MSE's Evolution in Quality For Reman Color Toner Cartridges

MSE’s Evolution in Quality For Reman Color Toner Cartridges

Aftermarket color market share, some say, has lagged for some of the same reasons that plagued the early monochrome years – too many companies releasing product without having the technical expertise. However, MSE – who introduced the very first aftermarket color laser cartridge back in 1999 – is considered by many to be the aftermarket color leader.

It’s been some years now since the first laser printer appeared on office desktops. Few people could give you that exact date, but one thing that probably nobody will forget is the time they first saw the price tag on a laser toner cartridge.

It was this “sticker shock that drove demand for an alternative, and this was the birth of the aftermarket toner industry in the late nineteen eighties.

At first it was simply small operations known disparagingly as “drill and fill,” and the people who did this were known as “rechargers.”

These early entrepreneurs would simply drill a hole into an empty toner cartridge, refill it with toner and sell it. The quality was poor and aftermarket toner cartridges got a bad reputation.

However, recognizing a potentially lucrative market, large Fortune 500 tech companies began manufacturing all the compatible parts, components and raw materials necessary to properly rebuild the cartridges. Distributors then entered the market who resold in smaller quantities and added value by offering much-needed technical support.

Companies could now source all the components necessary to provide a true OEM alternative and these people began to be known as ‘remanufacturers.’

Yoel Wazana, an immigrant from Israel, was one of the first remanufacturers to focus on providing a high-quality product. Yoel founded Micro Solutions Enterprises (MSE) in Southern California back in 1994, which today is one of the world’s largest and most respected toner cartridge remanufacturers in the world. It’s also the largest toner cartridge remanufacturer with U.S.-based production facilities.

“My background was in mechanics and I was one of those people who was always tinkering, trying to fix things,” recalls Yoel. “At the time I was working for another remanufacturer, but I wanted to start my own business. I believed there was a niche for a reliable, high-end alternative that could also offer a significant cost savings.”

Led by companies like MSE, the aftermarket slowly rehabilitated its reputation and its market share grew.

Today the aftermarket accounts for nearly 30 percent of the laser toner market for monochrome, and about 7 percent for color.

Aftermarket color market share, some say, has lagged for some of the same reasons that plagued the early monochrome years – too many companies releasing product without having the technical expertise. However, MSE – who introduced the very first aftermarket color laser cartridge back in 1999 – is considered by many to be the aftermarket color leader.

Recently, MSE was rated the number one company for color and dealer confidence by an independent survey of U.S. dealers (2012 Reman Color and Emerging Market Investigation™, Cameron Consulting Group ©2012).

Added Mr. Wazana, “MSE is the only company that actually created a unique component to aid in remanufactured color quality. This is known as the Secondary Cleaning System, and it addresses many of the historical problems associated with color such as streaking and non-adherence issues.”

The aftermarket toner cartridge industry has come a long way since the early drill and fill days, and it’s thanks to companies like MSE that consumers today have a viable, quality choice.