Recapping KYOCERA Innovate 2018

The Omni Hotel at ChampionsGate in Orlando, Florida, was the setting for KYOCERA Document Solutions America, Inc.’s Annual Business & Technology Conference, which ran from April 9–11 and brought together roughly 1,000 dealers, staff, and channel partner from the Americas. The theme of Innovate 2018 was “It Takes a Team” and, throughout the event, KYOCERA executives emphasized the importance of teamwork by noting that KYOCERA is the industry’s most dealer-centric document imaging company.

Key Highlights

• According to Nori Ina, President of KDS, KYOCERA Document Solutions Corporation sold over 2 million units in FY 2018, the first time in the company’s history.

• KYOCERA continues to invest in its Tamaki factory in Japan and has started operation of an automatic toner container production—the first in the industry that molds toner as well as fills and packs them automatically.

• The company previewed the new TASKalfa Pro 15000c, its first high-speed, cut-sheet inkjet printer with print speeds up to 150 ppm that grants KYOCERA and its resellers greater access to a broader customer audience.

• The company introduced a range of new light production B&W MFPs, filling out their high-end line up with print speeds of 96 ppm, 111 ppm, and 136 ppm devices. KYOCERA also showed a B&W A3 MFP, the TASKalfa 9002i, which completes its production portfolio.

• KYOCERA’s Total Document Solutions approach has been upgraded to the next level, 2.0, a combination of workflow and ECM solutions with training programs to strengthen the company’s commitment to improve business processes and help its channel partners grow.

• KYOCERA Fleet Services (KFS) cloud-based monitoring enrollment has more than tripled in the last year and the company now has 517 dealers enrolled.

New High-Speed Cut-Sheet Inkjet Printer

With print speeds of 150 ppm in A4 and 146 ppm in letter regardless of media type, the TASKalfa Pro 15000c is geared toward print services providers as well as customers looking to run mid- to high-volume jobs in-house. The company claims that, with its proprietary inkjet head technology at the forefront of the product design, customers will benefit from precise image quality across all types of document output and that the unique ink drying technology and paper transport system monitors every single page so the last looks as good as the first. KYOCERA plans to start mass production late this year and to begin selling early next year. No pricing or CPP data was made available at this time as the company plans on researching the market opportunity further.

New B&W A3 Light Production MFPs

KYOCERA also launched B&W A3 light production MFPs that range in speeds from 96 to 136 ppm. This series offers dealers a new entry point into the light production space. The devices are OEM versions of Ricoh light-production devices currently sold. Verticals such as education and legal are key markets, and to help support channel partners, the company will have dedicated experts available to help with pre-sales support. Product availability is scheduled for later this year.

TASKalfa 9002i

The TASKalfa 9002i has a speed of 90 ppm in black and can scan up to 220 images per minute. It shares the same accessories as the TASKalfa 8002i series and is fully compatible with KYOCERA’s suite of business applications. Ideally suited for high-speed, high volume work environments, the device has a customizable 9" color touchscreen with tablet-like usability to simplify device navigation. Advanced finishing options include multi-position stapling, booklet/tri-fold, as well as two or three hole-punch finishers and a seven-bin mailbox. The TASKfal 9002i includes support for KYOCERA’s Fleet Services cloud-based monitoring service and is already available.

TDS 2.0: Beyond the Document

According to Danielle Wolowitz, Vice President of Corporate Marketing for KDS, TDS 2.0 will broaden and deepen the company’s relationships with channel partners—and channel partners’ relationships with their customers—regarding document and data workflow, as well as to provide a longer and more profitable relationship. Wolowitz added that with a TDS assessment, KYOCERA can find ways to improve any company’s workflow. Comprehensive training tool and the support of DataBank further push this strategy. According to KYOCERA, one of the big differences between TDS 1.0 versus 2.0 is the focus on software: The sales process starts with content and content management software, and that starts with Hyland Software, specifically its AccuSender ShareBase, Contento, and OnBase systems.

Excerpted from an InfoTrends Analysis piece. To read the full article, click here.