Konica Minolta Business Solutions

"Lots of positive energy," was how Alvin Griffin described the IPMA regional meeting he hosted at Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools' Graphic Production Center last week, which drew 17 in-plant managers to his facility.

On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, dozens of West Coast in-plant managers got together for the first two of six regional meetings organized by the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association.

With traditional offset exhibitors like Heidelberg giving the Chicago trade show a pass, the digital print vendors were the new kings. Xerox, Canon, Konica Minolta and Fujifilm led the pack in booth size, and each of them had new inkjet production presses to proclaim.

One day before PRINT 13 opened, the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) inducted 15 industry leaders into the Soderstrom Society, named for the late Walter E. Soderstrom, one of the founders of NAPL. The Soderstrom award recognizes the contributions of industry leaders, including printing firm owners, equipment manufacturers, consultants, and educators.

Konica Minolta and Komori will be showcasing the KM-1/IS29 inkjet press at PRINT 13. The new press combines Konica Minolta’s UV inkjet technology with Komori’s expertise in precision manufacturing.

Beacon Printing in Newport, KY, recently increased its capabilities with the addition of a Konica Minolta color bizhub press and a black-and-white bizhub Pro, both with variable data printing support. The new press, with its increased paper handling and image quality, will help the company to tackle any type of monochrome job.

Several senior management changes have been made at Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. President and CEO Nobuo Umehara will be moving back to Konica Minolta’s Tokyo Headquarters; and Toshimitsu Taiko will be taking over the senior leadership role within the organization. President and COO Rick Taylor will also be taking on an expanded role within the organization.

Commercial printing industry supplier company and personnel news from Printing Impressions’ February 2013 edition, featuring Xerox Corp., Appleton Coated, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., DocuSource, C&W Pressroom Products, Central Ink, Xingraphics, MBO America, Roland DGA, Navitor Inc., Glunz & Jensen, NELA Ternes Register Group, Duplo USA, Eltosch America, DeVries, manroland sheetfed, Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), xpedx, Printing Research Inc., Presstek Inc., Graphic Innovators and Pitney Bowes.

Since installing a Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C8000 color digital press, Rollins Printing & Publishing in Waterbury, CT, has reported an increase in turnaround times and a significant decrease in downtime. The press has also provided the quality the print shop needed, and finishing options for a wider-range of customer jobs, such as printing color business cards and CD cover inserts.

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.and Hyland Software, Inc. have announced a strategic alliance to provide a seamless solution that integrates Hyland’s OnBase enterprise content management (ECM) software with Konica Minolta’s bizhub product line. The integration is designed to maximize organizational productivity and efficiency and deliver better customer service, ensuring its customers stay competitive.