Konica Minolta, a global business, imaging technology and multifunction solution provider, wants to shed its image of being known as the “industry’s best kept secret,” by increasing awareness, visibility and continuing to expand its line of bizhub products in the Canadian marketplace.
During a briefing held at Konica Business Solutions (Canada) Ltd.’s showroom in Toronto last week, members of the executive team introduced Konica Minolta’s latest imaging solution to be released in Canada and discussed the company’s future plans.Joe Cadeau, vice-president of dealer sales, spoke of the importance of the Canadian channel and Konica’s continued relationship with it.
“We have over 100 dealers from coast to coast [in Canada],” Cadeau said. “Our next step is to add new dealers as we continue to expand. Our goal is to see a five to 10 per cent increase in our partners every year.”
With a strong focus on their line of bizhub solutions, products that become a centralized resource for commercial businesses, particularly through the use of multi-function peripherals (MFPs), with copying, scanning, faxing and printing capabilities, the bizhub C550 is the latest product to roll out in Canada.
The bizhub C550 is an all-in-one MFP solution that can scan, fax, print and copy documents using one system. With printing capabilities of up to 45 pages per minute in colour and 55 ppm in monochrome, Konica’s new solution can hold up to 6,650 sheets of paper. The C550 also offers added security protection with its biometric authentication tool using its “Touch and Print” feature. Using this feature, a user’s finger is measured and matched down to three finger veins before granting copying and printing access.
Marie Novakis, director of product planning and marketing development at Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada) Ltd., said the biometric feature is what sets the product apart.
“This is an added level of user security to help restrict and monitor users,” Novakis said. “The bizhub C550 is designed for large business enterprises and even mid-sized businesses who want to use an MFP as their central line of resource.”
The C550 also has an 8.5 by 11 inch full-colour display screen that to tilts and swivels, to help reduce glares on the screen and make it more accessible. With the screen, users can view colour page previews before printing and can select different finishes with their printing jobs.
“We’ve gotten a lot of good feedback from our partners,” Cadeau said. “They like that it’s so reliable, the copy quality is great and the operating costs and biometric features help to give the C550 an edge.”
When asked about Konica’s channel partner plans, Cadeau said the company wants to get the word out to partners that it is ready to take on whatever comes its way.
“We want to let our partners know that we have the technology and support that businesses are looking for,” Cadeau said. “We want them to get out there and show our products so potential end-users can see and try before they buy our solutions. Above all, we want to become more visible in the marketplace.”
A key element in ensuring this strategy remains plausible is continuing to support partners from both a sales and technical standpoint.
“We have regional sales support and technology analysts and a comprehensive marketing team,” Cadeau said. “Depending on the situation, partners can expect to see between a 10 to 25 to even 30 per cent margin. We will continue to offer increased support and additional incentives for our representatives in the industry in order to help boost consumer awareness.”
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