Dell, Lexmark Partner In Print Managed Services For Boeing

Dell said Thursday it is teaming with Lexmark to provide print managed services to aerospace giant Boeing, a current Dell services customer.

The Round Rock, Texas-based computer maker, which signed a five-year managed services deal with Boeing in 2003, said it will now add print managed services to what it does for the company.

Plans call for Dell to provide installation, repair and asset optimization for Boeing, as well as print supplies. In unveiling the deal, Dell said Lexmark would be “a key partner to Dell in delivering the printer management solution to Boeing sites."

The deal with Boeing follows through on a promise by a top Dell executive that the vendor would dive into the print managed services space. Last month, Joseph Marengi, senior vice president of Dell Americas, said at a Morgan Stanley conference that Dell plans to roll out a printer managed service offering. And several weeks later, news emerged that Dell is mulling plans to sell an OEM appliance that provides an inexpensive way to offer managed services.

Lexmark, too, has been working to beef up its offerings in the print managed services arena, including offering channel partners a turnkey "Document Needs Assessment" tool for gauging the efficiency of a customer's document management infrastructure.

Dell has provided a growing percentage of Lexmark's overall revenue. Lexmark manufactures much of Dell's branded printer lineup under an OEM arrangement.