While Konica Minolta will no longer sell Océ products from that point, the company will continue its service and support to existing Océ customers. Speaking to New Zealand Printer, Warwick Beban, general manager of Konica Minolta Business Solutions New Zealand, says, “It’s been an amicable parting of the ways. From a client’s perspective, there will be no change in the support of Océ products. In New Zealand we have a strong heritage of delivering premium support and Konica Minolta will continue to provide this.”
The inevitable change came almost two years after Canon announced it intended to acquire Océ. Commenting on the support structure, Simon Wheeler, director of the new Canon Professional Print division, said, “It’s important that clients continue to receive the best possible service and support for their Océ products, so Canon Professional Print will continue to fully support Konica Minolta in delivering its customer service.”
Beban says that the change won’t affect the company as much as it would have if it had happened a decade ago because of Konica Minolta’s investment in new technology and research and development. He says, “Although, in the early years the Konica Minolta and Océ partnership provided a mixed platform approach to a small number of specialist production clients, within the production environment Konica Minolta’s strategic intention has been to develop its own very high volume production print portfolio. Over recent years Konica Minolta has produced award winning production systems with accolades from independent agencies such as BLI and Bertl.”
Konica Minolta has continued to invest considerably in strengthening its colour and mono production print portfolio. At drupa, the company launched its inkjet Press KM-1 in partnership with Komori; the new high speed colour Press C1100; and the new high volume mono Press 2250P, Press 1250 and Press 1052 models. Beban says, “These new models will deliver the speed, quality and reliability which has been such a feature of Océ technology. The new innovative Press range, in conjunction with the existing production portfolio, will ensure continued growth for Konica Minolta in New Zealand and abroad.”
Within the wide format market, Konica Minolta has sold both Hewlett Packard and Océ products in New Zealand. Byron Bassa, production print product manager at Konica Minolta New Zealand, says, “Hewlett Packard has become the brand of choice over recent years, representing 75 per cent of wide format sales within Konica Minolta. With the ongoing innovation, market share growth, diverse portfolio and well positioned price of the Hewlett Packard range, Konica Minolta will continue to build on its extensive client base.
Konica Minolta New Zealand enjoyed a 95 per cent revenue growth from 2010 to 2011 for its production colour and mono portfolio. Bassa adds, “The significant growth was driven by the launch of the award winning bizhub Press range and the innovative Professional Print Plan that provides clients accurate pricing based on the specific toner coverage of each individual print.”
Beban concludes, “On the back of record years, we are pleased to see incremental growth within our client base. Also with Konica Minolta showcasing of new technology at drupa, which we expect to see in New Zealand in the near future, we will be able to deliver even more value to our clients.”
Beban concludes, “On the back of record years, it’s fantastic to see incremental growth within our client base. Also with Konica Minolta showcasing of new technology at drupa, which we expect to see in New Zealand in the near future, we will be able to deliver even more value and competitiveness to our clients.”
