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“BIGGER. BOLDER. BROTHER.” These were the words stressed right from the get-go when I stepped into the Manhattan venue that was hosting Brother for its launch event on November 16, and a statement that was reiterated throughout the event. So, the question was: “What’s bigger and bolder about Brother’s products and offerings?”
When running through their journey, Brother shared the customer sentiment that their solutions weren’t robust enough—a reason why they initially launched their Workhorse model printers back in 2016. Now they are shooting to make an even bigger impact with their eight new enterprise color laser printers and all-in-ones that are ideal for mid to large companies which will launch in the first and second quarter of 2023 (along with two new monochrome laser printers, a Workhorse color inkjet printer, and new desktop scanners than can easily integrate into existing workflows). Six of the new enterprise devices are part of Brother’s Workforce series – being the HL-L9430CDN, HL-L9470CDN, and HL-EX470W devices (enterprise color laser printers), as well as the MFC-L9630CDN, MFC-L970CDN, and MFC-EX670W devices (all-in-ones) – all of which are sold exclusively by the vendor’s Gold Authorized Partners.
| Brother’s upcoming Workhorse series includes the (left to right) three enterprise color laser printers and three all-in-ones. |
“Our campaign is based on market research and supporting people post-COVID,” stated Shelly Radler, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Brother, when she had the floor during the event. Brother aims to address the market and channel demands of a customer base that is increasingly joining the hybrid workforce, reaching a broader clientele in the process. Some of these target verticals include finance, healthcare, retail, education, legal, and corporate. So, how does Brother’s upcoming lineup address the needs of these customers? The short answer – bold and vibrant colors, faster print jobs, low cost for both mono and color print jobs, and in-depth security features.
Brother’s new enterprise laser printers have advanced workflow features and can print up to 42 pages per minute, with the HL-L9670CDN, HL-EX470W, MFC-L9670DCN, and MFC-EX670W models offering high-speed duplex printing for users. The user-interface is also standardized among all devices, making it easy for customers to execute tasks from device to device within their fleet. With more people on-the-go with the rise of remote work, Brother has designed these devices to be easy to manage and have also given users the ability to print from mobile devices. According to Brother, customers can also expect to save money when performing print jobs, between this lineup having the lowest cost-per-page between Brother’s regular and value program offerings—in addition to having a lower cost-per-page than their Inkjet printers.
| Brother’s new line of devices starts at $699, with customers required to reach out to dealers for pricing with the HL-EX470W and MFC-EX670W models. |
“We are confident that these new products will address our customers’ need for fast and secure enterprise color laser printers that offer high-quality output and can help enhance workflow and increase workgroup productivity,” said Fernando Maroniene, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Brother USA. A big part of making this possible is through how these devices are designed with customizability in mind—especially when it comes to fitting the needs of any business. Brother’s customizability offerings can be designed to be integrated with your workflow and necessary security enhancements. There are various optional accessories that can be added to complement an organization’s workflow, such as tower trays, stapler finishers, printer cabinets, and a wireless module with dual-band Wi-Fi.
Brother’s all-in-one printers have touchscreens that can include 64 shortcuts to be more productive and efficient. All of the printers introduced were developed to keep customers at ease with their Triple Layer Security features based around device security, document security, and network security—all of which can be customized based on an organization’s needs.
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By the end of the event, it was clear that these devices are setting up to serve as the foundation for strong, interconnected hybrid work environments in quality and performance. Printed images provided by Brother were impressive, with incredibly vibrant colors. We can also say the display on the printers themselves is easy to read and the demonstrations ran quite smoothly. These devices are more focused on hybrid work environments, being a major first step for Brother in this regard. Considering the supply chain issues we’ve seen with Brother and throughout the industry this past year, we’re interested to see how these devices will be received once they are released early next year. If anything, the company’s path to be bigger and bolder moving into the future is very attainable to say the least.
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