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Retailers and manufacturers miss out on wireless freedom

34% of professionals use Wi-Fi every day compared to only 16% in retail and manufacturing

November 21, 2007

Over a third of professionals in desk-based jobs like law and accountancy have embraced the wireless working revolution, whereas their counterparts in retail and manufacturing have only a 16% adoption rate, despite operating in more mobile workforces. This is according to findings from Lexmark in a survey conducted by YouGov of 2010 office workers. The survey celebrates the launch of its wireless printer range.

965 male and 1045 female workers were surveyed and almost a quarter across all sectors (23%) said they regularly use Wi-Fi facilities in the workplace or remotely through a work laptop. The league table of UK businesses shows that the technology sector leads the way with a 40% adoption rate, closely followed by those in professional services including law and accounting. At the other end of the spectrum are workers in banking (17%), retail (16%) and manufacturing (16%).
However, workers in retail and manufacturing were among the most keen to realise the benefits of flexible working, with 76% and 77% respectively claiming that more access to Wi-Fi would encourage them to work more flexibly. Bankers were the most reluctant of all to embrace Wi-Fi working, with only 39% agreeing that greater access to Wi-Fi would get them working more flexibly.

“The positive trend in retailing and manufacturing towards taking up wireless working is mirrored by our growing relationships with this sector,” commented Steve Purdy, UK Country General Manager at Lexmark. “Even in banking, where the uptake is slower, we have seen from our print management and auditing work that there is starting to be greater willingness to embrace wireless technology so we expect the level of use to increase in the future.”

“Wireless working and even wireless printing is being adopted in the home and, although in some sectors businesses are making the most of hot-desking and the other benefits of wireless, others are lagging behind,” added Purdy. “That said, it seems that workers themselves would like more access to wireless. As this happens, we think that wireless working will expand from simply using laptops, to workers expecting a fully wireless workplace – with wireless printers and other tools becoming standard.”

Executive quote

"The positive trend in retailing and manufacturing towards taking up wireless working is mirrored by our growing relationships with this sector,” commented Steve Purdy, UK Country General Manager at Lexmark. “Even in banking, where the uptake is slower, we have seen from our print management and auditing work that there is starting to be greater willingness to embrace wireless technology so we expect the level of use to increase in the future.”

About the company

Lexmark International, Inc. (NYSE: LXK) provides businesses and consumers in more than 150 countries with a broad range of printing and imaging products, solutions and services that help them to be more productive. In 2006, Lexmark reported $5.1 billion in revenue and employed more than 13,000 people globally. Learn how Lexmark can help you get more done at www.lexmark.com.

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Louise Tullin at LEWIS PR
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7802 2626
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7802 2627
Email: louisetulliin@lewispr.com
Website: www.lewispr.com

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