What They Say
Invidis reports that Sharp has taken over a Swiss IT integrator ITPoint AG to start the process of developing a new European IT service division. The site said that the main aim is to support the Sharp ‘classic IT products’ in the Sharp portfolio such as multifunction printers, ePOS devices and notebooks.
However, the development may allow new opportunities for value added services in the digital signage field for Sharp NEC Displays.
What We Think
There seems to be a trend for firms to develop first in hardware then gradually evolve to offering consulting and systems. No doubt some Sharp partners may be made nervous by this kind of development, but we’ve seen this kind of development by companies such as Sony and Panasonic which have big systems integration and consulting businesses. When I was researching the large format display business I sometimes heard doubts about the number of sets that Panasonic and Sony sold. “We never see them in the market”, we heard, but that was because many of those sets were sold as parts of big projects such as stadiums or museums that would include displays, cameras, video production and distribution and even content creation services. (BR)
Sharp’s HQ in London. Sharp moved from Manchester to London partly to ease a desire for a radical change in its management and culture, as Sony did when it moved to Berlin in Germany some years ago.