the market place ! NEWS OF MICROFILM & ALLIED TECHNOLOGIES
ISSN 0953-3737
JULY/AUGUST
1998 No 6 2 1
REAL acquisition by The M icrofilm Shop
A couple of m onths ago the company m arketing the R E A L ran g e of d u p licato rs, M icroscan, becam e insolvent. It is never good for an industry to lose one of its players, but things m ust move on and The Microfilm Shop saw an opportunity to expand its product range and, at the same time, m aintain some very important pieces of equipm ent for the microfilm industry, by buying the worldwide manufacturing and distribution rig h ts to th e R E A L diazo and silver duplicating machines. At The Microfilm Shop they believe that it is a product range th a t w ill benefit from th e backing of th e ir m arketing and distribution channels. Since the acquisition, The Microfilm Shop's marketing departm ent has been looking at various aspects and are implementing the following improvements
* N ew product design - both the RB70 and the RB20 have had the clutch and belt system redesigned to give better quality duplicates and improved reliability. The ammonia chamber of the RB20 is also under scrutiny. * N ew after sales support - within one month it is intended that the Shop will have a full stock of spare parts and lamps, all shown on published spare parts lists with a standard pricing structure. There are three people, led by Mr C hris Elw ell, who w ill be fully conversant w ith the REAL range of duplicators and who will be responsible for dealing with any relevant enquiries. Demonstration units of both models will be available at all times for those customers who wish to assess the efficiency of the REAL machines. Managing Director Paul Negus said, “We are very excited about this new range of products and we will be including it in the next issue of our Equipment Modem and a full colour leaflet is currently being produced. This will be available in two formats, one for The Microfilm Shop sales team and one w ith a blank address panel for com panies who w ish to sell th e m achines on. For resellers or trade customers we will be happy to profes sionally preprint the latter type if required.” * N ew m anufacturing processes - all machines will now be assem b led by an o u tsid e com pany th a t specialises in the servicing, rebuilding and repair of microfilm duplicating machines, thus ensuring the best possible build quality. * N ew co lo u r - all new m achines to come off the production line will no longer be painted in light beige. In stead the stan d ard will be a m edium grey/blue, though for resellers and those willing to commit to certain volumes, the units can be painted in the colour The Micrographics Market Place
of their choice. * New nam e - Both the RB20 diazo duplicator and the RB70 silver duplicator will be renamed the RB20M and the RB70M respectively, reflecting the new owner (M for Microfilm Shop) and the design improvements (M for Modified), whilst still retaining the heritage of the original names and the REAL badge. * N ew collaboration - positioned alongside the high to medium volume Houston Fearless/Extek duplicators the small to medium REAL units complete the widest, most innovative range of duplicators on the market. All of your duplicating needs can now be satisfied by The Microfilm Shop. * N ew d e liv e r y tim e s - a six w eek d eliv ery is currently being quoted for the RB20M and the RB70M from time of order to despatch. Within six months it is planned to carry stock which would allow despatch within days of order. All in all, REAL looks like a very shrewd acquisition for The Microfilm Shop, especially in conjunction with their recently formed JRK division, which specialises in diazo film, and their already well established, proven supply line of silver duplicating film.
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