Issued by: Ogilvy Public Relations

[Johannesburg, 12 November 2004] - Minolta South Africa predicts a boom in the entry-level colour laser printer market, aimed at small office/home office (SOHO) users, as volume shipments and stable currencies allow for prices to be dropped to under R4 000 per unit.

In addition, colour printing is coming of age in the office environment and moving into the mainstream of everyday business communications. Proposals, presentations and reports are being created and reproduced in colour to communicate messages more persuasively and with greater impact.

Minolta laser printer division product manager, Marc Pillay, says the first entry-level colour laser printer was introduced to the market about three years ago.

"These machines were expensive and out of the range of home office users. Only now has the price reached a point where home users can really afford to purchase these machines.

"Since the introduction of our more competitively priced Magicolor 2300W, Minolta's entry-level colour laser printer sales are up by 27% on last year, and that's just in the first three months of our new financial year," he says.

The lower cost of the actual unit, combined with the lower total cost of ownership (TCO) of colour laser printers makes these machines more attractive than colour inkjets.

Pillay says an increasing number of printer users who have had their fingers burnt by the exorbitant costs of inkjet consumables are recognising the benefits of lower TCO of laser printers. "The hardware cost of an inkjet printer is 1% of the total cost to keep the machine operational," he says.

"A printer's total expense is mostly found in the running costs of ink, toner, paper, imaging cartridges and fusing units. If you consider that ink for an inkjet printer costs approximately R8 750 per litre, the running costs can amount to 99% of the TCO," says Pillay.

In addition to a more viable TCO, colour laser printers offer enhanced reliability, speed and higher monthly duty cycle than inkjets.

Minolta's Magicolor 2300W features print speeds of four colour pages per minute and 16 black and white pages per minute. It is compatible with Windows XP, 2000, NT4, Me, 98 and 95 and includes built-in USB and parallel interfaces for seamless connectivity. It delivers colour in 1 200 x 600dpi resolution with fine lines, improved halftones and vibrant image quality.

Minolta leads high-end digital copier market

Issued by: Ogilvy Public Relations

[Johannesburg, 10 November 2004] - Minolta has positioned itself firmly as the industry leader in the medium to high print volume digital copier market by gaining the lead in segment three (40 - 59 copies per minute (cpm)) and Segment 4 (60 - 89 cpm), according to the results of the recent InfoSource Spring 2004 survey.

Copier division product manager Paul Symonds says most of the print volume occurs in segments three and four. "Minolta's lead in the high volume sector can be attributed to the quality of its machines like the DiALTA Di850 and Di7210.

"The Di850 is a highly productive and reliable core machine with network-enhanced workflow efficiency, large volume printing ability and excellent image quality and the Di7210 is a high-speed, high-volume machine capable of meeting an enormous range of networking and document management demands," says Symonds.

Symonds expects Minolta to maintain its lead in the high volume sectors especially with the pending introduction of its fastest copier ever, which produces 105cpm, in April 2005.

Symonds says Minolta expects its biggest growth to occur in the entry-level sector, especially segment two. "In the first six months of this financial year we have already sold the same amount of units as we did during the entire last year," he says.

This remarkable growth can largely be credited to the introduction of the new digital copier series, which includes six models the 25 page-per-minute (ppm) DiALTA Di2510 and Di2510(f), 30-ppm Di3010 and Di3010(f) and 35-ppm Di3510 and Di3510(f) digital copiers. The machines are all fully compatible with a wide variety of operating systems, and can easily be integrated with the existing network.

Symonds says clients are beginning to see the value of printing via digital copiers as opposed to desktop printers. "The linkage ratio in all segments has increased by at least 10%. "In segment two alone we have gone from linking 50% of copiers to linking 70% within a period of six months," he says.

Minolta SA makes substantial investment in skills, training

Issued by: Ogilvy Public Relations

[Johannesburg, 3 November 2004] - Minolta South Africa is to invest R12 million over the next two years in training as part of its strategy to up-skill over 350 technical staff and enhance its service offering to clients. The investment is over and above the ongoing training provided to software engineers and will target technical staff in both its branches and dealers.

"Traditionally companies have trained technicians to do the work of software engineers. The reality is that the two distinct roles still exist. Training which seamlessly bridges the gap between the two roles has natural benefits for the end consumer because of the inherent efficiencies it creates," says Minolta Integrated Systems Information Exchange (MiSix) divisional manager Juneid Docrat.

"A quicker turn around for technical problems and a definite focus on a fix-it-right-the-first-time approach should become immediately clear to our clients, especially as technicians will be far less reliant on software specialists to fix minor system errors and systems will be down for shorter periods. It has become critical for hardware technicians to have basic computer qualifications to install office automation equipment in networked environments," he says.

As part of the new training strategy, Minolta recently completed the construction of two training facilities at its head office in Johannesburg. The facility includes two training rooms, one equipped with eight top of the line Dell workstations. The other is built around a "hot desking" environment for 12 laptops. Two fulltime trainers have been employed and MiSix product specialists will provide product-specific software courses as and when required. The training facilities also include a Thomson Promatic Testing Centre, which allows engineers to sit for exams without leaving the office environment.

About 350 technical staff, branch engineers and dealers are expected to pass through the programme which includes an initial A+ qualification and a later N+ qualification. Both courses are accredited through the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a global technology association which aims to advance industry growth through standards, professional competence, education and business solutions. Minolta South Africa is a registered member of CompTIA.

"The ongoing training of all our staff is vitally important. The enlarged product offering following the recent merger of the Konica and Minolta brands only serves to amplify the importance that training will play," he says.

"Our comprehensive training solution has been expanded further by the introduction of internally developed training centre management software to manage all aspects of training. All this contributes to Minolta's ability to improve savings, increase productivity and maximise clients' profits," says Docrat.

Minolta colour copier-printer sales rocket

Issued by: Ogilvy Public Relations

[Johannesburg, 14 September 2004] - Minolta retained its number one position in the country's colour printer-copier segment, capturing over 35% of the total market share.

Minolta South Africa has topped the colour copier-printer market for the third consecutive year with an overall 35.1% market share for the 12 months to end 2003, according to the results of the recent InfoSource Spring 2004 survey - and the company expects to double sales this year.

Minolta South Africa colour division product manager Marianna Gdanis says the colour copier-printer market is experiencing massive growth, and Minolta South Africa is at the forefront of this boom. "In the three-month period of June to August 2004, we sold more units than in the entire 2003 calendar year," she says.

The total colour copier market for the 12 months to end December 2003 saw an 8% increase in new unit placements, with 669 new colour copier-printers placed in the market. Of the total market, more than 50% of the products came from the 13-29 copy per minute (cpm) category. Minolta South Africa cornered a massive 42.7% of the market in this segment, which can be attributed to the award-winning CF2002 product which has been remarkably well received.

Gdanis says the research results show that the demand for faster and more sophisticated colour copier-printers is growing. The low volume colour copiers (which deliver 1-12 cpm) decreased from 52.8% of the market in 2002 to only 25% of the market in 2003, while the high volume copiers (30+ cpm) increased from only 1.4% of the market in 2002, to 24.6% of the market in 2003. "With the demand for colour output on the increase, the market is just not interested in anything slower than 20cpm," she says.

Minolta South Africa secured a 39% market in the high volume 30-49cpm category off a zero base following the introduction of the 31cpm CF3102 colour copier-printer.

Minolta South Africa MD Alan Griffith says the success of the colour division was cited as one of the major reasons the company was recently awarded the distribution rights for the Konica Minolta branded business technology products following the worldwide merger.

"Minolta South Africa has achieved greater market share for Minolta products in SA than any other Minolta distributor in the world," he says.

Griffith says although Minolta South Africa's colour division is hoping to increase market share for the 2004 calendar year, the merger with Konica is not expected to radically boost market share in this sector, as the standalone Konica brands only secured 2.7% of the market in the 2003 results.

Konica Minolta Brand Emerges

The new Konica Minolta brand featured for the first time at Futurex in May 2004. The new brand emerged following the global integration formed through an exchange of stock by Konica Corporation and Minolta Co. Ltd in Japan.

The new Konica Minolta logo and symbol design, which appears on the new products developed by the integrated entity, expresses the values that Konica Minolta provides to its customers. The "Globe Mark" - or what we affectionately call the "Minolta hamburger" - represents the limitless expansion of Konica Minolta and the new value it offers to customers arounnd the world.

The oval form is an expression of the trust and the feeling of security given to customers and the harmony of the wide spectrum of technology. The five lines represent light and express the wide range of technical capabilities in the field of imaging. The blue colour of this symbol mark expresses ingenious innovation, and the colour has been named "Innovation Blue".

The logotype is an expression of the precision and feeling of quality in the technologies and products created by Konica Minolta in the field of imaging. At the same time, it demonstrates that the brand will continue to bring fresh surprises to customers.

Minolta launches DiALTA Di470 digital copier/printer
Issued by: Ogilvy Public Relations

Further entrenches market leadership in mid-volume segment

[Johannesburg, 24 June 2003] - Minolta has introduced the DiALTA Di470 digital copier, an upgrade of the highly successful DiALTA Di450 digital copier, which delivers 47 pages per minute and offers a cost-effective document management solution.

Minolta digital copier product manager Paul Symonds says the Di470 is a mid-range digital copier that should build on the success of its predecessor, the Di450. "The introduction of the Di450 in 1999 saw Minolta's mid-range digital copier market share grow from 5% from 1999, to 24% in 2001 and then to 27% in 2002 and we believe the Di470 will result in continued growth in this category," he says.

The Di470 prints up to A3 size and offers superior finishing options including stapling, folding and hole-punching. It also offers a range of optional extras such as booklet making, imposing and output bins which can be designated to specific users or departments.

With the addition of the optional printer controller, the Di470 can connect to the office network, transforming the copier into a multifunctional laser printer and scanner.

As a printer, the Di470 offers the same high-speed output and superior 600dpi image quality, as well as the same finishing functions. The printer controller also comes with a host of utility software that enhances office efficiency.

"The DiALTA series of digital copiers has been well accepted around the world thanks to high productivity, reliability, output quality, ease of use and most importantly network connectivity," says Symonds.

Minolta tops colour copier-printer market with 37.9% market share
Issued by: Ogilvy Public Relations

Minolta market share increases in declining market

[Johannesburg, 30 May 2003] - Minolta has topped the colour copier-printer market for the second consecutive year, with a 37.9% market share in colour copier placements in SA in the 12 months to end 2002, according to the results of the recent InfoSource Spring 2003 survey.

Despite an overall 6% decline in new unit placements in the total colour copier-printer market (581 units in 2002, down from 620 units in 2001), Minolta's market share increased 2.4% from 35.5% in 2001 as a result of placing 220 new colour copiers in the market in 2002.

Marianna Gdanis, product manager, colour division, Minolta SA, says the research results reveal that the demand for faster and more sophisticated colour copiers is growing, with total sales in the lower end of the market, 1-7 copies per minute (cpm), declining some 49%. The 8-12 cpm segment also showed a decline of 24%. "In fact, in 2001, the 1-12 cpm segment accounted for 80% of the total copier market, which dropped to 52.8% of the market in 2002," she says.

In the 13-29 cpm category, which saw a massive 130% increase in 2002 and accounted for 45.8% of the total colour placements, Minolta secured 43.2% of the market and increased sales in this segment by just over 52%.

The 30+ cpm category is still relatively small, only accounting for 1.2% of the total market. "With the introduction of Minolta's award-winning 31cpm CF3102 into this segment, we are looking forward to seeing an increase in the number of units placed in this segment due to the product being incredibly well priced for its specification," says Gdanis.

According to Gdanis, Minolta's market share success can be attributed to a competitively priced product range, and top quality products that have received Editor's Choice Awards and Bertl Five Star ratings. In addition, Minolta's comprehensive service, including sales, hardware, software and technical support and consumables and maintenance support, has also attracted customers.