By now I am sure that most of you have heard of the new division of Hewlett Packard (HP) called Printing and Personal Systems Group (PPS). HP PPS is the result of the company’s organizational realignment that includes the merger of its Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) and the Personal Systems Group (PSG). A couple of weeks back, a selected member of the press were privileged to be invited for lunch with the newly appointed General Manager of HP PPS Philippines – Mr. Albert Mateo. I congratulated Mr. Mateo right away, sat beside him and start asking him questions. One of which is “Did you expect that you will become the new GM of PPS?”. His answer “Not really expect, but I believed I will get the position, not because of anything else, but one should think positive. But the truth of the matter is whether I get appointed or not is secondary, the primary priority is for HP to grow and become more effective. So we will abide by whatever decision, because we know it’s for the best for HP.” Incidentally, Armando Pascual, the Country General Manager for HP IPG, will assume the role of Enterprise Sales Lead for PPS South East Asia Taiwan and Hongkong (SEATH). “So how can the new PPS help HP to grow? Is this just a cost-cutting measure for HP?” I asked Mateo. “On the onset, one might say that it is a cost-cutting decision for HP, but it’s more of streamlining and improving our operations to become more effective.” said Mateo. Mateo added that HP PPS will be in a unique position to offer products and services that no other companies can offer. “We can offer our PCs and printers to our clients. We can combine the strength and resources of both PSG and IPG. Our clients welcomes the merger since they will now be talking to only one PPS. It makes the entire procedure simpler. So we’re now more flexible and we can really focus on our customer needs.” Mateo and the entire HP team did not wait that long to put this advantage into action. Just recently, HP held its HP Great Computer Sale from June 28 – July 1, 2012 at the World Trade Center. Consumers were treated to great deals with a lot of bundles and freebies. There were discounted devices plus auction of latest HP notebooks. It was so successful that they had a repeat of the same event on July 12 – 15, 2012. “This is what I am telling you, with the new PPS, it’s easier for us to decide which bundle we can offer to our clients. The decision making is much faster now because we are now one. We can provide discounts here and there. We can package a PC or a notebook with a printer or with a peripheral. We are more flexible now.” said Mateo. What Mateo said was true. I wrote about this before – HP is in a very unique position because they have the entire line of product offerings from enterprise to home to consumers. HP offers PCs, printers, cameras, storage, projectors, servers, softwares, notebooks, phones, peripherals and accessories, and other services. There was even a time that they had their own tablets. The challenge really now for HP is to maximize the advantages it has. The new PPS team should be fully aware of the combined products – PSG people should orient themselves with the printer line of HP and the IPG people should familiarize themselves with full line of PCs, servers and notebooks of HP, which is not an easy task, if you ask me. For Mateo, the challenge is how to get both PSG and IPG to work as one — as PPS. At the same time, he has to make sure that the entire ecosystem of HP PPS works in harmony — this includes their dealers, distributors and users. Since they are now one (except HP Growth Markets), they really have to act as one, in unison in almost everything. This is one case where the left hand should know what the right hand is doing and vice versa. I would like to congratulate Mr. Albert Mateo and the entire HP team for the new HP PPS and we wish you all the luck in the world. My wish for you Sir Albert is for you to accomplish what you are tasked to do for HP PPS. But on a personal note, I also would like to wish that you bring where our country should be in the digital world. Provide each Filipinos an opportunity to experience the beauty of technology regardless of their status in life, so that the Philippines will be ready to compete and be a strong player in the digital economy. I am logging off. Stay cool and God Bless us all! (Article written by Jerry Liao)
