Mailboxes Etc (MBE) Applecross in Perth is stepping into commercial print with a new Konica Minolta C2070, meeting an upswing in demand for printing services, with a device that can print on heavier stocks and envelopes.
The franchise store opened in October last year, along with a second Perth store, in Joondalup. They joined the 30 existing MBE stores, and were the first in WA.
The Applecross franchise says it was experiencing an upswing in demand for print services, but outsourcing work away to other printers as it had previously done was incurring costs and running contrary to its own vision to run high quality printing in house, with faster turnaround times. .
Andrew Ingram, director, MBE Applecross, says, “We wanted to be a place that did printing, not a place that sent printing jobs to other companies. Putting the Konica Minolta printer in place let us make that change. We do not need to outsource as much work now because the C2070 can handle just about everything.
“When you are starting out in a franchise, you need to provide good service to build up the business. The speed, efficiency, and capability of the Konica Minolta printer has helped us start to build that reputation.
Initially we had a printer that was more suited to office work than the commercial work we wanted to do. One of the key types of printing we do is meeting notices for mining exploration companies.
“These 16- to 32-page booklets need to be high quality and produced in time for meeting season. To meet this demand, we needed a commercial printer that could deliver reliably and quickly.
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“The previous printer we had could not handle heavier stocks even though we had been told it could. We needed a printer that could handle up to 350gsm because we wanted to print business cards and high-quality covers for booklets for mining companies."
MBE Applecross says the C2070, at 71ppm, was more than twice as fast as the previous machine.
Ingram says, “Fast, good-quality output was important to us. However, equally important was the support that Konica Minolta offered. Every time I had a question for the Konica Minolta team, I got an immediate answer and that impressed me.
"It is important to sell your service with the confidence that you can deliver. Having the Konica Minolta printer means we know we have got the right machine for the job, so we can have that confidence.
“Before, I was embarrassed to show people our printer. Now, it is the first thing I show anyone when they come into the office.
“Everyone at Konica Minolta has delivered a consistently high level of service. Nothing is too hard and they are all professional. As a business owner, to know I have got that level of backup and support is crucial. The C2070 is our main breadwinner, so having such reliable support for it delivers peace of mind.
MBE is a global company that provides courier, shipping, printing and mailbox services. Originally established as a US-based franchise, MBE now has 32 locations in Australia.
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