CHINA's SEINE TECHNOLOGY TO LAUNCH EUROPEAN PRINTER LINE

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Date: Wednesday June 29, 2011 10:20:47 am
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    CHINA’s SEINE TECHNOLOGY TO LAUNCH EUROPEAN PRINTER LINE

    Today, The Recycler reported that French remanufacturer MBP Group will begin offering Seine Technology’s Pantum laser printer line in Europe and Africa. This line of printers created a huge buzz last year because it was the industry’s first from a non-OEM supplies firm (see “Ninestar Subsidiary Seine Technology Officially Launches Its Own Laser Printer Line”). Seine Technology was founded as Ninestar’s toner cartridge manufacturing arm. The Pantum printer line was also hailed as the first from a Chinese company based on intellectual property developed in China. Now, MBP Group will become the first company we are aware of to offer this line in Europe when it begins selling the new laser printer line this October.

    MBP Group will offer the Seine Technology-manufactured Pantum P1050, among other monochrome laser devices, in Europe this fall

    MBP Group provided a few details on the printer line and its sales strategy on its website. Company CEO Franck Toffa said that offering the Pantum printers is “a real strategic move for MBP” and will enable the firm to become what he calls an “OEM ‘B,’ ” which he defined as an OEM “whose printer range does not enjoy the reputation of the big manufacturers but which exists with its specificities, its simplicity, and its suitability for the bottom-of-the-line market.”

    MBP Group indicates that the Pantum monochrome laser lineup will include two lower-cost models, the P1000 and P2000, plus two heavier duty models designed for continuous operation, the P1050 and P2050. MBP says the engine life is at least 70,000 pages; presumably this figure is higher on the P1050 and P2050. Cartridge capacities for the new series are 1,000 pages, 1,500 pages, and 2,300 pages. MBP also promotes the new machines as using a sturdy metal frame and a “sophisticated and elegant” design.

    There is no word on hardware or supplies costs, but MBP Group says the Pantum printers “represent the best cost-strength-reliability ratio” and have “a low operating cost.”

    We are eager to learn more about the new Pantum line and see how MBP Group prices the hardware and consumables. It would seem the firm will have to do something groundbreaking in terms of pricing to attract the “bottom-of-the-line” market it will be going after.

    Interestingly, MBP Group may face some competition in the Eastern European market from another non-OEM supplies vendor, Lomond, which recently announced it will be offering an office color printer based on Memjet technology (see “With Help from Memjet, Lomond Looks to Enter Printer Market”). This printer technology also promises to deliver lower operating costs but features faster print speeds than the Pantum devices (output speeds weren’t specified for the Pantum products, other than a somewhat oddly phrased mention of a 30 ppm print speed, while Memjet devices print at up to 60 ppm) and has an additional benefit that Seine Technology currently can’t match—color output.

    It will be fascinating to see two non-OEM supplies vendors compete for printer market share in Europe. Will more non-OEM supplies makers look to differentiate themselves by turning printer OEM by teaming up with Ninestar or Memjet? That is exactly what these new printer manufacturers hope and what some established printer OEMs may fear.

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