Final Word from Mike Gentile
So many old clichés are used today: ‘The times they are a-changin’; ‘It’s a new normal’; ‘We need to think outside the box’... Well, I have another one: ‘We need a new box’.I have...
Generation Game with Alex Bonarius
Having been presented with a great opportunity, I recently made the decision to change industry. I started work as International Business Manager at Rapesco Office Products, a manufacturer of stapling and punching products for...
Digital issue March 2017
To view a flip version of the March 2017 issue of OPI magazine please click the links below.Type A – Europe & UKType B – North America and ROWThe new OPI magazine app is published. Please click on...
Research Preview: Investigating the appeal of Amazon Business
Back in the summer of 2014, OPI and MWA published Swimming with Piranha, a market research report that investigated the use of Amazon for office products purchasing by B2B buyers in the US and...
Event Review: Paperworld 2017
A year ago, in our March 2016 issue, we said that Paperworld was “struggling for relevance” as an international platform for the evolving B2B business supplies channel. One year on and – quite frankly –...
Event Review: CORE Live 2017
Essendant’s biennial CORE Live event, held last month in Las Vegas, did not disappoint in terms of content and announcements. A new brand tagline of ‘Powering Possibilities’ was unveiled by CEO Bob Aiken as...
How To… Social selling demystified
Let’s set the scene. Originally understood as 2.0 forums or enhanced address books, social networks have blossomed into media or even metamedia. Their aim is to attract content – and lots of it. They...
Vendor Profile: Inspiring communication
Visual communications (viscom) leader Bi-silque is busy securing its future for both the company and its resellers through a strategy of product innovation, category and customer expansion, and digital transformation. Its laser-like focus is now...
Spotlight: CEP Office Solutions
CEP Office Solutions is well known for its range of desktop accessories, but it has recently found success in other OP categories, including breakroom, lighting and technology products. The man behind the company’s transformation,...
The double-edged sword of outsourcing sales
A firm staple of the North American office products landscape, manufacturer rep groups have evolved enormously over the years, so much so that their definition is often changed to the more comprehensive term of sales...
Adding to the value chain
OPI: What do you believe is the overall value of a manufacturer rep group in today’s business products industry? Kevin Schoen: Manufacturer rep groups have many services that they offer, but it’s important to realise...
Vendor Focus: In pursuit of excellence
While some may bemoan the lack of innovation in the business supplies industry, in reality all they have to do is simply have a good look around. There are still plenty of vendors that...
Hot Topic: Hello future
We all know that fads and trends can create losses or gains for businesses. We also know that companies need to be agile enough to move with the times – or likely face demise...
Big Interview: Posting the 3M message
Say 3M, think Post-it notes – arguably no other brand in this industry is as synonymous with the company that makes it. And that’s astonishing given the broad product portfolio that 3M has in...
Analysis: Wesfarmers to sell Officeworks
Wesfarmers is looking to cash in on Officeworks’ success and earn potentially in excess of A$1 billion (US$770 million), either via a sale or an IPO.Officeworks was acquired in 2007 as part of the...
Analysis: Amazon Business’s public sector land-grab
It’s no secret that Amazon Business has been looking to grow in the US public sector space following the hiring of the US government’s Chief Acquisition Officer Anne Rung in September 2016.Now public sector...
Comment March 2017
I can’t recall an issue of OPI in recent times when Amazon hasn’t been a major talking point in one way or another (or indeed on opi.net or at any industry event). But this month...
