Konica Minolta defies load-shedding downtime for 24-hour print shop

Jay Lieberthal, proprietor of various printing businesses and an industry pioneer, saw his companies suffering from downtime due to load-shedding in recent months. Lieberthal, who also runs a 24-hour specialised on-demand printing company, was unable to use his existing printing machine during load-shedding, as it operates on three-phase power and cannot be connected to the building’s single-phase generator.

As a result, Lieberthal was in the market for a digital printer that would not occupy too much office space, perform all the tasks of his existing mammoth machine and most importantly, still be able to connect to his building’s single-phase generator. When he signed on the dotted line with Konica Minolta South Africa for his new printer, his business performance improved in leaps and bounds.

“My existing digital printer was under pressure to cope with orders. In addition, this machine could not be used during load-shedding,” Lieberthal said. In addressing this business issue, he admitted he looked for a machine that would not cost him millions, but would be able to do a fair capacity of printing.

“The Konica Minolta AccurioPrint C4065P ticked all the boxes and has proved to be a boon for my business. It can connect to the single-phase generator in the building and so now, there is no down-time during load-shedding,” he added.

Lieberthal has been in the printing business for 30 years, starting his entrepreneurial journey at the well-loved Bruma Lake flea market in Johannesburg with a tiny four pages per minute printer. Before long, he opened 25 franchised One Stop print shops throughout Gauteng. After 11 years, he sold the business and went into private equity and property development.

In 2013, he started his first print shop, and by 2017, he had gone national with three 700sq/m production plants nationally that specialise in wide format printing of banners, billboards and gazebos – with the Konica Minolta AccurioPrint C4065P contributing its fair share to the growth of the business.

“The AccurioPrint C4065P has a relatively small footprint, but what it can do belies its size. I am most impressed by the high productivity of up to 65 colour pages per minute and outstanding automated image stability.” said Lieberthal.

“During the first month alone, this digital machine has printed 250 000 A3 pages with 100 percent long-run reliability. Another plus, is that this device does not require highly-trained operators to make sure it delivers brilliant, rich colour and fine detail to meet my customers’ demands.”

A major plus factor of the AccurioPrint 4065P, Lieberthal said, is that the quality is consistent.

“You can print a batch today and will be able to get the exact same quality for a new batch the next day because the machine meticulously stores all the specifications in its memory.”

Edmund Jacobs, Product Manager for Production Print at Konica Minolta South Africa, added: “Konica Minolta understands the importance of building trusting relationships, fostering collaboration and providing solutions to problems. Beyond tech we have a lot to offer.

“Our new generation of true production systems has been designed to increase the uptime of your press and print more in less time. Their range of new features lets you produce higher-value print products faster and in greater volumes. With the Intelligent Quality Care Unit, you achieve the desired print quality every time, job by job. And their high productivity and versatile automation help you meet today’s demands of short-run production and fast turnaround most efficiently.

“As a division of Bidvest Branded Products, we have more than 70 points of presence across the sub-continent, enabling us to implement our technology-powered, service-focused approach across Southern Africa. We are continuing to drive innovation in the printing industry and to creating value for our customers by proposing advanced insights and solutions to their business challenges.”