Cartridge World executive sees positive future for cartridge refill retail industry
May 20, 2013
Rod Young Credit The Star
Executive Chairman of cartridge franchise believes business will see growth, particularly in emerging economies.
An article on The Star sees Rod Young, Executive Chairman and Global Chief Executive of Cartridge World Inc., being interviewed on the future of the ink and toner refill retail business, which he says has much room for growth.
Despite noting that in Malaysia 80 percent of the market uses OEM cartridges and Cartridge World’s market share is just a “fraction of one percent”, Young believes that the business will do well in emerging economies and that there is growth potential. Since 2006, Cartridge World has opened eight stores in the country, with plans to open a further 15 stores by the end of the year and 32 stores within the next three to four years, focusing mainly in the Klang Valley.
“It’s been fairly modest growth in the early years in Malaysia as we have been establishing the business, changing the technology, sourcing the products and servicing the market,” said Young. “Now that we’ve proven that the business model is working we’re expanding to that targeted 32 stores.”
In the US meanwhile, Cartridge World “represents 25 percent of the market of refilling stores and still have the opportunity to grow five times there”, according to Young, who added that the franchise is hoping to have 2,500 stores by 2018.
Speaking of the business itself, Young claims that it has “helped companies save between 30 percent and 40 percent printing cost by appropriate choice of printers and cartridges”; and explained how the franchise is split into two main divisions – the retail stores that provide refilling and collection services, and more passive retailing involving advising businesses on how to save printing costs.
Young also commented on how Cartridge World is overcoming the issue of OEM chips used to link cartridges online in order to track ink usage: “Technology is always changing and the chips were designed specifically to prevents ink refilling at Cartridge World […] But we’ve developed new chipping technology and remanufactured the cartridges.”
In terms of the franchise’s workforce, Young emphasises the importance of employing “quality people who are going to be ambassadors of our brand […] We don’t want people to buy themselves a job, these are serious operations […] We are looking for motivated operators who see the opportunity this business brings to them and want to build an asset for the future or their families. It’s not our job to make them successful”.
Young went on to discuss the future of franchising, believing that there is a “strong entrepreneurial demand” globally and there will be increasing growth in franchising as people become more informed about brands and consumerism. The article also claims that “franchising is three to five times more successful than if a person went into a business on their own”; with Young noting that “the biggest brands in the world are built through franchising”.
He added: “We find that independent operators are having greater difficult to build brand with the complexity of business and media […] While branded franchise networks are attracting more potential entrepreneurs.”
Categories : Rank 2
Tags : Business Cartridge World
Atlantic Inkjet and Re-Inks expand businesses
May 20, 2013
The remanufacturer and refiller have both announced their growth in terms of both sales and location.
Atlantic Inkjet stated that it has achieved the “highest selling record” for toner refills since it began, with “more than 200,000 customer[s]” now using the company’s products as a result of its “prominent search engine positioning”.
The company added that its Uni-Kit toner refill brand has allowed it to become a “leading retailer” with “more and more people considering the environmental benefits” of recycling, refilling or remanufacturing cartridges. It adds that it believes it has “become one of the largest resellers of toner refill kits”, and that it is aiming to “strengthen” its position in the North American market.
Re-Inks in turn reported that it intends to take its business “to the next level” by selling ink cartridge refill products “to the worldwide market”. The move to a global basis is a “big deal”, with the company adding that by expanding “beyond the US and Canadian borders” it will need to “invest significantly in marketing and website technologies”.
Re-Inks added that it hopes the move to a global basis will get “its name inked in the global market”, having already seen a “steady upsurge” in the industry. The company added that its “passion to grow and keep expanding its product offering” goes hand in hand with its “efforts to improve its business and reach out globally”.
Categories : Rank 3
Tags : Business North America Remanufacturing
Canadian remanufacturer’s premises close unexpectedly
May 16, 2013
Former employee tells of surprise upon discovering closure of Ribbons Recycled Inc.’s premises due to unpaid rent.
The Chronicle Herald reports how Darren Woods discovered that Ribbons Recycled Inc., his employer for six years, had been closed following the termination of its property lease due to unpaid rent amounting to $39,837.34 (€30,977.72).
The Canada-based cartridge remanufacturer, which was founded in 1993 and has clients in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario, allegedly owes money to some of its 14 employees as well as to its landlord, with Woods claiming that “thousands of dollars” were owed in “bonuses, back-wages and vacation pay” and one employee claiming to be owed $10,000 (€7,700) in bonuses. As a result, Woods and other employees are planning to meet with the provincial Labour Board to file a complaint against the company.
However, Mr. MacKinnon, who runs the business with his wife, has denied his employees’ claims, stating: “They will be paid in the next few days, and most of them have been. There’s very little left.” He added that the company’s closure was “not a certainty yet” and that he was trying to resolve the matter.
While the closure of the premises in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia came as a shock to Woods, he claims that his employer “knew it was coming because he had a notification from the landlord that he was going to come in and change the locks if they didn’t pay the rent, but he never told us”, adding that he and his colleagues “were pressured to meet a higher and higher quota each month”.
According to the article, Ribbons Recycled Inc. has had previous financial difficulties and was found to have liabilities totalling $476,798 (€370,760) in 2009, when the company filed for a commercial proposal.
Categories : Rank 3 Uncategorized
Tags : Business Remanufacturing Ribbons Recycled Inc.
Worldwide hardcopy sales see 9.7 percent decline
May 16, 2013
IDC’s latest global report notes that the year-on-year decline in both units and shipments value is the third consecutive quarter of decline.
The statistics, from the analyst’s Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, states that the global market decreased by 9.7 percent in the first quarter of 2013 in comparison to the year before, with 25.8 million units shipped. The shipment value also declined by 5.7 percent to a value of $14.3 billion (€11.1 billion).
Colour laser MFP markets saw the largest growth of 3.2 percent in 1Q13, followed by monochrome laser MFPs with a growth of 0.9 percent. Monochrome laser devices also ranked second in terms of units shipped with 7.8 million, and first in shipment value with $5.5 billion (€4.2 billion), giving them a 30 percent share of the global market in unit shipments and 39 percent share in terms of value.
Colour laser meanwhile represents 42 percent of the shipment value market, whilst conversely holding only a seven percent share of shipments in 1Q13. Colour inkjet MFPs however continue to hold a majority of the market with a 50 percent share in the first quarter. 15 million inkjet units were shipped worldwide, with 13 million of these colour inkjet MFPs.
In terms of OEM market share, HP remains in first place with a global market share of 38.7 percent, despite a decline of 13.4 percent in shipments, down to 10 million units. The OE< also dominated in the USA, with a one percent gain in shipments on 1Q12. Canon achieved the best shipment growth with 13.7 percent, and shipped 5.3 million units, maintaining its position in second place, and it also saw growth in all regions except Japan.
Epson, despite a decline of 26.8 percent in units shipped, remains third with 3.9 million units shipped, with the US its strongest region. The OEM also saw its Workforce WF and Pro models enjoy a “significant uptick” in sales. Brother meanwhile consolidated its fourth place standing with a growth of 10.6 percent in sales, giving it a 20 percent share in the market, with no growth only in Japan, the Middle East and Africa.
Finally, Samsung remains in fifth place with 1.7 million units shipped and a fall of 2.7 percent over 2012. The OEM did however gain sales in the US and western Europe despite losing sales in the Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. The Recycler reported earlier this week that the western European hardcopy peripherals market had seen a drop of 14.5 percent in sales.
Phuong Hang, IDC’s Program Manager for Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, stated: “Markets are changing and this is bringing about changes in strategy and product portfolios. The key areas of focus for many vendors are mobility, the cloud, and how users access material for printing.
“With many workers either working from home or working remotely several times per week, they must be able to access their company information and, in many cases, print this information from a variety devices and locations. The key for manufacturers will be the ability to offer this in a format that makes it simple and easy for the business and its users.”
You can view the tables and statistics from IDC’s latest results below.
Categories : Rank 1
Tags : Business Market Data Technology
UK trade association signs agreement for access to Chinese environmental market
May 15, 2013
Landmark agreement signed by UK’s Environmental Industries Commission (EIC) with the Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences (CSES).
The Environmental Industries Commission has announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will allow UK environmental firms to gain easier access to Chinese markets, with EIC member companies gaining the ability to seek accreditation with the CSES, providing a platform from which to offer their products and services into the Chinese market.
The MoU was signed by Dr Nelson Ogunshakin OBE, Chairman of the EIC, and Secretary General of CSES Mr Ren Guan-Ping at the Shanghai International Environment Expo (IE Expo), which was attended by 30,000 people across three days.
Commenting on the agreement, Ogunshakin, who also presented the benefits of a closer Sino-British collaboration on environmental concerns at the event, said: “Today marks a new opportunity for EIC in creating tangible export prospects for its members to take advantage of the growing market in China. The exchange of this MoU with the CSES positions EIC’s member companies closer to decision makers in China, securing a competitive advantage for UK companies operating in the growing environmental sector in China.”
Speaking on behalf of CSES, Guan Ping said: “We are pleased with the opportunity to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the UK Environmental Industries Commission. We welcome EIC Members to China and to work closely in bilateral partnership on mutual environmental challenges and environmental protection.
“Secondly, we share a goal to grow green innovation and the green economy, developing new opportunities to work in collaboration between our respective Members. There are great opportunities for EIC Members in China to work with and assist us in creating a beautiful China. We regard the Environmental Industries Commission as our friend; we share a common goal, and a common dream:
“Two families coming together to sign the Memorandum of Understanding: Two families, One Dream.”
Categories : Rank 3
Tags : Business China Environment
TonerGiant discusses use of social media for business
May 15, 2013
Toner cartridge supplier’s Ryan Holt emphasises that it is better for businesses to use social media as an engagement tool than to simply gain more followers.
In an article on business news website Bdaily, Ryan Holt of UK toner cartridge supplier TonerGiant discusses how the company has learnt how to utilise social media in the most effective way, finding that it is about who you attract rather than how many people.
Holt claims that when it comes to using social media, many businesses focus on “metrics that aren’t important, or aren’t helping your business by providing return”, with competitions and incentives aiming to attract more followers not necessarily benefitting business in terms of profit.
Instead, TonerGiant found that “if you ask people to follow you for a competition, that’s what they are interested in”, not the business itself, Holt noting that “when the time came to try converting our followers into customers by generating interest in our brand, products activities etc., the engagement rate was minimal”.
The company therefore decided to change its strategy, focusing on the “top level goals” businesses should aim to achieve from reaching out to people using social media: stronger branding, increased visibility, communication with customers and potential customers and increased search engine optimisation (SEO) value.
To achieve these goals, the company opted to use social media to share “high quality, genuinely interesting, industry related content” through the use of a blog, with Holt claiming that “the most important part of a healthy social profile is marketing interesting blog content”. In this way, the company was able to appeal “directly to our target audience” and not just people following the company in the hope of wining a new Xbox.
Recognising that making the toner cartridge industry interesting to everyone is “an impossible task”, TonerGiant decided to link its own topic of ink and toner to other industries such as design, photography and printing and then “spent time marketing this content to the people who were interested, mainly businesses in design, photography or printing”.
While Holt admits that “the process of changing strategy from competitions to content was very slow”, he adds that “once we had the ball rolling the rest took care of itself”, with the company seeing more engagement and interaction from businesses and their target audience as people began liking and sharing its content to others interested in similar topics. “It opened the doors to businesses with related interests in printing that we could guest blog for, giving positive repercussions in SEO,” Holt explained.
Categories : Rank 5
Tags : Business Marketing TonerGiant
Delacamp appoints new Account Executive for Italy
May 14, 2013
Francesco Garulli joins Delacamp to develop Italian customer base.
German components supplier Delacamp has announced that it has appointed Francesco Garulli as its Account Executive for Italy.
Garulli will be expected to work alongside the company’s Area Sales Manager for Italy, Mrs Kuhlke, to look after and further develop the country’s customers.
Commenting on the new appointment, Volker Kappius, COO of Delacamp, said: “Italy is a significant market for Europe and for us. I am pleased that Mr. Garulli with his experienced sales background makes our busy Italian team complete again.”
Categories : Rank 5
Tags : Business Delacamp Italy
Keith Moss leaves Green Printer Company
May 14, 2013
Keith Moss
Moss has left the UK company to pursue new opportunities.
Moss has been selling remanufactured laser cartridges in the UK for over 20 years, and has more recently been looking at the role that managed print services can play for remanufacturers. He has also had a long association with UKCRA as both Secretary and Chairman.
He stated: “The company is being restructured, following the closure of production partner Phoenix Printer Solutions, and no longer needs a full-time Sales Director, and I feel the time is right to pursue new challenges and opportunities.”
Moss worked with Phoenix Laser Services and Green Printer Company for six years, and before that worked at LaserXchange. Phoenix Laser Services recently entered liquidation before closing, as The Recycler previously reported.
Categories : Rank 5 UKCRA feed
Samsung to become Sharp’s largest shareholder
May 13, 2013
S
amsung contemplates buying more shares from Sharp.
Following Samsung recently purchasing three percent of Sharp for a sum of $105 million (€80.8 million), the company is now reportedly considering paying “tens of billions of yen” for more of the OEM’s shares, which would make it Sharp’s largest shareholder, reports Electronics Weekly.com.
According to the article, Sharp has $12.76 billion (€9.8 billion) of debt, with $4.25 billion (€3.2 billion) of it due to be repaid within a year. With cash of just $2.75 billion (€2.12 billion), the company is expecting a loss of $5.1 billion (€3.9 billion) at the end of this financial year, and In November put up its headquarters in Osaka along with its nine percent stake in Panasonic for a bank loan of $4.6 billion (€3.5 billion).
Sharp attempted to sell 10 percent of the company to Foxconn’s parent company, Hon Hai, for $800 million (€616 million) last year, but the deal fell through due to Hon Hai demanding some form of management control of Sharp.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm paid $60 million (€46 million) for 2.64 percent of Sharp in 2012, with the company also set to potentially buy another 2.64 percent of the company for the same price, although the deal has reportedly been postponed until June.
The Recycler reported in March that Sharp had declined to sell its printer and copier unit as part of the OEM’s investment in the company, despite it being in the original deal. Reasons for the refusal were not disclosed.
Categories : Rank 5
Static Control appoints new Global Information Officer
May 13, 2013
Anthony De Angelis will help the company “provide insight and leadership” across the globe.
De Angelis, who has more than 25 years of IT experience, previously worked as Director of Technology at HP, as well as Technology Executive at Nielson Ratings Corporation, and his role at Static Control will be to help implement the company’s global business initiatives.
De Angelis, whose new role is effective from 6 May, stated: “I look forward to working with Static Control’s dedicated team to continue our growth worldwide.” In turn, the company’s Founder and CEO, Ed Swartz, noted that the company is “extremely pleased Anthony has chosen to join us, even more so at this particular time as we are rapidly growing our global operations”.
Swartz added in turn that Static will “continue to seek out the best and brightest talent and Anthony will be a great asset to our team”.
The components manufacturer and supplier recently confirmed a new distributor in Indonesia and discussed its support of Italian association PACTO in its fight against clones.
Categories : Rank 2
Tags : Business Static Control
