Kyocera TASKalfa Pro 15000c: An Essential Tool for Profitable Printing

“This technology does not go down – it just runs.”

For Lead Concepts, an Irving, Texas-based commercial printer, a recent move into cut-sheet inkjet printing – via the Kyocera TASKalfa Pro 15000c – has been a game changer. According to Chris Weir, founder and CEO, the company focuses primarily on direct mail marketing, produced and delivered to the post office daily. Inkjet technology, he says, has enabled his company to work differently. As it serves vertical markets including auto insurance, financial planning, and even funeral homes, the company is able to economically add small amounts of color to what would only have been black before.

Chris Weir, founder and CEO of Lead Concepts: “This machine allows us to be more competitive in the market.”

When Lead Concepts purchased its first TASKalfa Pro 15000c roughly a year ago, “it didn’t take long to realize that is was a game changer in our shop,” Weir says. He shares that toner-based systems (the production cost structure, based on click charges) would price the company out of certain work, leaving them little choice but to print black-only. All that has changed because the TASKalfa Pro 15000c enabled the company to add color in a cost-effective manner. “It’s quickly become one of our favorite machines,” he adds, noting that the success of the first purchase led to the purchase of a second unit five months ago.

Advantages Abound

Explaining one of the disadvantages of toner-based printing, Weir says it comes with “certain expectations” for the number of passthroughs or clicks, which are built into the lease, a reality he does not find favorable. Providing the caveat that the inkjet system cannot currently handle glossy stocks, and does not run all types of papers, he finds many jobs “naturally work. We look to migrate as many jobs as we can [to inkjet].” From a production cost standpoint, he cannot see a reason not to. “If you have enough work for the inkjet equipment, in time it becomes less expensive.”

Asked whether he had any initial concerns about the ability of inkjet to perform up to his expectations, Weir’s answer focuses on one key area: uptime. An issue with toner systems, he explains, is that after a certain amount of work is done on the machine, components start to break down, leading to down time and a need for equipment redundancy. About the TASKalfa Pro 15000c, he says, “I can count on it to run and run without breaking down. Rarely is there any down time.” When asked about his recently purchased second machine, he clarifies that it was not purchased for redundancy. It was instead purchased because the production cost savings experienced with inkjet were leading to more work.

Weir is pleased to share that the Kyocera team worked with him to ensure the TASKalfa Pro 15000c would work well for a specific application. “Some of the forms we do have a dry glue that will stick if pressed together, which was a concern.” He says that prior to the purchase, the Kyocera team took samples and ran them on the machine to verify compatibility. “They were instrumental in helping us understand that we could use the machine and run one of our favorite forms on the technology.”

About that effort, Yuji Buchan, Product Manager of the TASKalfa Pro 15000c, says, “We often get requests for a proof of concept for customer workflow. With Lead Concepts, we were asked to test a specific pressure seal media. Our goal is to make sure to set the right expectation for the customer, so we tested and approved their media internally between marketing and service. This allowed Lead Concepts to expand their current offerings and bring additional workflow in house.”

Technology Without Surprises

Asked to share what was most surprising about the TASKalfa Pro 15000c, Weir says, “The biggest surprise is that there wasn’t any. I’ve purchased a lot of equipment in my time and there was always something. With new machines, surprises are usually a fact of life.” He says he was happy how smoothly the installation and implementation of the machine, which included onsite and offsite training, went.

Because some of the types of paper used by Lead Concepts cannot be used with current inkjet systems, Weir says the company will continue to run a mix of toner and inkjet. That said, part of the company’s strategy moving forward is to “lean into inkjet” because of the cost of consumables. “In the future, we could add one more and remove two toner machines.” For his company, he says, technology selection requires a delicate balance.

“The decisions are typically financial,” Weir says about what drives Lead Concepts to choose the equipment is chooses. But it’s not limited to that. “It’s a drive to do everything better,” he clarifies, “and to be able to offer more products to the sales team to offer to their clients, and in a cost-effective manner.” Further, he says it’s about maximizing profitability: “This machine allows us to be more competitive in the market.”

Does the TASKalfa Pro 15000c save Lead Concepts money? “Yes,” Weir quickly says. “We’re saving money every month.” And what are his thoughts on how the TASKalfa Pro 15000c has served to transform his business? “The machine has energized and sparked creativity inside my company,” he says. “My team is excited to create affordable color options that were not available before.”

For more information on the money-saving, production-based benefits of the Kyocera TASKalfa Pro 15000c and Kyocera’s new approach to its service, visit kyoceradocumentsolutions.us.