OCÉ: pioneer role in printing in Hungary

Océ Hungaria Managing Director György Németh explains to Diplomacy and Trade, Océ is actively involved in all operations related to printer equipment: from the design and manufacture through to sales and service, to providing business services with financing.

Originally a family business engaged in food coloring research, the Dutch company Océ has developed into one of the world’s major printing industry firms employing 22,000 people worldwide and realizing a turnover of EUR 3 billion in 2010. Océ is distributing its products and services in 80 countries. It is presently in 30 countries with its own branch offices. One of these countries is Hungary where the Océ Hungaria Plc. was established in 1995 with activities ranging from distributing the company’s equipment and software to counseling, system integration, servicing and printer supply. As Océ Hungaria Managing Director György Németh explains to Diplomacy and Trade, Océ is actively involved in all operations related to printer equipment: from the design and manufacture through to sales and service, to providing business services with financing. It also plays a pioneer role in large-scale personalized digital printing such as utility bills or bank account statements.

Leading position in Hungary

The biggest change since the inception of Océ occurred in March 2010. The Canon Group bought 90% of the shares in Océ, creating the largest company in the printing industry, which, therefore, has the full range of products and services to offer. Currently, the two companies operate as separate legal entities with integration teams ensuring and harmonizing cooperation of the companies on regional and national levels in all business segments.

Thanks to its excellent products and savvy professionals, Océ has made significant progress in Hungary. In  the market of high volume printers, wide format engineering print systems and related services, the firm enjoys a leading position in this country, too, while in the area of office document management, it is a key player in the Hungarian market. In 2011, the estimated turnover of the Hungarian branch, employing a hundred people, will reach HUF 3 billion (EUR 11 million).

Business model

Since these machines require prompt, highly technical support, Océ Hungary employs several service engineers, consultants, software specialists, all trained abroad. They are on 24-hour stand-by as the machines work constantly and even a short stop may mean a loss in business for the user. Therefore, all the technical persons are constantly trained and highly motivated to ensure a high-level service for the customers. “It is an added value that only a few companies can provide. This is one of Océ’s strengths,” György Németh points out. New products are inspired by direct feedback and experience from customers. Océ’s business model considers cooperation with its partners important in all areas. This includes research and development, manufacturing and transportation.

György Németh calls attention to the challenge in the printing industry that the circulation of books and newspapers is on the decrease, mainly due to the spreading of contents online. “We can call this decrease dramatic. It has such an impact on advertising income in the printed media that by 2012, the amount of money spent on online advertisements may reach those spent in the printed media,” he says. “Of course, everybody is looking to make up for the lost income, and that is where digital technology comes into the picture. This makes it possible to print books and newspapers for small circulation in a profitable way, while the classic offset technology is economical for large circulation only,” he adds.

György Németh likes the challenges of introducing and spreading new technology, and the business philosophy that focuses on the human factor. Besides work, he enjoys time spent with his family as well as sports (tennis, swimming and bicycling) but music is also very important in his life as “I have been holding a guitar in my hands for 40 years now” playing rock and jazz music for himself and for friends.