Energy companies continue to experience the pandemic’s ripple effects. Many of these companies have enacted hybrid work models, where mobile employees spend time at home as well as in the office. Such arrangements are driving double digit increases in printer sales.
Utility mobile work sparked notable changes for printing in the workplace. As employees become more comfortable working at home, their printing needs expand. Some mobile workers prefer to have a physical copy of certain documents for reference or convenience. They also need to print contracts, invoices, reports, or marketing materials.
Consequently, there has been increased demand for compact and affordable printers designed for personal use. Therefore, the commercial segment has shifted away from laser printers toward ink tank printers, which often prove to be less costly.
Improved product availability is also driving market growth. Like many other technology sectors, printers experienced supply chain problems during the pandemic. Fewer restrictions on factories and warehouses enabled suppliers to catch up on pent up printer demand.
Consequently, 30% of organizations increased their print budgets post-pandemic. As a result, revenue expanded 14.0% year over year during the first quarter 2023 to $11.0 billion, according to International Data Corporation.
New Management Challenges
The growing use of mobile worker printers spawned new hurdles. Management is one area of emphasis. When users work remotely, they need technical help, so energy companies need to put tools in place to help them ensure the devices work. Meeting this need sometimes is difficult. Many times, employees buy their own printers, so the tech team has a smorgasbord of solutions that they need to troubleshoot and need to expand their range of expertise.
Organizations often bear the ongoing cost of home printers: paper and ink. So, they must understand what employees are printing and perhaps put policies in place to minimize non-work-related printing.
Because printing is happening on home networks, they often become vulnerable to attacks. So, energy companies need to ensure printer security.
More employees are working at home nowadays than a few years ago. Therefore, utilities are investing in tools, so they print documents at home. Energy companies need to acknowledge the change and put management checks in place, so they know the devices are secure and are being used properly.