[dropcaps style=’2′]During an interview with The Packman in February 2018, Yoshinori Koide, director, business strategy & project management, Konica Minolta Business Solutions, said that the company had an exciting time last year despite emerging challenges, including implementation of GST mid-year. “We have overcome most of these challenges,” said Koide. “By the end of this financial year, we are hopeful about selling two IP products – an AccurioLabel 190 press and a KM1. We are at the final stage of closing these deals and, hopefully, if we are able to close these two deals, it indeed will be a very successful year for us.” The company is looking at double digit growth in addition to increasing its product line in the IP segment. Konica Minolta’s PP arm has also done well, having sold more than 600 presses so far in FY 2017-18.[/dropcaps]
The AccurioLabel 190, a full-digital toner press, is developed and manufactured in cooperation with Danish company Grafisk Maskinfabrik (GM). It had its Europe launch in October 2017. AccurioLabel 190 replaces the bizhub PRESS C71cf, a system that has sold over 100 units across the globe since its launch two years ago. Building on this success, GM is supplying its DC330 mini converting unit for the AccurioLabel 190 press, which can work in-line with the machine or as a standalone unit.
[quote style=’1′ cite=”]We did not have to reinvent any new technology for the AccurioLabel 190 press – we already had it. We just had to extend our already existing contemporary technology to be in the label segment – Yoshinori Koide, director, business strategy & project management, Konica Minolta Business Solutions.[/quote]
According to Manish Gupta, DGM PP and IP marketing, Konica Minolta India, who was also present along with Koide during the interview with The Packman, the AccurioLabel 190 is positioned for short-run requirements where it is not competing with any other presses. “The AccurioLabel 190 is positioned for short run requirements keeping in mind that there is a huge gap in this area where no other manufacturers are present. The press is an ideal choice for customers with demands less than 50,000 linear meter of labels per month,” explained Gupta.
Koide highlighted that Konica Minolta has a proven technology in terms of electro photography and that AccurioLabel 190 press is an extension of the already existing technology that the company has pioneered since so many years. “Precisely speaking, we did not have to reinvent any new technology for this press – we already had it. We just had to extend our already existing contemporary technology to be in the label segment,” he stated.
Planning to exploit the labels and packaging market
Koide sounded optimistic about how much Konica Minolta can do in the label and packaging segment. He informed, “The label market is growing and we have ambitious plans in store for the labels and packaging segment. As far as the label industry is concerned, we are looking forward to introducing enhanced printing features in our MGI series. Currently, we have cut-sheet Jet Varnish series. However, we have plans to introduce roll-to-roll fed machines in the Jet Varnish series.”
To strengthen its label business in India, Konica Minolta recently appointed Insight and Reifenhäuser as its channel partners to represent its label press in East-West and North-South India respectively. “We are still in the course of building a strong IP team. The business is growing, so is the team which is committed to grow at the same level,” said Koide. He also informed that the IP team will be sharing resources with the already existing PP team, “IP is a different segment in terms of application, but we have installed IP products at a lot of our customers’ premises; so there is some overlapping where we take support from the existing team.”
– Mahan Hazarika
