Komori, Konica Minolta Ink Sales Agreement

Komori Corp. has signed a global sales agreement with Konica Minolta Business Technologies, the information equipment business unit of Konica Minolta Holdings Inc. As a result, Konica Minolta will supply to Komori the bizhub PRESS series, centered on the bizhub PRESS C8000 digital printing system, in the United States, Europe, Japan and China.

Additionally, beginning in May, Konica Minolta will supply Komori with the bizhub PRESS series on an OEM basis in those four regions. Komori will roll the series out as Komori-brand products, and expand sales channels.

Konica Minolta will expand its distribution channels to customers who use offset print 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 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 printing market.

Komori is not the only offset press manufacturer to partner with a digital print vendor. Heidelberg, which announced a "global strategic cooperation" with Ricoh a year ago, is also expanding its digital print portfolio, bundling all solutions under the name Heidelberg Linoprint. Heidelberg now offers Ricoh digital printing systems under its own name and equipped with Heidelberg software. It is selling the Ricoh Pro C901 Graphic Arts Edition under the name Heidelberg Linoprint C 901.