Heidelberg will have exclusive rights to sell the Konica Minolta range of digital presses to its Australian Heidelberg customer list, which includes the majority of Australian printers, most of whom have some form of equipment from Heidelberg. Konica Minolta will sell to copy shops, franchises, inplants and corporates, while both parties will be free to sell commercial printers who are not Heidelberg customers.
Under the terms of the deal Heidelberg will sell the Konica Minolta range to commercial printers, with installation, training, service and support provided by Konica Minolta, and specifically its network of 90 dealers and six state offices. Heidelberg is currently recruiting two business drivers to develop and manage the business. That range includes the new bizhub C8000 Press, as well as the bizhub Pro C6501, and the bizhub Pro 1200. Konica Minolta has launched the bizhub C8000 Press at Ipex, with bizhub Press branding signifying a higher productivity expectation than the bizhub Pro series.
Both Heidelberg managing director Andy Vels Jensen and Konica Minolta managing director Hiro Kaji stressed that the deal was locally created and driven, and while it was authorised by their head offices in Japan and Germany it was purely on ‘business terms’ and is not a precursor or test run for Heidelberg’s digital aspirations, outlined by Bernhard Schreier at Heidelberg’s Ipex press conference, where he stated the company is looking for a digital partner.
For Australian printers (the deal excludes New Zealand) it means that they will now be able to enter and/or grow into the digital market with Heidelberg as their partner, which Vels Jensen says its customers have been wanting for some time. For Konica Minolta it means a tremendous opportunity to build on its remarkable success of the past five years, where it has come from nowhere to a highly credible player. Now with unfettered access to the nation’s commercial printers it will step up to the next level.
Vels Jensen says, “Increasingly our customers are looking for a broader range of options to satisfy their ever changing customer requirements. We considered and evaluated our options and found Konica Minolta the perfect fit in Australia, not only as it concerns quality of equipment, product range and service offering, but equally as it relates to Konica Minolta having a can do attitude and fantastic people within their organisation. Konica Minolta’s digital presses are designed to meet the stringent requirements of the commercial offset and high volume digital environment.
“We are confident that the Konica Minolta portfolio will complement and sit well alongside our Speedmaster range, particularly our Anicolor technology, and Konica Minolta will provide our customers with the appropriate choice and flexibility allowing them to build their business platform and extend more services to their customers.”
Hiro Kaji says, “We are honoured that a company of Heidelberg’s reputation recognises the potential of our machines and I am confident we together will make the bizhub range the household name and Australian market leader within the commercial sheetfed Australian market.
“The bizhub Press C8000 and the launch of the bizhub Press brand demonstrate Konica Minolta’s commitment to servicing this Australian market with next generation digital presses that truly compare to and complement offset presses. We are honoured that a company of Heidelberg’s reputation recognises the potential of our machines to take offset printing to the next level.”
Vels Jensen claims Heidelberg has a 60 per cent market share of the Australian offset market. He says, “For smaller printers the ability to have a pressroom comprising an Anicolor and a bizhub C8000 Press will provide them with the ability to profitably handle virtually all their work, providing tremendous flexibility.”
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter