Konica Minolta wins "BERTL's Best", BLI "Pick of the Year" awards

Issued by icomm for Konica Minolta South Africa
Johannesburg, 29 Sep 2009

No less than five Konica Minolta devices recently won BERTL awards for 2009. Available locally through Bidvest company, Konica Minolta South Africa, the bizhub 601, bizhub 751, bizhub C552 and bizhub C652 office systems and the bizhub PRO 950 production system were recognised for exceptional performance in their respective segments.

At the same time, the company won two coveted Buyers Lab Inc (BLI) Pick of the Year awards for its bizhub 601 and its revolutionary MyTab printer driver tab.

The independent office equipment testing labs, BERTL and BLI, evaluated digital imaging devices, software and management utilities from across the globe in order to identify the select few that stand apart from the others.

The bizhub 601/751 and C552/C652 series both won premier 2009 BERTL's Best awards. The title of "Best Departmental Monochrome A3 MFP Series" went to the bizhub 601 and 751, while the bizhub C552 and C652 were named "Best Productive Color Printer Range". These colour office systems showed excellent performance in high volume printing, copying, scanning and faxing, and BERTL's testers were also won over by the colour MFPs' wide range of state-of-the-art features.

The bizhub 601 and 751 stood out because of their security, outstanding print, copy and scan productivity, as well as its high paper capacity and advanced finishing options. Konica Minolta's proprietary Simitri polymerised toner, available on all of the company's products, is responsible for the enhanced print quality that further convinced the BERTL analysts.

The bizhub PRO 950 monochrome production system was the winner in the "Best Value for Price Mono Production MFP in Segment 6" category. BERTL technicians especially highlighted its productivity and versatility, high-speed print and copy output, robust monthly duty cycle and advanced finishing options.

In addition to the 2009 BERTL's Best awards, Konica Minolta won two 2009 BLI Pick of the Year awards. Once more, the bizhub 601 came out on top, receiving the "Outstanding 51 to 60ppm Monochrome MFP" award. Among many other features, the MFP's excellent reliability was a decisive factor for the BLI testers.

In turn, Konica Minolta's proprietary MyTab printer driver tab won the BLI "Outstanding Achievement" award. This smart tool enables users to customise the printer driver according to their particular needs in one single tab and to take full advantage of all the driver's features. Proved during the BLI tests, MyTab minimises confusion and reduces the risk of errors.

"Receiving these independent third-party awards from two renowned testing labs once again confirms our leadership in offering innovative imaging and communication systems - from smart desktop printing to powerful production printing," says Marianna Gdanis, Konica Minolta South Africa Business Unit Manager. "As the tests validate, our devices perfectly suit our customers' demands in every different office or production environment, a true reflection of Konica Minolta's constant investment in research and development."

BERTL

BERTLis your source for objective, independent product evaluation reports and comparative analyses on digital imaging devices and workflow solutions. BERTL's evaluation reports, customer satisfaction research, awards and product ratings are undertaken entirely at BERTL's expense for the benefit of its international subscriber base. At all times, BERTL's primary focus is the end-user. Covering all major digital imaging manufacturers, BERTL publishes the world's most extensive Web site of evaluation reports, comparisons data, vertical market research, news and more on copiers, printers, MFPs, production and workgroup scanners, fax machines, colour and production equipment and wide format devices. BERTL reports, research and other industry informative services are available in a range of specialised subscription services. To learn more about BERTL, visit http://www.BERTL.com or telephone +1 (0)1 973 882-0200.

BUYERS LABORATORY

For 48 years, Buyers Lab (BLI) has been the leading independent office-equipment testing lab and business consumer advocate. In addition to publishing the industry's most comprehensive and accurate test reports on office document imaging devices, each representing months of exhaustive hands-on testing in BLI's US and UK laboratories, the company has been the leading source of competitive intelligence for industry professionals on copiers, printers, fax machines, scanners, duplicators, wide-format devices and multifunctional products. The company's databases cover over 12 000 products globally and have a longstanding reputation for being the industry's most trustworthy and complete source for specifications and side-by-side comparisons, all of which are available as part of bliQ, BLI's Web-based encyclopaedic resource. Subscribers also have access to BLI's renowned Lab Test Reports, First Look Reports, Solutions Reports, Environmental Reports, news articles and a complete library of manufacturers' product literature, as well as valuable tools, including a Product Configurator and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Calculator.

Buyers Lab also provides business consumers with How-To-Guides, a Needs Assessment Wizard and Free Vendor Quotes via its Buyers Lab Advisor Web site, as well as independent purchasing advice and consulting from its Buyers Alliance procurement experts. A vast array of confidential for-hire private testing services that include document imaging device beta and pre-launch testing, performance certification testing, consumables testing (such as toner, ink and photoconductors) and software solutions and print media testing (including virgin and recycled papers) are also available for business consumers and manufacturers.

For more information on Buyers Laboratory, business consumers should visit http://www.buyerslabadvisor.com. All others should visit http://www.buyerslab.com, call +44 (0) 118 977 2000 or e-mail Dean.Armstrong@buyerslab.com.

KONICA MINOLTA SOUTH AFRICA

Konica Minolta South Africa is wholly owned by the Bidvest Group, and is the principal importer and distributor of the innovative and award-winning Konica Minolta range of bizhub digital multifunctional devices, laser printers, fax machines and business solutions.

Konica Minolta South Africa's head office is based in Johannesburg and its distribution network is supported by 14 branches and 43 dealerships that operate nationally and into southern Africa as far afield as Namibia, Malawi, Botswana and Swaziland. For more information, please visit http://www.konicaminoltasa.com.

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