Minolta`s 10 trends in office automation

Ever-changing technology. Convergence. The Internet. The paperless office ideal. These are just some of the factors influencing the trends in office automation.

Digital copiers, laser printers, multifunctional devices, faxes and imaging systems are getting faster, cheaper, more sophisticated, and delivering better quality output all the time. What were previously viewed as standalone machines, have now become integral components of the IT infrastructure.

Minolta South Africa has identified 10 current trends in office automation, drawing from international and local experience and knowledge.

The trend towards digitisation is now firmly entrenched, and digital multifunctional devices capable of integrated management of mixed information are expected to account for almost 100% of high-end copier sales in 2002.

A US-based Dataquest survey conducted in 2000 predicted that 86.2% of all high-end copiers sold in 2001 would be digital and that by 2002 the figure would reach almost 100%. The take-up of entry-level copiers has been slower worldwide, with Dataquest predicting that the amount of digital copiers sold in this segment will push past the 75% mark by 2003.

SA`s copier market is following a similar trend, with a definite increase in digital copier sales and a proportionate decrease in analogue copier sales. Close on 75% of Minolta`s copier sales are for digital copiers - excluding government and tender sales - where a demand for analogue technology still exists.

The trend towards digital technology means a copier is no longer simply a copier. With the addition of a printer controller, the copier is transformed into a network printer, capable of scanning, printing, copying and even faxing and e-mailing.

The Dataquest survey reveals that the printer controller attachment rate, which allows the digital copier to function as a network printer, sits at 60% worldwide. Minolta`s printer controller attachment rate is currently 50%, and is expected to climb to 70% in 2002 as more and more users recognise the long-term cost saving benefits of copiers that are capable of functioning as network printers.

But the convergence of multiple functions into one unit is not restricted to copiers. Printers now have optional attachments that function as scanners and copiers, where the printer operates as an output device. And fax machines can be linked to the PC and used as a printer and scanner as well as a low volume copier. Products that traditionally complemented one another are now competing for space in the new digital networked environments.

The demand for better quality printing has resulted in a trend towards laser printing, and away from inkjet technology. More and more people are recognising the benefits of laser printing, including a declining cost of ownership, and cost effective consumables. In fact, a print on a laser printer costs more than 50% less than a print on an average inkjet printer.

In addition, the monthly duty cycle (the maximum number of pages per month as recommended by the manufacturer) is considerably higher on a laser printer. The average high-end inkjet printer generally offers a maximum of 20 000 pages per month, while laser printers handle 35 000 pages per month with ease. The lifecycle of an inkjet printer is much lower, handling an output of only 150 000 pages in comparison to approximately 700 000 pages from a laser printer.

And with the superior quality offered by laser printers, it`s no surprise that more and more professionals are opting for laser printers.

The colour market is one of the biggest areas of growth in the office automation industry today, and Minolta is expecting digital colour copier sales to increase by more than 300% at the end of June 2002. This growth is mainly attributed to the demand created by desktop computers with colour monitors, software applications in colour, the need for professional presentation documents and the Internet.

Recent research revealed that although 93% of corporate users are still using monochrome printers and copiers, 50% of these said they spent large amounts of money on outside colour copying. The same users said that marketing and presentations would be key applications for future equipment purchases.

Market perceptions have traditionally classed colour laser printers and copiers as expensive and out of reach for the general market. In reality, the total cost of ownership of copiers and printers has decreased considerably because of higher yields on toner cartridges and revolutionary advances in technology.

Minolta can save the end-user huge costs in colour printing. Its CF range of colour equipment costs up to 90% less than conventional inkjet and laser printer colour technology.

The Internet and introduction of e-mail was widely proclaimed as the beginning of the end for fax machines. But, what has since transpired is a marriage of technology, with faxing being done from PCs through fax servers such as RightFax and Unifax, or from fax machines to the recipient`s e-mail inbox.

In a nutshell, the Internet fax option allows the user to send a document electronically from the fax machine, through the World Wide Web, to an e-mail address. Documents are scanned and delivered as TIFF file attachments, at the cost of a local phone call. The e-mail addresses can be entered manually, or stored in the one-touch or speed dial keys. The fax machines are generally integrated with the user`s LAN e-mail server, further entrenching office automation products in the IT infrastructure.

Internet faxing broadens the fax communication environment - particularly for big corporates that realise a significant saving on telephone fax call costs.

More than 98% of faxes with the Internet option are based on T.37 store-and-forward Internet Fax Protocol. This means messages are sent and stored in a gateway until they are forwarded to the intended recipient. Real-time sending can be accomplished with the T.38 Internet Protocol, which enables two gateways to communicate in real-time. Industry analysts are currently sceptical about this form of communication, and future advancements will no doubt come from this quarter.

The advances in management software of office automation equipment mean the productivity and efficiency of the output devices is continuously enhanced. Minolta-QMS is recognised around the world for producing innovative, high-performance print systems and solutions-oriented technologies that have transformed the business of document printing. Crown II is a printer operating system that provides easy printing for network users, flexible management for network administrators, and improved productivity for businesses. Crown II technology provides the foundation for true advanced document processing and management, and means you can print more documents per day, faster, with less impact on your company`s network than ever before.

Network administrators typically spend too much time handling printer-related questions and problems. With software management such as CrownAdmin3, the network administrator is able to electronically monitor the condition of remote printers from any point on the network. Real-time information concerning toner and consumables status, required maintenance and errors, etc, is available in an instant. Printers from other vendors can also be monitored, configured and managed from CrownAdmin.

Traditionally, colour laser printers/copiers have produced black and white pages faster than colour pages. With the advent of technology such as PrismLaser technology, colour pages can be produced at the same speed as monochrome copies. This means users no longer need to sacrifice speed for quality prints. And users no longer need to sacrifice quality for speed. PrismLaser technology is an innovative new tandem laser print method, which delivers up to 16 laser-quality pages per minute in both full colour or black and white. Here, the printer prints cyan, magenta, yellow and black toner simultaneously, delivering colour prints at the same speed as black and white pages.

Minolta`s CF colour technology also enables the colour prints to print at the same engine speed as black and white using a tandem processing system. Each colour has its own imaging unit which enables the paper to pass through the printer only once, resulting in fast delivery of colour prints and copies.

In the quest for the paperless office, document storage solutions have traditionally been implemented in large corporates and institutions due to the high costs of these sophisticated systems. But a number of entry-level solutions have been introduced for the lower end of the market.

It is estimated that only 10% of all documents are created and stored on computer. An average of 30% of administrative staff`s time is spent searching for documents, and 5% of documents are lost forever.

There are four levels of document management: data backup systems, archiving systems, search and retrieval systems and document management systems. Products such as MinoltaScan can function as any, or all of the above operations.

On one 6GB hard drive, MinoltaScan can store up to 250 000 document images, which is equal to a 25 metre-high stack of A4 documents, 12 three-drawer filing cabinets, or 600 lever arch files. The MinoltaScan option equates to a storage cost of less than 0.5 cents per document page.

In response to an increasing trend towards outsourcing support services such as IT, logistics, security and cleaning, Minolta is one of the first companies of its kind in the country to offer outsourced document management solutions to large corporate organisations. In 18 months, outsourcing already accounts for 11% of the company`s turnover.

Industry research reveals that between 10% and 15% of organisation spend goes to putting images onto paper, ie creating, distributing, reproducing and archiving information. Outsourcing helps create savings by managing all these processes so that organisations can see the real cost of ownership, allowing them to prepare future projections and budget accordingly.