Each year, BLI performs its rigorous two-month laboratory evaluations on document imaging devices from all major industry OEMs in each segment of the market, ranging from 15 ppm models to 105 ppm models, as well as models in the increasingly important office-color category. Among the many factors considered by BLI in selecting line of the year are reliability, connectivity, output quality, control panel design, multifunctional capabilities, ease of use, productivity, administrative utilities and feedback to user workstations. “Konica Minolta’s product line includes outstanding products that have excelled when subjected to extensive testing in BLI’s lab,” said Anthony Polifrone, Managing Director at BLI. He added, “The past year in the imaging industry has seen office color, production units and solutions take center stage. Konica Minolta’s 2005 BLI “Pick” award winners, the bizhub C350 for color and the bizhub PRO 1050 for production, lead a strong overall lineup that also includes 2004 “Pick” winners in Segments 1 and 3 and a 2005 “Pick” Winner in Segment 4, positioning the company well to meet customer needs in key growth segments.”

BLI’s Manager of Field Testing Pia Beddiges noted, “The strengths of the two companies that formed Konica Minolta—color and low-volume from Minolta and high-volume monochrome from Konica—have resulted in an impressive product line that’s strong from the low end to the high end and in color.” Notably, Konica Minolta’s upcoming 25- and 35-ppm models in this range are based on the existing highly reliable Minolta engines, while the upcoming 60-, 75- and 92-ppm models are based on the existing highly reliable Konica engines in this range. In addition, the company’s Simitri polymerized toner has also resulted in toner yields that are consistently among the highest.

 

Pictured from left to right are BLI’s COO Mark Lerch and BLI's Managing Director Anthony Polifrone presenting Konica Minolta Business Solutions President and CEO Jun Haraguchi and Vice President of Marketing Bill Brewster with the Line Of The Year award.

 

"To have the bizhub line of products recognized as BLI’s “MFP Product Line of the Year” is a tremendous achievement and is testament to the significant product development effort that Konica Minolta has undertaken," said William H. Brewster, vice president, marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. "The bizhub and bizhub PRO brand of products represent the next-generation of digital imaging systems and we will continue to drive further innovation in the market with our future product introductions."

"BLI's comprehensive product reviews and ratings play an important role at Konica Minolta, both internally for marketing and product development, and externally where our customers and dealers rely on BLI's assessments and critiques during the buying process," added Brewster.

Previous awards can also be viewed by registering at Buyers Lab's website, www.buyerslab.com.