[Anonymous]

Remanufacturers of cartridges for printers see booming sales
Firms save customers money on refills
Jim
Baumann, owner of Cartridge World in Cheektowaga, plans to open a
second store,and maybe five more.In a 1,300-square-foot retail space,
Jim Baumann’s business is bursting at the seams.His
franchise – Cartridge World, a eco-friendly inkjet and laser cartridge
remanufacturer, has been open for just one year. But response to
business has been so positive that Baumann plans to open a second store
within a year and sees five more on the horizon in the next three
years.In the past decade, companies offering a recyling alternative to
costly OEM (original equipment manufacturer) printer cartridges have
been growing due to technological advances within the industry.Though
largely under the radar, the dozen or so secondary market companies in
Buffalo can save customers anywhere from 30 to 50 percent on cartridge
costs, (not to mention helping the environment), while maintaining high
printing quality, local companies said.”If we can save money and the
environment at the same time, that’s a good thing,” Baumann said.Tom
Eichenseer has seen customer demand at his company, Data Supply LLC,
grow steadily over the past few years. “Business is better than ever,”
said Eichenseer, whose 17-year-old Amherst business remanufactures and
refills ink and toner cartridges.Despite a growing client base, many
firms said that current demand for their services isn’t even near
potential.”Until you’re exposed to the industry, you don’t even know it
exists,” said Lisa Morganti, general manager at Quality Laser Services
in Buffalo.That’s why Baumann, who has a background in corporate sales,
hits the phones. Cold calling has helped build Cartridge World’s client
base into the thousands, but Baumann’s found that letting his product
speak for itself is the best way to attract customers.”The most
response we’ve gotten is from word-of-mouth referral,” Baumann said.
“They walk in the door and say, “I was told to come in.’ “That wasn’t
always the case. Five years ago, Deniz Sarac, senior vice president and
chief information officer at Prism Health Networks, was looking to cut
printing costs. Through his own research, he learned of cartridge
remanufacturers, but wasn’t convinced they could give him the quality
he needed.”At that time, there were problems with reliability,” Sarac
said.As the industry grew into new technology, that story began to
change. These days, Sarac recycles two dozen laser toner and inkjet
cartridges every month with Cartridge World. As a result, his company
spends around $3,000 a month on cartridge replacement – a 40 percent
cost reduction from the $5,000 it used to spend on new ones.”Those
problems have gone away,” Sarac said of the issues that detered him
from recycling cartridges five years ago.For the most part, the quality
of aftermarket inks and toners is uncontested as companies have
invested thousands of dollars into high-tech filling and testing
equipment.Warnings coming from cartridge manufacturers about
aftermarket quality has quieted. Last month, a study by Wilhelm Imaging
Research concluded that the permanence of images with aftermarket ink
is inferior to OEMs. But local companies stand by their work – most of
them offering a 100 percent guarantee to any unsatisfied customer.”The
perception that the product is not up to the standard of the OEM is a
fallacy,” Morganti said.

[Author]

June 21, 2006 at 10:33 AM