Xerox to the Core

If you read this blog then you are well aware that Xerox has changed a lot.  We’re a $22 billion company with a very broad set of offerings not only in document technology but also now business process services. We’re so ingrained in how work gets done in offices big to small that we can help our customers spend more time and resources on their core competencies.

Xerox’s  business model is very similar to that of our clients.  As we change our company, we need the ability to focus more on our business strengths.  So, when we can partner with companies that can assist with global reach and scale, we do so.

There’s been some recent news of Xerox employees in our product development groups possibly moving to HCL.  HCL is well regarded for its extensive product engineering competency, and, in fact, has similar engineering-based partnerships with other big companies including Cisco, Microsoft and Boeing.  The particular project we’re exploring with HCL involves a few hundred Xerox people from our global workforce of 134,000  —  and the plan is for our people to move to HCL so they can become part of a broader engineering community – and so that we can benefit from the investments HCL makes with its infrastructure and platforms.

It’s actually the epitome of the value proposition Xerox offers to our customers; we take over certain business operations so clients can benefit from our scale and infrastructure investments.  Why should a company create its own process and structure for billing, processing claims, tracking invoices and running call centers?  Through ACS, now a Xerox company, we have the sophisticated platforms to integrate and manage those processes for our clients.

Yes, Xerox in its heart and soul is still a technology company and prides itself on offering the most innovative products in our industry. So, yes, aspects of engineering are absolutely our core competencies.  Yet there are some areas of mechanical, electrical and software engineering that could indeed benefit from the scale and investments of an engineering firm like HCL, helping us deliver improvements in quality, cost and delivery. That’s why other technology companies have gone this route with aspects of their engineering – and why it is increasingly making business sense for Xerox to do the same.

Is Xerox still hiring for specialized product development and engineering roles?  Yes.  Are we still facing challenges in filling these roles due to the limited number of applicants and high demand for them?  Yes indeed.  We’re scaling in many other areas of our company too, including our growing services business.   There is no one-size-fits-all approach – and we’re taking the steps that are necessary to keep our business strong by making the best use of talent around the world – through hiring and partnering.