When widespread internet access became available in the 1990s, our ability to use it for improvement was limited. Bandwidth (speed) was poor; you had to be a software (programming) expert to build anything. It took a long time, and it cost a lot of money.
For a small office supplies business focused on day-to-day tasks and simple survival, neglecting longer-term objectives toward creating and preserving enterprise value is pretty straightforward. However, without a strategic plan addressing these objectives, a business will likely cease to exist.
As expected in a mature industry, imaging supplies are deep into their natural business cycle, with manufacturing, distribution, and retail all having experienced significant consolidation. In each of these channels, only a small number of large organizations remain.
Popular talk surrounding the print consumables market in North America has been about Clover Technologies Group as the dominant Aftermarket force, the appearance of "new-build" compatibles from Chinese manufacturers, and the ongoing legal battles waged by the OEMs against the aftermarket players.
