The swing from analogue to digital copiers is well on track to meet predictions of digital dominance of around 70% of new installations by the end of 2001, if the latest South African sales figures for Minolta are anything to go by.
Minolta copier division product manager, Paul Symonds, says Minolta has witnessed a dramatic heightening of the trend towards digital during its current financial year to 30 June 2000. The trend has been particularly pronounced at the top end of the market, where the networking capabilities of digital technology have resulted in close on 60% of new copier sales being digital.
At the same time, the influence of digital is also being felt in the entry and mid-range environments, albeit at lower percentage levels. In the entry level, Minolta`s new Di181 digital offering now accounts for some 30% of new sales, while the mid-range Di250 and Di350 copiers enjoy close on 50% of new sales.
Most striking, though, is the top end of the market, the corporate environment, where Minolta`s latest digital products, the Di520 and - in particular - the Di620, have been responsible for almost 60% of new sales.
Here, some 95% of Minolta Di520 and Di620 machines are linked to customers` networks - and those that are not were generally purchased for specific capabilities outside of networking, such and binding and finishing.
In the mid-range environment, this figure drops to 50%, and slips a little to about 45% when examining the entry level market.
Commenting on the local trends, Symonds says they fairly accurately reflect the findings of in-depth research into plain paper analogue and digital photocopier trends conducted across Europe in 1998 by leading independent research organisation, InfoSource SA.
"This respected research arrived at a number of long-range forecasts, one of which was that the dip in analogue sales would be more than offset by exceptionally strong digital growth, to the point where by late 2001, digital would account for about 70% of new installations," explains Symonds.
He adds that the convergence of digital technology and the expansion of computer networks in corporate environments will increasingly see copiers become an integral component of the office IT infrastructure - serving both as copier and network printer.
"The heightened demand for digital copiers is partly a result of the increasing number of computer users and the subsequent need to print multiple documents, which are more expensive to produce on a printer than on a copier.
"Traditionally, users requiring multiple originals had to print a document on the network printer, collect it, walk to the copier, and make multiple copies of the original printout. With digital copiers linked to the network, users can produce multiple copies from the desktop PC.
"Best of all, it means users don`t have to choose between a printer - which is convenient, but slow - and a copier - which is fast, but less convenient.
"Connected digital copiers can provide both convenience and speed. They also decrease office space requirements and associated rental costs and, as such, are expected to continue to drive the swing to digital technology in the years ahead," concludes Symonds.
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