FedEx Office (formerly FedEx Kinko’s) recently announced a partnership with office machine giants HP and Canon to offer new services for patrons of the 1,800-store chain.

The main outcomes of the alliance:

• FedEx Office will upgrade all its stores with the latest, fastest Canon and HP equipment (meaning 12,000 new machines in total).
• All of the machines will be on a network.
• HP will provide a cloud-based printing infrastructure, allowing users to print jobs directly from their offices, homes or mobile computers using standardized interfaces. It will also allow for distribute-and-print scenarios where companies can save on shipping costs.
• HP will coordinate computer rental at the stores.
• HP will supply and maintain the large-format devices used for signage and displays.
• Canon will supply and maintain copiers and multifunctionals, using its new and excellent imageRUNNER Advance series as well as its high-end imagePRESS digital printing machines.
• FedEx Office plans to expand the share of its work that comes in through the Internet, now around 33%.

Until now, the FedEx (Kinko’s) chain had built a miscellaneous collection of equipment from various vendors over the years. One green benefit will be a major reduction in energy use with the new models, along with strong recycling and green manufacturing programs from Canon and HP.

Our view: This is a big deal. It gives a new shine to what has been a low-visibility FedEx Office brand, and brings the company into the 21^st century. It is a major deal for Canon from a unit sales perspective. And with the Canon/Océ acquisition in the works, Canon will be in a position to supply even higher-end production printing tools.

For HP, it establishes the company as an even bigger presence in cloud computing, as well as an expanded platform for its Snapfish photo service and suite of tools for automated book production.

The biggest loser may be Xerox, which has a strong share of equipment in the chain.

Tags: Canon, FedEx Office, HP