By Editor Morten B. Reitoft 

Just a few weeks ago, only a few people knew that EFI was about to sell its software division to STG - and I believe, though it was published last week, it still came as a surprise to many of the attendees at Connect 2022. I deliberately write Connect 2022 and not EFI Connect, which more people probably recognize - but the reason is apparent. EFI and eProductivity Software is now two entities. Though all we spoke to find the split natural and a logical consequence of focus, it's also apparent that the two companies in the future will seek two very different identities.

With its Fiery business, EFI has a strong position in the market. In the 'Conversations,' my colleague Robert Godwin had with COO Fiery Business Toby Weiss, he talked about substantial opportunities for Fiery. With a considerable market share, a significant portfolio of solutions, and an increased focus on digital in the global print market - maybe they can just 'pick up' the growth delivered by all the trends that drive productions towards digital?

For the company's inkjet/large format products, the market seems to continue growing as everybody talks about print-on-anything. EFI positions both hardware and the needed software to that new future. A new future that Marco Boer, by the way, spoke with Jeff Jacobson about during Jacobson's keynote. We also talked to Boer about trends - you can see the interview here. I am not 100% sure about the competitive situation in this market. Still, with an increased focus on a more narrow product offering, I am confident that EFI will continue to grow market shares.

Mergers and acquisitions create a new dynamic that can create more value if handled by the right people, for shareholders and customers. eProductivity Software is the new name to remember, and my first thought is how long the name is. eProductivity already shortened the company name to EPS - but hey, in our industry, that refers to Encapsulated PostScript, and maybe also resembles too much EFI - or is that just me? The opportunity for eProductivity Software is HUGE. I interviewed VP Nick Benkovich and couldn't help talking about the extremely small market penetration the new company maybe have? Almost every digital printer uses Fiery - that isn't the same for the eProductivity Software portfolio. Therefore, the opportunities are vast, but they require a strong focus on sales, marketing, and communication. Now eProductivity Software is no longer part of a company that for years has been a synonym for high quality, a broad range of services - but also for being a bit difficult to access.