PMA February 2010 : Page 11Connections industry. It’s a doubling down on our in- vestment in the business. PMA: Will your products continue to be interoperable with other manufacturers’ equipment? Giordano: Both companies see them- selves as the leaders in white-label tech- nology for photofinishing. Noritsu printers have worked with Fujifilm and Kodak ki- osks and third-party websites, and Lucidi- om kiosks have worked with other printers. That’s another reason the companies are a good fit. We aren’t in this game to say, “You must use Lucidiom and Noritsu, or else you are out of the business.” We’re in the game to say, “We’re here to help you be in the business, whether you need a printer, a kiosk, or the software to put them together.” PMA: What does this combination say about the future of the industry? Giordano: We don’t believe we are in the age of digital photography any more. As an industry, we were in the analog pho- tography business for 100-plus years. Then digital photography lasted from about 1998 to 2002. We believe, since 2002, the industry has been in this age of expression. The challenge most retailers have been hav- ing is, rather than deliver digital services, they should help customers express them- selves. Look at MySpace, Facebook, Twit- ter, and so on; it’s about social expression and people telling stories. As soon as retailers help customers tell stories, maybe through a folded greeting card – this is the age where we will see profitability. If you talk to innovative specialty retail- ers, they will tell you their finishing busi- ness is up 10 percent to 15 percent, and their margins increased. That’s because these retailers see the market is not about telling stories with a print, but telling sto- ries in ways customers want to tell them. In 2010 and 2011, we’re anticipating further adoption by the mass channel and photo specialty to this new way of thinking. As this business grows, mar- gins will increase. L’Heureux: The set of solutions the in- dustry offers will grow tremendously, but they are also going to be complicated; so they will turn to vendors like Noritsu and Lucidiom to deliver a more com- plete solution. Giordano: We see only growth oppor- tunities in the market. We think this in- dustry is on the verge of some serious growth. If you look at the 2009 trends in specialty photo, in particular, finish- ing has been strong; and margins have continued to improve with more creative products. We’re ramping into the curve. – BY GARY PAGEAU Be sociAl At PMA 2010 u PMA offers many ways to interact using social media, with Twitter feeds during PMA 2010, the PMA 2010 Blog, and a PMA 2010 photo group on Flickr. Tell others you’re attending PMA 2010, and become “a fan” of PMA on Facebook. Also, check the hash tags #pma2010 on Twitter for all PMA 2010-related tweets, no matter who posts them. PMA Newsline is also the place to read PMA 2010 news and product trends. Links can be found on www.pmai.org and www.pmai.org/pma2010. PMA 2010 is the place to get ideas and talk with peers face to face about what they are doing and what new waters they are treading. Online communities can also provide a way to consistently network, no matter where you are. KeeP uP with PMA 2010 news At PMA NewsliNe q The PMA Newsline website and daily news update, at www.pmanewsline.com, offers the most comprehensive and timely coverage of the PMA International Convention and Trade Show. Check in often on site for updates on new product announcements, industry updates, and business activities. PMA — February 2010 — www.pmai.org 11 Publication List |
