Konica Minolta Makes Play for SMB Market

In an effort to target the small and medium business market, Konica Minolta is expanding the number of partners that sell its printing solutions in hopes of graduating from one of many alternative vendors to the alternative vendor of choice.

In the past, Konica Minolta relied heavily on retail for printer sales; but in the past year, the vendor has made an aggressive play for the enterprise, increasing the number of partners it works with to more than 1,000 by offering double-digit margin and support marketing services. Now, Konica Minolta hopes to recruit partners that will not only carry the brand, but engage -- targeting the specific markets that demand more than a commodity printer.

"The goal is not to unseat HP, but to be a strong alternative," says Don Hsieh, vice president of marketing at Konica Minolta. "We offer the best color available, which is particularly attractive to professional services markets. The message is to bring marketing in house to save money and increase flexibility." In particular, Konica Minolta plays well in such markets as real estate, advertising, and graphic design, Hsieh says. In addition, the vendor has begun to make headway in education, with K-12 schools relying on sharp visuals in the classroom and higher education institutions incorporating the printing solutions into programs.

A couple of months ago, Konica Minolta released its Magicolor 7450 color laser printer, which features a 733 MHz G4 processor, custom acceleration hardware, and a Gigabit Ethernet interface, and generates 9600 x 600 dpi-class resolution. The printer starts at $2,999.

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