KONICA MINOLTA
Changes driven by the pandemic have informed some of the trends in the market over the past 12 months, although many were an acceleration of a market that was already changing, Cameron adds. “Many businesses were already exploring agile working and re-examining their real estate, partly driven by advancements in technology, partly generational expectations of an agile working environment,” he says. “This in turn puts pressure on print volumes and forces the need to find new revenue streams. While print will continue to be front and centre of most vendors’ strategies, competitive advantage will come from driving innovation to complement the core business.” MGI AlphaJET Innovation was seen in the MGI AlphaJET printer, which Konica Minolta launched earlier in the year. “It is the top of our range,” says Cameron. “It is a complete production line, printing CMYK aqueous inkjet, spot UV, and hot-foil all in a single pass, freeing up labour resources and reducing the production time. “Up until now, printers would have to rely on different devices doing each step of the process, which is hugely labour intensive. MGI AlphaJET brings this all together in one complete production line which understandably requires quite a large footprint. “This solution makes a huge difference in the production cycle by producing jobs quicker, significantly reducing the time from order placement to delivery and invoicing. It is particularly attractive to customers that are coming from an offset background, but there is no reason why digital customers shouldn’t consider this as well. “The entire process can be completed by one equipment operator, one press, and one single factory, which has obvious benefits in terms of the productivity.” Supporting young talent But 2022 has not just been about technology and services, Konica Minolta has also looked to give back to the community and nurture the next generation of talent in the industry. To this end, the company recently supported the Tameside HACK – a coding competition that helps and encourages 11–18-year-olds to discover and explore the array of career opportunities available in the digital world. “It is vitally important to ensure young talent is nurtured and encouraged to embrace the technology industry,” says Cameron. “The young participants worked in teams with mentoring, to find solutions to technology challenges such as cyber security, sustainability, mental health and gaming. “As a technology provider, Konica Minolta is very mindful that our future lays in finding and supporting
fresh talent. By supporting initiatives such as the Tameside HACK, we can engage with and support the next generation of talented technology professionals, helping them to discover new career opportunities and putting them on the right path, through education and skills development.” Konica Minolta also supports other projects in its local community, such as the Sunderland City Council litter pick at the Roker Beach and Marina earlier this year. “Having supported various national charities in the past including mental health charity Mind and Crisis at Christmas, we are now also partnering with more localised charities, such as Trust Links in Essex – an independent charity for mental health and wellbeing. “As a business we are always mindful that Konica Minolta and our team are integral to the needs of the communities we live in, so being able to give help and support to the places we live and work in is extremely important.” Looking forward The next 12 months are set to be busy for Konica Minolta too. This will include the official launch of the AccurioLabel 400 high-speed toner press, which is already gaining publicity thanks to a win in the Good Design Awards from the Japan Institute of Design Promotion. “Designed to achieve unprecedented operational efficiency even in high-volume uses, the AccurioLabel 400 minimises time loss at printing sites and greatly shortens the operator training period, which is equally important,” says Cameron. “When used with Konica Minolta’s Intelligent Quality Care and the IQ-520 unit to increase usability and automation, label production will benefit from higher levels of control. In addition, the introduction of Konica Minolta’s first white toner will add even further scope and value for digital label printing. This is a press designed to meet the demanding needs of label production as businesses look to become even more efficient and streamlined in their production.” Also coming in 2023 is Konica Minolta’s new enhanced Partner Programme. “Further details will be revealed in due course, but the enhancements will go even further in recognising, differentiating, and rewarding partners on their product and services specialisms, as well as their overall commitment to selling and supporting Konica Minolta’s solutions,” he says. “Overall, in 2023 Konica Minolta is looking forward to building upon the growth and success achieved in 2022 and to enhancing and evolving our offering in close collaboration with our partners, to ensure our customers continue to enjoy the considerable benefits of utilising our technology solutions and services to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead.”
“
It is vitally
important to ensure young
talent is nurtured and encouraged to embrace the technology industry...
...By supporting initiatives such as the Tameside HACK, we can engage with and support the next generation
of talented technology professionals
”
konicaminolta.co.uk
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