Konica Minolta Launches Express Connect App to bizhub MarketPlace

Customizable App Grants Access to Users’ Favorite Websites Directly from a bizhub MFP

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta) today announces the availability of the Express Connect app in the Konica Minolta bizhub® MarketPlace.  A fast and easy-to-use portal that grants access to a user-established list of websites, the Express Connect app keeps users connected to the information they need most, directly from the control panel of a Konica Minolta bizhub MFP.

The Express Connect app allows users to identify web pages with intuitive icons, go directly to sites without additional keystrokes, and access both internal and external websites.  Users can select whether to display links as large icons or in a horizontal view with small icons, and can also organize them alphabetically or by most frequently/recently viewed.

Examples of how the Express Connect app can be used include the following:

• Teachers and other education professionals can link to commonly visited teacher resource and support websites
• Frequent business travelers can link to airline and flight information websites for up-to-the-minute status reports
• Administrators at medical practices can link to insurance provider websites
• Financial advisors can link to leading financial news sources
• Legal professionals can link to commonly visited legal journals

 

“The demand for simple access to key information drives the development of apps for the bizhub MarketPlace, and the Express Connect app responds directly to this need,” says Kevin Kern, senior vice president, Marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.  “The bizhub MarketPlace is another way that customers can count on Konica Minolta for solutions that keep them connected and productive.”

Please visit www.bizhubmarketplace.com to learn more.

 

originally published @ Konica Minolta US

Bolton College Saves 1/3 on Print Costs with Konica Minoltas Managed Print Solution

Bolton College is one of the largest providers of vocational training and further education in north-west England. Recently the College relocated to a new £70 million town-centre campus. As part of the relocation, the College’s IT department used the move as an opportunity to rationalise the print management and document imaging provision for academic staff and students.

Railton Knott, IT Manager for the College, outlined what was involved: “At our previous location there were over 280 printers. These were mostly black and white laser printers, with a few ink jet and colour models and in some cases, there were two or three printers in a single room. Managing the logistics of a printer fleet that size, with various suppliers and different contracts was very demanding – not just from an administrative perspective but also from the management of costs and support. The diversity of models meant the IT team were dealing with supporting a range of different technical support issues, and having to stock and supply many different consumables – such as toner cartridge types. It was clear we needed to rationalise our range of suppliers and print technologies.”

The College also had a number of older photocopiers that were not networked. Railton and his team needed a more efficient and effective solution to meet the demanding needs of the College and decided to investigate using multifunctional devices for their workgroups. The move to a new state-of-the-art campus was perfect timing for this project and the team worked closely with its procurement partners, Tenet Education Services, in its selection process for a new supplier of print services.

Christine Dennen, Tenet’s Procurement Officer added “We decided to use the Buying Solutions (renamed Government Procurement Service – GPS)  public sector framework agreement and issued a tender document. One supplier declined to tender and from the remaining six we shortlisted three, one of these being Konica Minolta”. Konica Minolta is one of only seven suppliers that have been awarded a framework agreement with Buying Solutions to supply multifunctional printing products and services, print room and managed services. Christine continued, “We went to the IPEX print exhibition in Birmingham and saw demonstrations of some of the systems. The Konica Minolta print technologies and services stood out in terms of build quality and while not the deciding factor, this was an important consideration. It was also going to be much easier to integrate the software solutions used by the College with the Konica Minolta systems than those of other suppliers.”

The bEST OpenAPI system architecture, used by Konica Minolta multifunctional devices, allowing seamless integration of third party software – for applications such as authentication tools, pull print functionality and metadata enhanced scanning. Applications are integrated into the panel of Konica Minolta devices, offering enhanced features including document delivery and sharing. For the College, Konica Minolta was able to demonstrate how ‘MiFare contactless card authentication’ could be integrated into the company’s multifunctional devices. The Pcounter software used by the College to monitor usage of the multifunctional devices around the campus could also be integrated into the Konica Minolta managed print systems.

“The key deciding factors for the award of the tender to Konica Minolta were down to the proven professionalism of approach; the ‘future-proof’ nature of their proposal; and the cost-effectiveness, underpinned by providing the most competitive bid”, Christine said. Konica Minolta implemented a networked print solution based on 38 colour multifunctional devices placed at strategic locations around the college. “The installation process for the Konica Minolta multifunctional devices was one area I didn’t have to worry about”, Railton also added. “Konica Minolta was very flexible about delivery, fitting in with the building completion schedule.”

Following installation, full training was provided which eased resistance to the loss of desk-top printers amongst college staff. “The move to the new building, coupled with the obvious increased functionality provided by the networked devices, meant that everyone was very positive about the new print solution and the obvious environmental and cost benefits to the College. Virtually all the personal printer fleet was eliminated and we were also able to remove a lot of stand-alone fax machines and scanners, because the Konica Minolta devices provided these functions as an integral element.”

In addition to office multifunctional devices, the College had a requirement for digital production print systems for use in its new print room. Konica Minolta was also able to supply three state-of-the-art high speed mono and precision colour digital systems, with an online perfect binding finisher for producing books and bound documents. The College uses Konica Minolta JT Web software that allows users to send print jobs to the print room via its Intranet using a simple web browser interface. Konica Minolta high-speed digital systems have allowed the College to reduce the amount of outsourced print work, enabling it to remain responsive and flexible whilst controlling quality and reducing costs.

In operation the new networked managed print solution supplied by Konica Minolta has proved to be a huge success, reducing operational costs and administrative time, whilst at the same time increasing efficiencies. Railton continues “All the devices are set to black and white, double-sided output as the default, which sets a standard and minimises costs – although users are able to select a variety of other options depending on their requirements. Students have access to six devices and are allocated an initial copy and print allowance which they can then top up as and when they need to. Staff use their MiFare cards to authenticate themselves at the multifunctional device which enables them to access various features and collect their jobs from whatever device they want – for example they can collect their print from another floor if they are on their way to a meeting.  The system also provides a wealth of Management Information and statistics around usage which is vital for the College’s core functions such as internal billing.

“The usage records have also allowed Konica Minolta to optimise usage of the multifunctional devices; for example it has allowed us to reposition devices in high workload areas with those less utilised to balance duty cycles across our fleet.”

Following installation, the College has enjoyed excellent after sales support and care from Konica Minolta. “The reliability of the devices is great, but if we need to make a service call, response is rapid and issues are sorted out fast”, Railton says. Christine added, “We have an excellent relationship with Konica Minolta. We hold regular account review meetings where we are able to monitor services, develop the services and plan for the future. The team is always pro-active in their approach, respond very quickly to any action points, and it feels like a true partnership.”

The College has seen substantial benefits from the new Konica Minolta print solution, both economic and logistical. “The cost of our print output has reduced by a third since we switched to using Konica Minolta multifunctional devices. The billing is simpler to understand and administer and all the device contracts are on a co-terminus end date to ease transition. We are spending a lot less on toner and ink cartridges which previously had to be catalogued and stored. Now print consumables like this are automatically supplied as and when a device requires it, due to the innovative CS Remote Care solution built into the devises, meaning we don’t need to manually order, or hold and administer stock. Our print room can now cope with all the major College print jobs including perfect bound colour work. “Print output is one thing I no longer have to worry about”, Railton concluded.

 

Case Study Available @ http://www.konicaminolta.co.uk/fileadmin/content/uk/Business_Solutions/Press/casestudies/Konica_Minolta_helps_Bolton_College_Save_A_Third_on_Print_Costs_Case_Study.pdf

 

 

Originally published @ konicaminolta.co.uk

Infirmary Health Saves $240,000 with Managed Print Solution from Konica Minolta

Konica Minolta today announced that Infirmary Health System, a leading provider of healthcare in southwest Alabama, has implemented Konica Minolta Optimized Print Services (OPS) throughout its entire network of hospitals, outpatient facilities and medical clinics. By standardizing on a managed print solution Infirmary Health has saved over $240,000 as well as simplified the management of 2,000 printing devices and improved efficiencies and document security.

“Maintaining our large printing fleet across multiple hospitals and clinics was a strain on the IT department and our operational budget,” Eddy Stephens, CIO, Infirmary Health System, Inc. “It made more sense to move to a single managed print service plan with Konica Minolta OPS maintaining and supporting our entire fleet regardless of the manufacture and model. Not only has it helped to drive down operating costs, but the IT department no longer has to manage multiple vendors or service devices ourselves. With everything else I have on my plate as CIO of a large healthcare provider, printing is now one less thing I have to worry about with Konica Minolta OPS.”

For the past 15 years Infirmary Health has leveraged Konica Minolta printers, bizhub® multifunction printers (MFPs) and production print systems. Looking ahead to the long-term changes in healthcare reimbursements from government and private payers, Infirmary Health turned to Konica Minolta to implement a managed print solution that would help reduce its operating budget and drive costs out of the system. Infirmary Health now saves $20,000 monthly on replacement toner cartridges by moving to Konica Minolta OPS for the ordering and delivery of all consumables, replacement parts and maintenance kits, regardless of the device make or model.

With a total of 2000 printing devices throughout the organization, Infirmary Health has moved to a vendor supported maintenance model with a dedicated Konica Minolta technician on site to service and ensure optimal uptime. Now when IT receives a call related to printing, it is sent directly to the Konica Minolta technician. The combination of a dedicated Konica Minolta technician and local technician support ensure that Konica Minolta can easily service and maintain all the print devices located throughout nine different hospital facilities and more than 30 satellite clinics.

“Like so many large organizations with multiple locations, Infirmary Health’s printing environment was not optimized for efficiency and was comprised of excess printing, imaging and fax devices,” says Sam Errigo, senior vice president, Business Intelligence Services, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. “Konica Minolta’s Optimized Print Services (OPS) takes the complexity and inefficiencies out of managing a print environment for both productivity and cost savings. Our approach combines consultancy, hardware, software and implementation services in order to achieve cost reductions and trouble-free processes.”

Click here to read the full case study.

 

Originally published @ http://kmbs.konicaminolta.us

Konica Minolta encourages entrepreneurial activity across Europe

What do “Runtastic” and Konica Minolta have in common? – They both believe in the same idea! Believing in innovation, Konica Minolta – a leading service provider for IT and document processes – extends its sponsorship of Pioneers Festival, one of the most prominent technology festivals in Europe. Startups like Runtastic (keynote speech at the Festival this year) live out these ideals on a day-to-day basis. Runtastic had one of its first pitches as a startup at an earlier Pioneers Unplugged event and has continued to grow ever since.

Konica Minolta has sponsored Pioneers Festival for more than two years. “Our aim is to encourage entrepreneurial activity across Europe,” says Olaf Lorenz, General Manager International Marketing Division, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe. The festival’s approach is to connect both the “old” and the “new” economies, bringing together startups and established corporations. “We call it the ‘true’ economy,” says Lorenz, “and it reflects our own philosophy as a company. Though we have our roots in established technology, we are highly innovative, especially in software and services. It is our expertise in imaging and printing technology that enables us to tailor new products to customers’ needs.”

In the past, seven out of ten startups that presented their startup ideas at the Pioneers Festival received funding of between 500,000 and 2.5million Euros – reflecting the high quality of entrepreneurial energy at the Pioneers Festival and Pioneers Unplugged events. Top-class speakers (such as this year’s Adam Cheyer, co-founder of Siri and Chris Barton, co-founder of Shazam) support the festival, proving that good ideas are worth being supported and believed-in. Pioneers is about energising the European economy and encouraging approximately 2,500 young entrepreneurs to start their own businesses. “At Konica Minolta, we take the long view. Our sustainability vision, for instance, is geared to the year 2050,” says Lorenz. “Fostering startups is likewise an activity that is beneficial for the long-term prosperity of an economic region.” In addition, being a Global Sponsor of Pioneers puts Konica Minolta in touch with some of the most exciting business ideas in Europe.

Konica Minolta’s sponsorship is two-pronged as the company supports the Pioneers Festival held in Vienna 29th to 31st October, while all through the year, Konica Minolta’s European national operating companies (NOCs) participate in Pioneers Unplugged at their discretion. Pioneers Unplugged features 70 workshops in 17 European countries connecting young entrepreneurs with an interest in future technologies.

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is so committed to the power of ideas that it has also signed an exclusive platinum sponsorship of the Lisbon-based “Explorers Festival”, an international startup event that works in a similar way to the Pioneers Festival by connecting entrepreneurs with investors, mentors and service providers. Around 1,000 participants are expected from 1^st to 8^th November 2013.

“Konica Minolta not only promotes and supports startups, but, through exchange and networking with these young entrepreneurs, we can also benefit from new impetus and innovations.” says Lorenz. “Together we can anticipate market trends and develop new solutions that make our customer’s working life easier and better every day. This cooperation confirms our management philosophy “The Creation of New Value” to the fullest.”

PDF Press Release HERE

@konicaminoltaau to host “Out of the Box” seminar

Konica Minolta is hosting a seminar on different ways printing businesses can increase productivity and profitability to ensure long term success, with a wide range of presentations from industry experts.

Presentations will inform the industry on how to make your business more accessible to customers to create growth, manage inventory and processes more efficiently, increase flexibility to protect your profits, create new business opportunities through personalisation, improve agility with the ‘Cloud’ an solutions and applications to drive productivity.

There will be a special guest speaker from the NBN providing an update on how the National Broadband Network and how it will affect your business.

The following industry experts will provide attendees with an insight on the following:

• Investec – ‘Finance in Todays Market’
• Adobe – ‘No more buying software in a box. Software As A Service (SAAS)
• Anitech – ‘Toner based wide format printing’
• BJ Ball – ‘Reduce your paper stock overheads’
• EFI – ‘Discover your benefits of web-to-print and what it means to your business’
• Kodak – ‘Understand what workflow and MIS systems can do for your business’
• Objectif Lune – ‘Can variable date grow your business?’
• Symantec – ‘The Cloud’
• Morgana – ‘All finishers are not equal’

 

To register click on the following link

Event Website: www.konicaminolta.com.au/outofthebox

Sharp discounts shares to raise up to $1.4B

Japanese firm seeks to rebuild balance sheet after losses

Sharp Corp., a supplier of screens to Apple Inc., will raise as much as 137 billion yen — $1.4 billion — by selling stock at a discount as the Japanese company seeks to rebuild its balance sheet after record annual losses.

Shares will be priced at 279 yen apiece, which is 4.1 percent lower than Monday’s closing price, Osaka-based Sharp said in a regulatory filing. Japan’s largest maker of liquid-crystal displays will raise as much as 119.1 billion yen from a public share sale and 17.4 billion yen from selling stock to Makita Corp., Denso Corp. and Lixil Group Corp., it said.

Sharp posted losses totaling 921 billion yen during the past two financial years amid intensified competition in LCDs and flat-panel TVs. The supplier for Apple’s iPhone and iPad is tapping into the Japanese equities rally after previously selling minority stakes to Samsung Electronics Co. and Qualcomm Inc.

Sharp last month said it would raise as much as 166.4 billion yen from the sale of stock. The company’s shares have slumped 23 percent since the plan was announced Sept. 18.

The stock dropped 8.2 percent to close at 291 yen in Tokyo trading before the announcement. Sharp shares have fallen 4 percent so far this year, while Japan’s benchmark Topix index has gained 33 percent.

In August, Sharp reported a net loss of 18 billion yen for the June quarter, narrower than the 138 billion yen loss a year earlier. Operating profit, or sales minus the cost of goods sold and administrative expenses, totaled 3 billion yen for the quarter, compared with a loss of 94 billion yen a year earlier, the company said. Sales rose 33 percent to 608 billion yen.

The maker of Aquos TVs is forecasting net income of 5 billion yen for the year to March 2014, its first annual profit in three years, after job cuts. The company sold a stake in its largest LCD plant to Taiwanese billionaire Terry Gou last year to boost sales through his Foxconn Technology Group, the world’s biggest contract manufacturer of electronics.

 

By Grace Huang, Bloomberg News

North West Online Business Goes Pink For October

NetGiant Ltd, a Greater Manchester internet retailer, is donating 50p to Breast Cancer Care for every Magenta (pink) printer cartridge sold during the month of October.

The multi-brand company will use their printer consumables website, TonerGiant.co.uk, to head up the campaign. Besides the charitable donations, TonerGiant.co.uk will undergo a pink ‘makeover’ from October 1st, in an aim to spread awareness about breast cancer. The whole team will be involved and have been learning about the risks of the disease, as well as precautions and measures that can be taken against it.

In an aid to help the fund-raising even further, the team will be taking part in plenty of activities in October, using ‘Pink Fridays’ as way of raising awareness. The NetGiant team will be learning line dancing, baking cakes and wearing pink supportive t-shirts on these Fridays, in order to mirror the messages on their website.

Director Joanne Flynn said, “To be able to be a part of this month of fundraising is something that we, as a team, are collectively really proud of. Breast cancer awareness is becoming a much more popular topic in the media, but unfortunately it’s not as popular as we’d like it to be just yet.”

Managing Director, Gary Flynn, added “As an online business with a public front, we have a direct opportunity to raise awareness for this great cause. We’ve all been working really hard to think of ways we could support the charity, and hopefully, at the end of the month, we can say we’ve done our bit.”

TonerGiant.co.uk is one of NetGiant Ltd’s internet retail brands, and has been trading nationwide since 2006. Experiencing positive growth and expansion over the last decade, and being awarded the Bolton & Bury Business of the Year Award in 2012, NetGiant Ltd hopes to use this commercial success as an outlet to support Breast Cancer Care this October.

Gary Flynn’s final words were, “We’re all set up and on board now and we can’t wait to start seeing some of our sales go towards Breast Cancer Care. We must of course remember that this is just a start and we’re all really eager to see more of the same attitude to the charity across the UK.”

 

(PRWEB UK) 6 October 2013

Konica Minolta launches practical workshops to re-enforce industry and Ipex commitment.

Konica Minolta has announced a series of practical workshops – underpinning its commitment to the print industry and next year’s Ipex – to help printers grow their business in a rapidly changing marketplace.

Up to 20 free places are available to owners / directors at each of the five separate high quality support events that will be run by Konica Minolta in conjunction with Print Future.  The key focus areas will cover business planning, production efficiency, sales and business development, and adding new services.

Customer case studies and other testimonials featuring good business practice will also be part of the programme linking into Konica Minolta’s successful Digital 1234 initiatives.

The details of the events were unveiled at the Young Leaders in Print European Conference in Cambridge, which offers printers training and opportunities to discuss current industry trends. The workshops launch at St Brides, London, on 12 November, followed by events at Bristol on 19 November, Nottingham on 26 November, Warrington on 3 December and will be completed in Livingston, Scotland, on 11 December.

Mark Hinder, Konica Minolta’s Production Printing Market Development Manager, gave a keynote address to delegates from across Europe at Young Leaders in Print Conference, which was run jointly by and the BPIF (British Printing Industries Federation) and Intergraf.  The theme of the conference was innovation and Mr Hinder shared Konica Minolta’s thoughts on future developments.

He said: “This conference provided us with a perfect opportunity to announce a significant investment in educational programmes through our acclaimed Digital 1234 programmes that will be beneficial to printers going forward. These events will help enable printers to determine their future growth strategies and opportunities through identifying key priorities. This isn’t about investing in technology and solutions, it’s about knowing how the market will adapt and what to plan for.

“In the wider context, this is also further evidence of Konica Minolta’s unwavering commitment to the print industry in the run-up to Ipex where we are so proud to be the largest single exhibitor.”

BPIF Chief Executive Kathy Woodward said: “It is really positive to see the whole supply chain coming together to harness the undoubted opportunities of the quickly changing digital arena.”

To find out more and register to attend the events, please click this link

 

Originally published @ http://www.konicaminolta.co.uk

Konica Minolta: First laser-based MFPs to receive new Blue Angel Mark

 

 

Major CSR accolades extend Konica Minolta’s lead within the industry in terms of environmental friendliness and sustainability. In addition to receiving the new Blue Angel Mark, Konica Minolta products achieve “Gold” status for meeting strict environmental criteria at EPEAT.

 

Langenhagen/Germany, August 5, 2013

With Konica Minolta systems as the first laser-based MFPs in the industry to be awarded a Blue Angel Mark, the company is continuing a long success story. It was already the first company to receive the Blue Angel certification in the copier sector as early as 1992. Additionally, EPEAT, the definitive global registry for greener electronics, has added 14 Konica Minolta bizhub MFPs to its United States product registry, giving them “Gold” status.

The German Blue Angel is one of the most well-known eco-labels worldwide and a reliable guide to environmentally safe purchasing. It is only awarded to products and services which – from a holistic point of view – are of considerable benefit to the environment and, at the same time, meet high standards of serviceability, health and occupational protection. This is guaranteed by the Environmental Label Jury, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, the Federal Environment Agency as well as RAL gGmbH.

The newly revised Blue Angel Mark criteria (RAL-UZ 171) cover changes regarding several parameters, e.g. introduction of a test value for fine and ultrafine particles (UFPs) for devices smaller than 250 litres, tightening of requirements concerning energy calculation and reduced energy consumption limits as well as a change in sleep mode limit. The Konica Minolta MFPs bizhub C224e, C284e, C364e, C454e and C554e all met the high standard set by the new Blue Angel Mark RAL-UZ 171 and are the first laser-based MFPs in the industry to receive this high-ranking eco mark.

Also the US-based EPEAT (Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool) serves as a tool to inform companies, governments and consumers about the environmental impact of electronic products and to purchase greener devices for improved environmental benefits. It assesses the whole life cycle of equipment from design to disposal. To be added to the EPEAT registry, an imaging device must meet at least 33 required environmental performance criteria. Products may achieve higher ratings by meeting additional optional criteria. The number of optional criteria met determines a product’s rating of Bronze, Silver or Gold. With the additions of the 14 Konica Minolta bizhub MFPs to the EPEAT product registry boasting “Gold” status, all Konica Minolta MFPs on the EPEAT registry have now achieved “Silver” level status or higher.

“We are amazingly proud to have received these two outstanding accolades confirming our constant pursuit of excellence as a corporate citizen”, says Benjamin Bossdorf-Zimmer, Team Manager Sustainability Group, International Marketing Division Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe. “And, most important for us, the prestigious awards provide confirmation for our customers that they are using the ‘best of the best’ – also regarding ecological terms.” True to its management philosophy “The Creation of New Value”, Konica Minolta aims to conduct all of its corporate activities in harmony with society and the environment. Regarding ecology for example, Konica Minolta has not only defined ambitious ecological goals in its Eco Vision 2050. It has also broken down these goals into tangible objectives in a medium-term environmental plan 2015 spanning several fields, for example measures to diminish global warming, support a recycling-oriented society, reduce the risk of chemical substances and restore and preserve biodiversity. Just recently, the company has been awarded the RobecoSAM Gold Class Award making it the leading vendor among all MFP manufacturers in terms of sustainability and for the tenth year in a row has been included in the FTSE4Good Global Index by FTSE Group* (FTSE) in the U.K., one of the best-known indices in the world for socially responsible investment (SRI**) communities.

 

View the official press release here: http://www.konicaminolta.eu/uploads/media/Press_Release_Konica_Minolta_Blue_Angel_Mark_and_EPEAT.pdf