Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

[Gift]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

What are the good and bad things to look forward to if we sell Konica Minolta?

Have been supplied a Bizhub C300i to look at, looks like a Samsung copier but with different panels and UI.
Does not look too bad to work on.
Would be good if we had another brand to push.

Speaking of reliability I think the current Konica A4/A3 midrange Series is somewhat disappointing built- and software-wise compared to
the previous Cxx4 and Cxx8 generations. We also sell Ricoh and their machines does generate way less calls and frustration since years so they are a better choice in the midrange segement service-wise.

The only thing I'm not a fan of are Ricoh's b/w a3 midrange systems - I prefer the KM print engine concept (basicly a color mfp print engine with just a BK drum).

Of yourse every brand has it's up and downs like Ricoh had with the Aficio 1224 Series ages ago but I guess this topic isn't about the past or future.

[3ktlc]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

We switched to Ricoh 2 years ago. I worked on Konica's since 1985.Back when the were Royal. Since Konica and Minolta merged, they seemed to get less reliable with each generation. The new Ricohs have been great out of the box. Can't comment on the production units. Haven't sold any of those yet. The a4 machines have been much more reliable than the KM's. The midrange color units have had no problems.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

I would recommend you look at the Toshiba line but since there is already a Toshiba dealer in Christchurch, NZ plus Toshiba Tec Australia Direct your chances of getting the product line are probably not good.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

I would recommend you look at the Toshiba line but since there is already a Toshiba dealer in Christchurch, NZ plus Toshiba Tec Australia Direct your chances of getting the product line are probably not good.

That all depends on if the existing dealer in that area is making their quota. If not, they'll yank that dealership license in a heartbeat.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

That all depends on if the existing dealer in that area is making their quota. If not, they'll yank that dealership license in a heartbeat.

If Toshiba needed another dealer, they likely would have already reached out. Sales objectives are reviewed every quarter.

In my 20+ years with Toshiba, dealerships are never terminated over sales quota.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

If Toshiba needed another dealer, they likely would have already reached out. Sales objectives are reviewed every quarter.

Know how I got a Kyocera dealership back in the day? I called Kyocera and told them I wanted to be a dealer. After much conversation I was told they had a dealer in the area but they weren't growing as fast as hoped. After a few more months, a Kyocera rep came to my office and we talked at great length. A few months after that, I was the new Kyocera dealer.

Moral of the story: Be proactive, not reactive.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

Know how I got a Kyocera dealership back in the day? I called Kyocera and told them I wanted to be a dealer. After much conversation I was told they had a dealer in the area but they weren't growing as fast as hoped. After a few more months, a Kyocera rep came to my office and we talked at great length. A few months after that, I was the new Kyocera dealer.

Moral of the story: Be proactive, not reactive.

I am sure it works sometimes. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Good luck to this dealer in their pursuit of another product line. Their current supplier does not seem to be meeting all of their business objectives. Sales are definitely hard down for all print vendors for the foreseeable future due to COVID-19.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

I am sure it works sometimes. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Good luck to this dealer in their pursuit of another product line. Their current supplier does not seem to be meeting all of their business objectives. Sales are definitely hard down for all print vendors for the foreseeable future due to COVID-19.

Sales have been tough the last 6 months or so due to Covid, but things are getting close to normal in my area....except for churches. A lot of church members are elderly and attendance is WAY down.

[mga]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

For me ricoh all day long great support backup in the uk long life parts if oem used 2nd place is Canon 3rd Kyocera 4th Konica & sharp

[blazebusiness]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

For me ricoh all day long great support backup in the uk long life parts if oem used 2nd place is Canon 3rd Kyocera 4th Konica & sharp

Konica put almost the same as Sharp? ............Wow. Just wow. (mouth hanging open) I guess we do all see the world differently. My order of rating the brand names:

1. Konica
2. Ricoh (you are right , great solid copiers and manufacturer support and website. My issue is with the sorters -disgusting thin flimsy sheet metal /cheaply made finishers/accessories)
3. Canon
4. Sharp (just the B&W equipment which are very solid)
5. Kyocera---used to be great. Now, not so much , some models are ok , color drums and color dv's way overpriced.
6. Samsung - a complete fail

[3ktlc]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

The KM C3851fs is a flimsy finisher. Plus a pain to work on. Just had to diagnose a broken wire harness. Had to disassemble the whole thing. What a POS.

[allan]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

Working on most brands in the past i like Koinica Minolta the best.
No good A4/Letter options in the range and Kyocera fills those gaps nicely.

So if i had a choice in selling machines it would be KM for A3 and Kyo for desktop.

[MarioTech]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

Regarding your "power issues" with the KM's, did you have them attached to line power conditioners/surge protectors? Sometimes if the power goes out and immediately comes back on, there will be a voltage spike!!! Additionally the HDD may not have the read heads parked so that could cause them to crash the drive.[emoji848]

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk

Correct always had the 15 or 20 amps ESP surge protectors, never installed a single unit without one of those. I agree with you in regards the HDD, but the Main board was a bit of a problem as just by replacing the drive the unit was not coming back,

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

Konica put almost the same as Sharp? ............Wow. Just wow. (mouth hanging open) I guess we do all see the world differently. My order of rating the brand names:

1. Konica
2. Ricoh (you are right , great solid copiers and manufacturer support and website. My issue is with the sorters -disgusting thin flimsy sheet metal /cheaply made finishers/accessories)
3. Canon
4. Sharp (just the B&W equipment which are very solid)
5. Kyocera---used to be great. Now, not so much , some models are ok , color drums and color dv's way overpriced.
6. Samsung - a complete fail

I'd be interested to know how many copies between service calls you're getting for each of those brands/models.

In my experience (and I include myself) copier techs tend to lean towards the machines that they're most familiar with. In other words, if a tech spends 75% of their time working on Kyocera, they'll be way more familiar with those and can make quick work of any repair job. On the other hand, if they're not that familiar with another brand, everything seems just a little bit harder to repair.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Looking at selling Konica Minolta.

For what it's worth, Canon won BLI's copier line of the year:

Canon Claims BLI 2020 Copier MFP Line of the Year Award from Keypoint Intelligence

2020

01/08/2020



Fairfield, NJ – Keypoint Intelligence - Buyers Laboratory (BLI), the world’s leading independent evaluator of document imaging hardware, software, and services, today announced that Canon has won BLI’s coveted 2020 Copier MFP Line of the Year award. Given once a year, this award recognizes the vendor whose product line is deemed best overall based on its rigorous laboratory evaluations—and this marks the second time in the last three years that Canon has received this accolade.

“When it comes to reliability and usability, Canon’s copier MFP line is the standard bearer in the industry,” said George Mikolay, Keypoint Intelligence’s Associate Director of Copier MFP/Production Analysis. “We tacked on more than two million impressions on Canon’s copier engines this year and experienced just three misfeeds, which is simply outstanding and unmatched by any other vendor. Easy maintenance procedures and proactive device management help to further ensure that the products remain up and running. Plus, the models are so easy to use, with universal capabilities and features across the entire line. The well-designed touchscreen can be customized in many ways, all to suit individual users’ preferences. It’s also simple for users to pair their mobile devices with the MFP for printing and scanning. The devices are further complemented by an outstanding software line (Canon’s MEAP platform, uniFLOW and uniFLOW Online Express, and Universal Login Manager, to name several things) to boost security and, most importantly, control costs.”

“Canon is honored to be recognized by Keypoint Intelligence - Buyers Lab with the 2020 Copier MFP Line of the Year as it reflects our company’s holistic approach to meeting business needs and preparing our customers for the office of the future,” said Shinichi Yoshida, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Canon U.S.A., Inc. “We plan to continue delivering on our commitment to developing high-quality solutions designed to meet both market and customer needs in 2020 and beyond.”


About Keypoint Intelligence - Buyers Lab
Keypoint Intelligence is a one-stop shop for the digital imaging industry. With our unparalleled tools and unmatched depth of knowledge, we cut through the noise of data to offer clients the unbiased insights and responsive tools they need in those mission-critical moments that define their products and empower their sales.

For over 50 years, Buyers Lab has been the global document imaging industry’s resource for unbiased and reliable information, test data, and competitive selling tools. What started out as a consumer-based publication about office equipment has become an all-encompassing industry resource. In a landscape that’s ever evolving, we change with it.

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Line of the Year awards salute the companies that both provide a broad range of hardware or software and whose products consistently performed above average throughout testing. Much consideration is also made by Buyers Lab analysts and technicians in areas such as ease of use, features, and value, across an entire portfolio for that product area, with the end result being the most prestigious Buyers Lab awards offered.

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