Konica Minolta strategizes growth in Southeast Asia

The company is in the process of expanding its presence in the region, appointing distributors in the developing markets of Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. 

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Asia runs a customer engagement center in Singapore that showcases its latest digital printing technology. It enables customers to test the machine and view its versatility in print applications thanks to embellishment options and digital metallic colors. 

‘These centers help us engage better with customers and fuel demand for digital label printing. It also presents an opportunity for the company to partner with different vendors,’ says Makito Nakamura, division head of Konica Minolta’s Production Print & Industrial Print (PP and IP) business. 

‘These investments in manpower and demonstration centers are in line with growth in the region. The future of digital label printing looks promising with definite increase in demand for short run jobs and variable data. At Konica Minolta, we see double digit growth in the next three years in the region and our target is to double the installation base of the AccurioLabel 190 press. We are, thus, working on better penetration in the market.’

Lucrative market 
Malaysia is home to more Konica Minolta presses than any other Southeast Asian country, but the company views Thailand as having the most scope for installation growth.

‘The presence of many multi-national companies makes Thailand a lucrative market, as there is a demand for high quality printing. There are also many local brands in the country that demand short run jobs,’ explains Nakamura. 

To cater to the regional market, Konica Minolta has established a wide network of subsidiaries and distributors. The company also offers training to distributors as well as sales and post-sales support to customers. 

The AccurioLabel 190 press is positioned to bridge the gap between the high-end liquid and dry toner technology digital presses and desktop printers. ‘Designed to target small to mid-size label converters by offering affordable entry to digital printing, AccurioLabel press is a good choice for customers who are new to digital world,’ says Nakamura. ‘The press has been developed to manage and deliver an increasing number of small to medium print jobs starting from 300 to 500 linear meters.’

This view is echoed by a Polish user of the machine. Michal Pabiasz, owner of label converter FlexOn, says: ‘The AccurioLabel 190 digital label press has relieved the strain on our flexo machines. We can now deliver greater peace of mind and offer more choice to our customers. We always strive to win with quality. So, when we meet the competition on price and our quality wins, we are very happy about it. 

‘Our customers now receive roll labels from us in any run length. What’s more, with this press, we can now produce labels resistant to difficult conditions, including external, extreme temperatures and very specialized industrial applications, effortlessly and faster than competitive companies. The press is also perfect for printing on materials to attract the consumer’s attention. It gives us much greater flexibility and does not restrict production.’

The digital press manufacturer has an installation base of more than 400 presses in operation worldwide.