Komori, Konica Minolta Forge Global Sales Pact

TOKYO—Komori Corp. has signed a global sales agreement in the commercial printing market with Konica Minolta Business Technologies, the information equipment business unit of Konica Minolta Holdings.

Konica Minolta will supply to Komori the bizhub PRESS series, centered on the bizhub PRESS C8000 digital printing system, in the four regions of Japan, the United States, Europe and China. Additionally, beginning in May, Konica Minolta will supply Komori with the bizhub PRESS series on an OEM basis in those four regions.

The commercial printing market has lately been adopting more and more digital printing systems, as customer needs have increased in high-variety, low-volume and short-run orders, as well as visible surge in demands for one-to-one marketing and variable printing.

Komori Corp., as a specialist manufacturer of printing presses for many years, provides printing systems that are capable of producing a wide range of printed items for the commercial, package and currency printing markets. Specifically, the company in recent years has supplied solutions such as “OffsetOnDemand,” which applies digital technologies, the latest drying system and a color management system.

Konica Minolta BT has developed and delivered digital printing systems for the production print field since 1999, based on its broad range of core technologies relating to color output. Since 1999, Konica Minolta BT has rolled out digital printing systems aimed at the production printing field with a variety of core technologies for color output. Based on this background, Komori forged a global sales agreement with Konica Minolta BT that will contribute to the building of the ‘OffsetOnDemand’ environment for the commercial printing market and comprehensive business development in order to provide products and services that meet customer needs.

Komori will roll out the bizhub PRESS series that it receives from Konica Minolta on an OEM basis as Komori-brand products and expand sales channels to customers having an “OffsetOnDemand” orientation. Konica Minolta will expand its distribution channels to customers who use offset printing systems as their main production system. That will enable it to accumulate diverse information about output quality, media handling and stable operation of the system in relation to the heavy production segment in every phase of development, manufacturing, sales and customer support.

In preparation for future growth, Komori plans to undertake a technology exhibit at drupa 2012 of an inkjet digital printing system (prototype) that is under joint development with Konica Minolta for rollout to the commercial printing market.