant 180 press saw good levels of interest at The Print Show this year, says O’Donnell
What avenues of growth are open to print-service-providers today and how can Xerox help?
The print market typically reflects the activity and movement within the
general market, many people consider it to be a bellwether industry. We
are certainly seeing opportunities for growth as businesses make the
move from physical to digital. In my experience, printers which ensure
they are at the centre of that conversation are gaining real traction in
the UK marketplace.
We also encourage many of our customers to apply their expertise in
different ways in order to drive growth. Take the packaging industry as
an example—a digital printer can do a fantastic job of carton
production, but the end-client is now looking for more. They want a
print capability that integrates within their supply chain, that means
shorter runs, faster turnarounds, and the ability to personalise the
product. In the last couple of years, this has created a huge
opportunity for open-minded and ambitious printers to expand their
offering.
Xerox can help in lots of ways. I like to characterise it by the three
‘r’s’ of getting things right. The first ‘r’ is helping you identify the
right business model and making sure that you are running a business
which is tailored to your target market. The second ‘r’ is getting the
right workflow in place, and integrating and automating in order to free
up employee time for more skilled tasks.
The third ‘r’ is choosing the right technology and the breadth of the
Xerox portfolio ensures that we can offer a scalable solution that suits
your business needs today, as well as allowing for growth and expansion
in the future. Whether you are a small-to-medium print-centric business
looking to expand, or at the industrial end of the marketplace, our
portfolio is tailored to both ends of the spectrum.
Can you explain how your Set the Page Free platform can benefit print-service-providers?
We introduced Set The Page Free at the very beginning of this year, when
Xerox started its new chapter as a $11bn (£8.29bn) Fortune 500 company.
It is based on the principle that Xerox is now purely focused on how we
help the world communicate and enabling people to move between their
physical and digital worlds with ease. It is an exciting opportunity
when you consider that printing has historically been a ‘physical’
industry, and is now evolving to ensure customers can also enter their
digital world and back again.
Set The Page Free really pays tribute to the value Xerox has created
since the company was founded, which started with helping people work,
communicate, and collaborate. Last month, we brought this concept to
life by launching a free e-book entitled Speaking of Work: A Story of
Love, Suspense, and Paperclips, which is a collaboration between 14 award-winning international writers and tells
stories about the modern workplace. It is funny and heartwarming, and we
have had a great response so far.
We hope it resonates with print-service-providers in the UK as it can
facilitate the conversations they are having with their customers. If we
accept that the modern workplace is not a physical location anymore—but
the ability to communicate, connect, and work from anywhere—it opens up
all sorts of discussions around modern technology. It might be how to
manage documents electronically, print personalised messages, or
streamline production workflows for example, all of which come back to
the concept of setting the page free.
What are Xerox’s plans for future growth?
2017 has been a milestone year for us, from the separation into two
independent publicly traded companies on January 1st through to the
biggest product launch in the company’s history (Connect Key) just a few
months later.
2017 has been a milestone year for us, from the separation into two
independent publicly traded companies on January 1st through to the
biggest product launch in the company’s history (Connect Key) just a few
months later”
For 2018, we are focused on investing in the industry’s high-growth
areas, such as inkjet, packaging, and high-value application segments.
Within these areas we are really looking for the next big innovation, to
push boundaries of what is possible, similarly to what we did with the
Trivor and its high fusion ink which has represented a sea change within
inkjet. Our legacy for innovation is based on bringing real-life,
tangible, and deliverable solutions to the benefit of our print
customers. We are committed to continuing this tradition.
Key Company Stats
- Xerox separated into 2 independent publicly traded companies
- O’Donnell has been at Xerox for 30+ years
- Xerox is now a Fortune 500 company
- Versant 3100 and 180 popular at Print Show
For the full interview go to www.printmonthly.com and search ‘O’Donnell’
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