Konica Minolta's Flagship Color Digital Press becomes First in the Industry to Meet Production Requirements of GRACoL Color Specifications

Ramsey, N.J. - August 15, 2011 - Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), a leading provider of advanced imaging and networking technologies for the desktop to the print shop, today announced that the bizhub® PRESS C8000 is the first digital press to receive the IDEAlliance® Digital Press Certification.


The IDEAlliance Digital Press Certification program validates that digital presses can consistently meet the production requirements of IDEAlliance's GRACoL® color reproduction specifications. Other aspects validated in the certification process include uniformity, rub resistance, color gradations, text quality and color registration. Additionally, designated Konica Minolta production print technicians earned G7 Expert status, thereby permitting the bizhub PRESS C8000 to earn Digital Press Certification. Due to the overall successful efforts, the Customer Engagement Center at the Konica Minolta Headquarters in Ramsey, N.J. has earned G7 Master Status.



"Our industry benefits greatly from independent system verification and certification. Digital press technologies that meet industry specifications and standards have crossed a new milestone and we thank Konica Minolta for their leadership in supporting this exciting program," said David Steinhardt, President and CEO, IDEAlliance. "Konica Minolta's participation in obtaining a Digital Press System Certification will go a long way in helping the industry enhance its understanding and application of digital printing."



"By being the first in the industry to earn Digital Press Certification from IDEAlliance, the bizhub PRESS C8000 is setting the standard for excellence that will come to be expected by customers looking for the highest quality and superior performance from their digital presses," said Kevin Kern, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. "Having G7 Experts in house and certifying our industry-leading digital presses is just another reason print professionals can count on Konica Minolta to ensure that our technology is not only innovative, but also leading the industry in superior performance certification."



IDEAlliance certifies that Digital Press Certified systems meet or exceed established industry tolerances for excellence in the areas of Colorimetric Accuracy, Uniformity, Repeatability, Durability, and Registration. The certification program is similar to what GRACoL and SWOP is for inkjet proofing, and the framework is based on upcoming international standards ISO 12647-8, 15311, and 15339.



Witness firsthand the bizhub PRESS C8000 at GRAPH EXPO 2011, the year's largest graphic communications exhibition and educational conference, which runs September 11-14 at McCormick Place South in Chicago. To schedule a personal tour of the Konica Minolta Booth (#2227) and/or an executive interview, please contact James Norberto at JNorberto@kmbs.konicaminolta.us.



ABOUT IDEAlliance

IDEAlliance® (International Digital Enterprise Alliance) is a global community of content and media creators, and their service providers, material suppliers, and technology partners. Our association identifies best practices for efficient end-to-end digital media workflows - from content creation through distribution. Through our active committees, educational conferences, webinars, training and certification programs, we provide members the forum for the exchange of information that results in the creation of our industry's most valued standards. More information at www.idealliance.org.



About the IDEAlliance Digital Press Certification Program

IDEAlliance® Digital Press Certification Program certifies the capabilities of commercial production xerographic and inkjet devices to meet specific print standards. The program consists of testing and certification in areas of color, print properties and print production. The program considers the entire press system, including the digital front-end, print engine, and paper. Program details can be found at www.idealliance.org/certifications/digital-press or by contacting Joe Fazzi at jfazzi@idealliance.org or calling 913.839.9623.



About Konica Minolta

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is a leader in advanced imaging and networking technologies for the desktop to the print shop. Konica Minolta has been named Supplier of the Year by both the Allegra Network and the National Association of Quick Printers (NAQP), as well as received the Sales Support Award from Mail Boxes Etc., Inc. For more information, please visit www.CountOnKonicaMinolta.com and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.



IDEAlliance Contact

Steve Bonoff

IDEAlliance

+1 952.500.8889

sbonoff@idealliance.org



Konica Minolta Contact

James Norberto

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.

+1 201.825.4000

PR@kmbs.konicaminolta.us


Konica Minolta is a registered trademark of Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. bizhub is a registered trademark of Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

Offset Press Manufacturers; the lines are being drawn...

As you know the offset world has been growing at a pace just slightly under inflation which shows that this technology although needed is dying. As we watch the big iron manufacturers like Heidelberg, Kamori, , KBA, MAN Rolland, Mitsubishi, Ryobi, Sakuri, Akiyama, Presstek (AB Dick) and others what we see is large layoffs and very cautious maneuvering to stay alive. (keep these names close to mind these represent all the most common presses you will find)

Shinohara just filed for bankruptcy (January 2011), and many others are not far behind. Hamada pulled out of North America last year and many others are very shy about spending money.

Just like the copier industry everyone is closing aligning themselves to survive and digital press manufacturers are "WHERE ITS AT" As you may remember OCE and MAN ROLAND just annouced their partnership leading the way for other "big Iron" makers down the path of survival.

http://global.oce.com/news/press-releases/2010/oce-and-manroland-announce-global-strategic-alliance.aspx

And what you may not know is that the most prestigious press manufacturer has been partnering with a well know digital press manufacturer for sometime now.

http://www.heidelberg.com/au/www/en/content/articles/recent_news/newsletter/gen_2010/gen_1004/s8_km

You should also know that Heidelberg announced that it will later this year 2011 announce who their "full time" digital press partner will be globally. I think you will agree that it makes sense for them to remain partners with us. Our relationship with Kodak keeps them arms length to "their own" technology that they abandoned 10 years ago and allows them to leverage both the "entry" level and "high end" digital press lines.

What we will see from this is a stronger commitment to automation (JDF and CIP4) and faster advancements in feeding and registration (mechanical feat advancements) which might take us years to accomplish on our own. The battle is tough but we are making progress! Don't let any small setbacks or individual battle losses get in the way of the big picture! Stay the course!

Big Iron Mike,

7-13-2011

7 months left...

Winds of Change; Konica Minolta repositioning the troops for the next wave of the offensive...

The Morning with Michael:

I have been going to comment about this release since the day it came out but had a few other posts that were a priority. Now that the articles have served their purpose I will make my comments.

Konica Minolta positioning Jun Haraguchi Takes on Global Leadership Role for Konica Minolta Business Technologies in Japan; Nobuo (Ned) Umehara Takes Over as President and CEO of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. on April 1

Ramsey, N.J. - March 25, 2010 - Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), a leading provider of advanced imaging and networking technologies for the desktop to the print shop, today announced senior management changes.

Jun Haraguchi, President and Chief Executive Officer will return to Japan to become General Manager, Worldwide Sales and Marketing for Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc. In his new position he will be responsible for global sales operations and marketing strategy. Mr. Haraguchi has spent the last 13 years in positions of increasing responsibility within Konica Minolta, the last five years as President and CEO of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. During his tenure he led the successful integration of Konica and Minolta, the integration of several acquisitions, most recently Danka Office Imaging, while improving market share and the overall operating performance of the company. He will remain on the board of directors of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A.

Nobuo (Ned) Umehara has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. effective April 1, 2010. Mr. Umehara, who until recently served as General Manager of OEM Sales for Konica Minolta Business Technologies, has been with Konica Minolta for 33 years. He has considerable experience in the U.S. market having worked here on two separate assignments in the past, once in the printer division and once within the MFP sales operation. Mr. Umehara will be leading an organization with strong brand awareness, award-winning product lines, and a solid infrastructure in place.

"It has been a privilege leading a dynamic organization such as Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A.," said Haraguchi. "Despite the tough economy over the past two years, our corporation has been able to grow market share and improve operating performance. Ned will be assuming responsibility for a company that is led by a strong senior management team and is well positioned for future success. I want to thank the entire Konica Minolta family for their unwavering support and dedication during my time here, and I look forward to their future success - both individually and as a group."

"I am honored to take on this important role at this time in our company's history," said Umehara. "Leveraging the strength of the operation, I envision continuing our strategies to expand our presence in commercial print, managed print services, and the solutions business while gaining share in the core MFP business. One thing is certain, and that is our business partners and end users will not be affected during this transition. My number one goal is to ensure them they can continue to count on Konica Minolta for industry-leading technologies and superior service."

There are lots of changes going on inside of the office equipment sector and more to come as everyone reposition themselves for the 2010 fiscal year. New product introduction are being prepared, new compensation plans are being presented and explained to the troops.

Some organizations had the setup that if you were at 60% of plan you were still making money, the new trend is to set those gates so that anyone under 80% is unhappy and people that over achieve are very happy. Oddly enough in the midst of the storm there has come upon the industry a "calm peace."

Now that Ricoh/IKON have made their first moves to consolidating the new world reps from RiKON seem to be ok with the changes. Their compensation plan has adopted the above strategy which is the kind that you would expect in a sales organization. No one should be happy at 60-80% of their budget.

Konica Minolta was not in such a place of upevil but more in a transition that will be marked by the normal marching orders. Repositioning the troops, working on the distribution model, fine tuning supply chain and cheering on the troops. They have a lot to be proud of coming out of a markedly tough 2009 with the loss of one of their lead distributors of production products and the loss of a key strategic partnership with Oce.

They are poised to make a remarkable comeback as the introduction of their new FLAGSHIP product the 8000! This new tool of destruction will be of the likes of the Canon imagePRESS, Xerox 8002, Ricoh Pro C900 ETC. That paired with their own "heavy iron" black and white offereing the 1200. They are ready to do battle with the likes of Xerox, HP and Kodak!

Being prominently displayed at the 2010 On Demand show it almost makes you want to buy a plane ticket just to see it. As Konica Minolta repositions itself within the Print Production as an "End to End" provider not just of hardware but also in the lines of solutions we will see a Gartner "Challenger" move toward Jun's original battle cry "We are on the road to Tier 1." This battle cry was introduced in Jun's road tour of the branches in North America.

I have met Jun personally several times and was always enamored with his charisma and ability to reach down to everyone and pull them up. It is a sad day to see him leave but I am sure that they have great plans for a warrior of his caliber. All in all the seas are calming down only to meet the currents that are bringing the next wave of economic changes to us.

That's it for Pirate Mike's observations of the day, I hope that your day is full of prospects and that your afternoon is absent of any excessive service call reports! The winds have been strong the last few days so I am about to head off and "go catch the wind."

Good Sale'ing...

11 days till… David meets Goliath; a fight that may define the end of IKON OFFICE SOLUTIONS

In 11 days I will get tons of calls and emails from around the country on what new changes are being made inside of the Ricoh / IKON group. I have been listening to both sides of the house and have been hearing similar stories.


Unfortunately for those employees that still work there they do not sound good.


There have been rumors of huge layoffs and mass firings in store. It appears that these decisions are being looked at on an area by area basis. IKON has not been keeping up with the "Welch Way" of differentiation so there is bound to be more firings than layoffs. 

From what I'm being told there have already been some location closings/mergings in certain areas where it made sense. Some branch locations have scaled back or quit seeking new people all together. These have been kept very quiet as the worst has yet to come.

So what do we know so far of the story as it is unraveling? We know that there have been many "engagement issues" in which Ricoh sided with "Cain" We also know that the April 1st deadline (fiscal year) is coming upon us soon and Ricoh will not wait to "kill" IKON like they did with Lanier.

This is not a 5 year process!

The process is to merge the top level execs (already done and it appears that many of them came from IKON) and then to merge the back end processes (done) then to merge the sales forces and remove the chaff. (Starting to happen!)

What will we see?

Meetings with sales managers and local leadership on a market by market basis (Already Done) I am sure that they will dress it up as a "let's meet our neighbors" visit. I am sure that it will be very cordial. But what it really will be is a public display much like a title fight between heavyweight contenders! They will weigh in face each other and pose for a picture before the real Day of Atonement. I am sure they will make their merge decisions on an area by area basis.

There is a lot that is unknown, Ricoh has a lot of "purchased entities" in their back pocket and a lot of "intellectual property" that it has yet to release. One thing we know for sure is that they (Ricoh) has yet to make a unified group out of their acquired companies and has yet to create a soup to nuts product portfolio out of them. So anything can happen; so everything that we talk about here is just speculation.

In the end their can only be 1 Ricoh and 1 Ricoh Business Solutions and IKON which now is more of a RiKON than what people remember as IKON will soon be no more! Eventually Cain will kill Abel as he did more than 2000 years ago and the story will relive itself again.

I was miss-quoted the other day so I am making a re-post so that there is no misunderstanding.


If you look at my blog post which was posted at 9:05pm 01-13-2010 it clearly indicates that I am "on the market looking for a job." That blog can be found here: Pirate for hire! 


I am no longer in any way associated with IKON/Ricoh group.

If you are a shop owner or production manager and are seriously interested in the limitations that I ran into while placing this equipment I would be glad to answer your questions.

There are many successful C900 installations and soon to be C720 installations as well. But there are some limitations that need to be understood or your experience with this gear like all gear could become a nightmare.

There are many variables to consider when getting a production copier or digital press and I think I will dedicate an article specifically to that end.

This industry is where I make my living so I will keep some of my personal feelings to myself.


Pirate Mike

Mega Manufacturers – Canon and Oce; one more day, one step closer…

The office equipment industry has gone through several iterations of how they wanted to go about distributing their wares. From a simple direct from the manufacturer through an owned distribution and sales force to a myriad of convoluted multi-level channels and VAR's through a complicated series of licensing agreements.

Many times looking for partners that were not interested in selling their goods as a primary source of income as they didn't want to give deep enough discounts to actually compete in the market place against their direct organization or to create a newly formed competition in their industry. These "Value Added" partners were given the right to purchase product at a slight discount (like 15-20%) and were left to basically "throw in" the goods to create more impactful solutions with their core product. Many times the reseller doesn't even service or support the goods much like many of the resellers of bindery and finishing equipment.

 Although these arrangements sound great for both parties it eventually waters down the market with disenfranchised dealers of products they work twice as hard to find business for which in the end pay less than have as much. Since they are not on the same buying schedule as "Fully Authorized Sales and Service" dealers they do not get the same discounts and incentives to market the merchandise and in many cases the same level of support (if any). These arrangements do nothing but ultimately take the VAR's focus off of their core product.

The office equipment industry has tried this many times a notable agreement of this nature was the "On Demand" dealer program that Konica Minolta launched. The "On Demand" program was launched to dealers of other products say a Fully Authorized Canon Dealership to fill a hole in the product line that Canon didn't have which at the time was the "light production color" arena. The dealer would not have high capital investments to get started which appealed to dealers that didn't want to be a full line dealer but needed a quick shot in the arm in one area. These dealers jumped on the 'light requirements' only to find out that they would not have the proficiency to sell and service the product and truly be able to compete against the "real dealers" and the direct outlet and win. These "On Demand" dealers were buying relabeled Konica Minolta equipment and selling directly against Konica Minolta Direct and Dealers that were far better suited to market the product. This arrangement was quickly cancelled by Konica Minolta once they realized that this was not the way they wanted their product sold and serviced.

 In the end it only served to water down the market places with inexpensive deals sold as the newly formed "On Demand" dealers had inventory that they needed to turn and were not savvy enough to sell with margin so the local Direct and Dealer Channel ended up getting hit in the head with inappropriately priced deals by a desperate channel. This was during the great expansion when each manufacturer had many channels and multi level agreements and heavily weighed these channels against their direct operations.

 Now we have the pendulum swinging the other way where Ricoh went back to huge dealer channels and bought them back to be able to shore up the level of service and support that their customers were getting. The Lanier purchase was an example of this "channel repurchasing." Canon which lived by the dealership channel has taken some serious blows to the head and pocket book and is now "joining the club" in respect to being more responsible for their own success. The level of support they have dedicated to their own group has doubled or tripled compared to the level of support that they give their best and largest dealers. Minolta didn't have much of a dealer channel but Konica did so the merge of Konica-Minolta added hundreds of new "competitors" to markets that only had one source of "micro toner." This created new issues for reps that walked up to signing tables and had to answer why the 3 bids came back for the same product and all the prices were different!

 Now manufacturers want to control their own destiny and are bringing full line solutions to the table themselves cutting out as many VAR's and alternate channels as possible so that they can have a tight grip on the bottom line and ultimate control of the customer's destiny. These relationships are hard to manage when there are so many partners involved that no one wants to take ownership of an incompatibility. No one wants to go back to the drawing board and rewrite firmware.

Canon took its first step by making their offer for Oce. This was first announced January 28^th 2010 with a public press release.

"28 January 2010— With reference to the joint press releases of Canon Inc. (trading symbol CAJ) ("Canon") and Océ N.V. (trading symbol OCE) ("Océ") of 16 November 2009 and 14 December 2009, Canon Finance Netherlands B.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon (the "Offeror") and Océ hereby jointly announce that the Offeror is making a fully self-funded, public cash offer for all the issued and outstanding ordinary shares with a nominal value of EUR 0.50 each in the capital of Océ (the "Shares") at an offer price of EUR 8.60 in cash per Share (the "Offer").

• Canon made this offer unconditional with its press release March 4^th and set a time limit for the "post-acceptance period" which ends March 19^th.

 Canon has been making plans on what to do with this "new acquisition" rumor has it they will stay in their normal form and immediately cut off all sales of other manufacturers products which adversely affects Konica Minolta being an OEM for sister company Imagistics for some time now. Konica Minolta has already terminated their relationship with Oce for the Black and White "big iron" and has moved forward with their own platforms. Rumor also has it that Konica Minolta has been working on an IBM relationship for roll fed devices. It will be interesting to see how Canon divide up their new purchase and how much "Oce" do they keep for themselves and how much do they let sit as acquired "intellectual property."

• Either way they will be on their way to becoming the next Mega-Manufacturer.

Happy Sail'ing