Konica Minolta Showcases "The Power of One" at Inaugural ImageAmericas Business Conference & Expo.
Technology Showcase Highlights Konica Minolta's Leadership in Desktop to Print Shop Product Offerings to Dealer Channel.
RAMSEY, NJ, April 15 - Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Website) (Konica Minolta) highlighted the "Power of One" united Konica Minolta dealer channel at ImageAmericas 2004, the company's first annual business conference and expo. The inaugural event, which took place in Orlando, Florida, showcased Konica Minolta's status as a tier one player to the over 1,600 attendees from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America and Latin America, focusing on the company's expansive product line, its new landmark bizhub branding, and its global marketing and advertising initiatives.
"Konica Minolta has developed a complete range of printing/copying and related solutions to meet the changing needs of the market. They have effectively leveraged new imaging and toner technology to create revolutionary products such as the 8050/CF5001. The ImageAmericas 2004 Business Conference and Expo not only showcased the breadth of products and solutions but it provided attendees with a wide range of information that will allow them to be successful 'beyond the box'," said Charles A. Pesko Jr., managing director, CAP Ventures.
"The Power of One"/Strategy for Growth
The meeting centered on the numerous ways Konica Minolta plans to support its valued dealer partners and how the dealer partners will benefit from the new opportunities resulting from the merger of the two powerful companies, including a broadened product line, an increased manufacturing capabilities and greatly expanded R&D resources.
In addition, Yasuo Matsumoto, president and CEO, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc., identified the three key elements of the company's growth strategy -- the expansion of its production print business, leveraging growth opportunities in color, and simultaneously increasing the competitiveness of its core segment 1-4 monochrome products.
"We are committed to investing in the development of hardware and software that will enable Konica Minolta dealers to compete successfully in the production print marketplace, to stabilize and grow their monochrome placements, and to take advantage of the market opportunity in the light production area. Today, the production printing market is approximately $27 billion. This represents a tremendous opportunity for us," said Matsumoto.
"In the color area, Konica Minolta has experienced great success with our 50 page-per-minute (ppm) color machines -- the 8050 and CF5001. These breakthrough color products have truly changed our position in the fast- growing production color market," added Matsumoto. "Now, we are ready to aggressively expand our position in the office color market with the introduction of bizhub brand and Konica Minolta's newest globally branded product -- the bizhub C350. The bizhub C350 gives businesses access to an advanced color imaging system at the price of a monochrome device, enabling them to have cost-effective color on demand."
bizhub Launch/Product Announcements
In support of Konica Minolta's growth strategy and its commitment to providing product offerings from the desktop to the print shop, Konica Minolta highlighted its first co-branded product at ImageAmericas - the bizhub C350. The first Konica Minolta MFP to bear the new bizhub brand (launched at ImageAmericas), the bizhub C350 brings the brand's universal design concept - network functionality and management, security features, document management, superior image quality, data handling, high reliability and concern for the environment in one platform -- to fruition.
Developed to be the power center of the office workgroup environment, the bizhub C350 combines high quality, greater flexibility and increased productivity for seamless workflow. The bizhub C350 offers print/copy speeds of 35ppm B&W and 22ppm color, a standard built-in PCL print controller, networking, advanced scanning capabilities, Konica Minolta Simitri® Color Polymerized Toner, ISO 15408 Level 3 Security, network and document management tools through the PageScope software suite, and Energy Star certification.
Konica Minolta also previewed its groundbreaking entry into the Segment 6 monochrome market with the bizhub PRO 1050, a 105ppm, on-demand printing system designed for the light production needs of in-plant departments, commercial printers and print-for-pay shops. This high-volume, low cost-per- copy device delivers superior functionality with 100-sheet stapling; 50-sheet saddle-stitching for thicker booklets such as magazines and manuals; six- position folding, including the all-new in-line gate folding capability; multiple stackers for uninterrupted production; and an easy-to-use, pre-flight front end.
Additionally, plans were unveiled for the expansion of Konica Minolta's monochrome mid-range digital copier/scanner line with the introduction of the 7222, 7228 and 7235 Workgroup Document Systems. The 7222, 7228 and 7235 are modular, multifunctional devices that offer copy and print speeds of 22, 28 and 35ppm, respectively; a scan speed of up to 65opm; Konica Minolta Simitri® Polymerized Toner; enhanced paper capacity and handling; as well as sophisticated finishing, fax and print options, to meet the diverse needs of small- to medium-sized offices or larger shared-device workgroup environments.
The company also debuted the monochrome 72ppm Di7210 and the 55ppm Di5510. Designed for the workgroup and departmental environments, these next- generation products feature scanning at 70 originals per minute (opm) with a built-in scan counter, small footprints, easy-to-use features and robust finishing options.
"When I arrived at the Konica Minolta dealer conference, I was apprehensive. I felt like I was at a family wedding and I was waiting to meet my new in-laws. But, as the conference progressed and the legacy Konica and the legacy Minolta dealers began to get acquainted, I began to see the potential. I really felt the possibilities of a united Konica Minolta when we were introduced to the new bizhub brand, and the new bizhub C350 and the bizhub PRO 1050 products. ImageAmericas truly showcased Konica Minolta's R&D strength and industry vision. The conference gave Konica Minolta dealers the opportunity to experience the power of being part of a tier-one organization," said Greg Coyle, owner, Coyle Business Products.
Technology Showcase
The ImageAmericas 2004 Technology Showcase highlighted the vertical market applications -- Legal, Finance, Human Resources, Advertising/Marketing, IT/Datacenter, AP/Purchasing, Production Printing - of Konica Minolta's desktop to print shop product offerings.
In-Depth Seminars
Konica Minolta understands that the company's continued success will not be based on its product offerings alone. "Our success will be based on how well we understand the needs of our customers and support the sales efforts of our dealers," said Matsumoto.
As part of the company's effort to provide more support than ever before, Konica Minolta executives and product specialists, as well as industry analysts, business partners, customers and dealer partners, conducted in-depth seminars at the meeting focusing on products, service and solutions including: The Production Print Industry -- Why This Market is Vital for Future Success!; Grow Your Business through National/Major Accounts and Facility Management; Selling Color in the Production Print Market; Production Print Pages and Profit, How to Make Money!, Scanning in the Banking Market; Kip America Wide-Format Scanning and Printing Solutions; Uncover Vast Opportunities in Healthcare Technology; The Perfect Match of Consulting and Technology Selling; and Transaction Printing Solutions -- ROI's for Successful Selling.
Advertising Campaign
To mark the launch of the bizhub brand, Konica Minolta announced at ImageAmericas that it will debut a new advertising campaign in April 2004. The campaign will include 30-second spots on network and national cable television programming, including CBS, ABC, CNN and ESPN, as well as print, Web and outdoor/stadium advertising. The Konica Minolta advertising efforts will be supported by the "What If" global advertising campaign that is currently being run by its parent company Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc., and campaigns run by its sister companies, including Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A, Inc.
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