Recycling Times Magazine English Edition-Issue 45 by Recycling Times Media Corporation

CONTENTS

RECYCLING

TIMES No. 45| 2013

07 | EDITORIAL

39 | OEM NEWS HP’s LaserJet Printer Sales Break 200 Million Units

09 | NEWS IN BRIEF Chip Manufacturers Modify to Comply with HP Request

42 | ENVIRONMENT

10 | WORLD NEWS

43 | REGIONAL NEWS

13 | LEGAL UPDATES Aster Claims Its OPC Drum Gears Not Affected by GEO

48 | TECH ZONE Remanufacturing HP Enterprise 700 M712 Toner Cartridge

15 | JUST A MINUTE What the Dickens…?

51 | MONEY FROM HOME A Path to World Peace

15 | TRENDS Context Reports 6% Increase in MFPs Sales in Western Europe

53 | PATENTLY SPEAKING At Last, A Glimmer of Hope on the Horizon

17 | NEW PRODUCTS

2013 marks the 75th anniversary of the first xerographic image, created by Chester Carlson. He called the process electrophotography, back then in 1938. Xerox claims this technology has changed the way we print and copy dramatically.

23 | AFTERMARKET NEWS Turbon Sustains Double Digit Decline in Revenue 38 | OEM REPORT

26 | FRONT COVER STORY

55 | KEEPING UP Page Wars 56 | THE LISTS

FEATURES

Countdown: The Top 3 Issues Impacting 2013

As with the last 30 years, 2013 saw new developments on many fronts impacting the cartridge remanufacturing ng industry. So what were the top 3 developments that at impacted remanufacturers in 2013? 33

49 | 5 QUESTIONS Brand Building Is Essential Mary Ouyang, Managing Director of Mito Color Imaging

Are Biotoners Ready to Roll?

One of the primary challenges in marketing is to correctly ctly price products and services for end users. This challenge nge is magnified for products that are sold through various us intermediaries. 46

A Salute to Ed Swartz

Static Control Component’s CEO Ed Swartz passed away way on Nov 4, at age 77. The entire remanufacturing industry try mourns the tragic loss of this great entrepreneur. Joseph Wu, Green Project Photo: David Gibbons Recycling Times informs, educates, and nurtures the global printer consumables industry innovatively through an integrated broadcast, print, digital and social media strategy. As such, we honor and respect the intellectual property of all businesses and individuals. Consequently, we take a zero tolerance position to the manufacture, distribution and sale of patent infringing “cloned” and counterfeit printer cartridges and components. We continue to strive to avoid promoting such in our advertisements, articles and editorial content. All rights reserved. © December 2013 by Recycling Times Media Corporation. The contents are not be to copied or republished without official written consent. Editorial content may not necessarily represent the official position or view of Recycling Times Corporation. Readers should apply due deligence when doing businesss with any advertiser or company listed in this publication.

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EDITORIAL

Tony Lee Static Control Component’s CEO Ed Swartz passed away on Nov 4, at age 77. The entire remanufacturing industry mourns the tragic loss of this great entrepreneur. Last April, I had the chance to visit this honorable man at SCC’s headquarters in Sanford, NC. Upon discussing his long running battle with Lexmark, he said, “Static Control doesn’t fight just for its own interests, but more importantly, for the entire industry. Our success is tied firmly to the welfare and growth of the recharging industry. Indeed, no company can survive if the industry falters or breaks down". Thanks Ed, for your dedication to our industry! We've dedicated an unprecedented tribute to the industry champion on p46. As 2013 draws to a close it is clear that our industry has witnessed the ebb and flow of challenges, opportunities and solutions throughout the year. Price and

Publisher & Managing Director Tony Lee

Directors David Gibbons

Sabrina Lo

Consulting Editors Art Diamond

Phyllis Gurgevich

Editorial Team Doris Huang Doris.Huang@iRecyclingTimes.com Jane Yu

Lisa Liang

Violien Wu

Virginia Ruan Wendy Lee

Graphic Designers Miracle Wei

KK Deng

Sales Team Kevin.Zhu Kevin.Zhu@irecyclingtimes.com Abby Wang

Tobee Deng

Victoria Zhao

Marketing Team Sam Ho

Sam.Ho@iRecyclingTimes.com

Jessica Yin

Randall Zhang

Tracy Zhang

Operations Team Charles Lee Charles.Lee@iRecyclingTimes.com Betty Lee

Candy Chen

Subcriptions Joy He Joy.He@irecyclingtimes.com

Regional Contributors Bevlen Sudhu (Africa)

Ivan Rosales (Latin America)

José Bustamante (Europe)

Maurice Aiken (Australasia)

Regional Offices China 6B Xinhai Commercial Building,104 Yuanlin Road, Jida, Zhuhai 519000 Tel: +86 (0)756 3220716 / 3919266 Fax: +86 (0)756 3220717

Australia 24 Ardley Ave Kellyville, NSW 2155

USA 530 West Ojai Ave., Suite 108 Ojai, CA 93023-2471

Mexico Ave. Jalisco #141, El Mante, CP 45235 Zapopan, Jalisco

quality, industry integration, legal battles, patents, clones, channels of distribution, personalized product solutions, mobile computers and 3D printing have been among the foremost issues in 2013. This year, overall shipments of aftermarket supplies increased by 11.42% compared with 2012. Inkjet consumables rose 5.94% and laser supplies increased 16.8%. Yet price levels have dropped 12.53%. The massive reconstruction of the industry, led by price wars in the laser segment, did not happen as we expected early this year. However, the Matthew Effect has already shown that "the strong companies get stronger and the weak ones get weaker or lag behind". The inkjet segment, on the other hand, has seen some ripples as well with the introduction of new technologies (such as HP’s PageWide Officejet Pro X technology). It has been a year full of patent lawsuits. The lawyers are the only winners in these struggles, both plaintiffs and defendants are “trapped in the mud” of long and tedious issues involving little-known patent law and legal terminology. This year, we found OEMs are seeking new solutions to avoid these problems. They demonstrated a willingness to cooperate with the aftermarket in a common cause to combat clones and counterfeit products by sharing information on how to avoid patent infringement (e.g., HP’s release of a White Paper at the Conference@2013). Such progress is evolutional and will soon be followed by other OEMs. I believe the improved R&D strength and increased focus on patents and intellectual property rights from aftermarket players is one of the major driving forces behind this move. In 2013, differentiation and brand building become the pursuits of more and more companies. Some have explored cross-cutting product solutions, promoted market segmentation, deepened channel building, and so forth, with satisfactory results. I trust many more, pleasant achievements will be made by our industry in 2014. In the meantime, here’s wishing you a very Merry Christmas and the happiest New Year!

Email: info@iRecyclingTimes.com Website: www.iRecyclingTimes.com

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NEWS IN BRIEF

HP Activates New Supplies Distribution Policy

Xerox Celebrates 75th Anniversary of Xerography

Chip Manufacturers Modify to Comply with HP Request

HP changed its distribution policy for printer supplies as of November 1. The company now categorizes Original HP Inkjet print cartridges (HP Product line 1N), Original HP LaserJet print cartridges (HP Product line 5T) and Original HP large format ink (HP Product line UK) as “Authorized Products”. Only HP Authorized Partners are allowed to purchase these products from HP distributors and can only sell to end-user customers. HP said such change is needed to create a direct relationship with the reseller base so that the company can support them and enable them to provide superior solutions to the end user customers.

2013 marks the 75th anniversary of the first xerographic image, created by Chester Carlson. To commemorate the historical event, Xerox announced it will celebrate innovation and kick off its role in the company’s history and future. Next year, Xerox staff members will conduct a series of activities celebrating Carlson’s discovery through the company intranet, webchats and social media. Ursula Burns, Xerox CEO and Chairman of the Board, commented, “The real focus of our celebration will be the future and how Xerox will continue to simplify how work gets done. That’s why the theme of our anniversary year is ‘The Next 75”.

UTec, the global master distributor of Print-Rite imaging products, announced it has modified its existing smart chips on reman cartridges to display the message: “Non-HP Supply Installed”. UTec said those chips—which are used in its SmarTact™ remanufactured cartridges for HP printers—now “fully comply with the latest requirements of HP as announced in HP’s recent White Paper.” Future Graphics has also modified their smart chips for many HP printer cartridges. Static Control remains the only company to be publicly named by HP at the Zhuhai Conference for having HP compliant chips which avoids misrepresenting these cartridges as OEM products.

Read more: bit.ly/perfume4530 ■

Read more: bit.ly/entity4522 ■ www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

LLEGAL UPDATES

Aster Claims Its OPC Drum Gears Not Affected by GEO Read more: bit.ly/aster4515 ■

EFI Reports Invalidation of Claims in Durst’s White Ink Patent Read more: bit.ly/whiteink4542 ■

Brother Settles with Aster Graphics Read more: bit.ly/brother4510 ■

Aster Graphics, a US-based manufacturer and distributor of printer consumables, claims its toner cartridges will not be affected by the General Exclusion Order (GEO) issued to protect Canon’s intellectual property rights (IPRs). Aster affirmed its GearTek®, a patented gear technology for OPC drums, won’t infringe Canon’s U.S. 5,903,803 (‘803) and U.S. 6,128,454 (‘454) patents. Thereby, it allows the company to continue supplying the US market with replacement toner cartridges. “Aster has long recognized the importance of intellectual property rights. After years of large investments in R&D, Aster has worked out a patentfree gear solution that eliminates the risk

of infringing Canon’s patents” Leon Yin, President of Aster Graphics, said, “Stable and continuous supply is quite important for long-term cooperation. I’m glad that our customers’ businesses have not been interrupted by the GEO and their market share continues increasing.”

Electronics for Imaging (EFI) of Fremont, California announced that the Federal Patent Court of Germany (BPatG) has invalidated substantial parts of a patent related to white ink printing. German patent No. 10 2005 006 092 is held by assignee Durst Phototechnik Digital Technology GmbH (Durst). EFI says this is the patent that Durst claimed was infringed in a case against it. EFI noted it filed an action in BPatG to ask for invalidating certain claims of the German patent which Durst alleged EFI had infringed for years. As BPatG has now agreed with EFI the company

believes that if Durst fails to appeal the decision, the multi-year legal battle will come to an end.

Brother Industries alleged that Aster Graphics, Inc. infringed three of its United States patents covering tape cassettes for its P-Touch label printers. Both parties agreed to a Stipulation, Consent Judgment and Permanent Injunction. Aster Graphics is permanently prohibited from any of the following activities: • Making, using or selling in the United States or importing into the United States any of the alleged products and any other label cassettes infringing one or more claims of Brother’s '796, '539, '542, '389 and '127 patents; • Direct infringement, contributory infringement, or inducing infringement of the claims of the above patents concerning

the alleged products and any other label cassettes; • Assisting or stirring up any other person or business entity in any activity referred to in the subparagraphs above. www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

TRENDS

JUST A MINUTE DAVID GIBBONS

Increase in MFP Sales in Western Europe According to European IT research company Context, unit sales of laser color multifunction printers (MFPs) pean throughout Western European distribution channels saw a th year-on-year (YoY) growth of 6%. Context found that mostt ve countries in the region have witnessed growth. Unit sales of laser color MFPs in UK increased by 21%. Spain registered a growth of 18% and Sweden an es increase of 16%. Unit sales

in Italy increased 2%, while France and Germany each saw a rise of 13%. Canon, OKI and Ricoh hit over 40% distributi distribution sales growth in MFP segme segment, followed by Brother and Xerox with 17% sales gro growth, and HP with a 1% inc increase, while Samsung saw a 2% decline. HP leads the MFP market in the reg region with 37% market sha share, while Samsung cap captured 19% and Xerox jus just 11%. Read more: bit.ly/mfp4511 ■ Rea

Printer, Copier, MFP Shipments Down 4.7% in India According to Gartner, the combined serial inkjet and page printer, copier and multifunction product (MFP) aled 681,584 market in India totaled arter of units in the 2nd quarter his is a 4.7% 2013 (2Q2013). This decrease compared to the same tal endperiod of 2012. Total nk 13% user spending shrank $ 235.4 YoY, reaching US$ million. Shipments of es monochrome devices % were down by 1.5% while color devices’’ remained flat.

In 2Q2013, shipments of A4 MFPs posted an increase of 12% YoY. HP, with 59 59% market share, saw a ggrowth rate of 37.4%. Samsun Samsung and Canon stood at No Nos. 2 and 3, capturing 20.3 20.3% and 12.1% of the mar market, respectively. The A3 MFP segment saw a 14.7% increase compare to the same compared quarter in 2012 2012. Read more: bit.ly/india4526 bit Watch more: more bit.ly/india9502 ■

IDC Sees Decline in LFP Sales in CEMA Region According to IDC's Quarterly Large Format Printer Tracker, the large format printer (LFP) market in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMA) showed a decrease of 10.7% in volume and 5.1% in value year

on year (YoY) in the first half of 2013 (1H2013). As was reported by IDC, LFP shipments exceeded 16,300 units valued at $15.36 million in CEMA in 1H2013. While shipments of both technical and graphic sub-segments decreased in volume, shipments of graphic printing devices increased, which came from the Middle East region (except Israel). IDC said, across the CEMA region, technical LFP shipments declined in terms of both value and volume, mainly due to a lack of public tenders, limited construction market investments, and prolonged replacement cycles. Read more: bit.ly/idc4501 ■ www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

David.Gibbons@irecyclingtimes.com

What the Dickens…? The English novelist Charles Dickens was treated like “a modern rock star” on his first visit to the USA in 1842. He was just 30, but, as BBC reporter Simon Watts discloses “the trip soon turned sour”. The “great expectations” Dickens held towards Americans, were dashed by those trying to make money out of his fame. Oliver Twist and the Pickwick Papers had already made him the most famous writer in the world. According to Watts, the New York jewelers, Tiffany's, had made copies of a Dickens bust. However, what annoyed him most, was the “plagiarism” of his works. Americans were reading his works for free in pirated editions. In 1842, there were no international copyright laws in America. The issue, as Watts puts it, “was a very modern one - intellectual property”. Dickens realised his popularity in the US could substantially increase his income if his American fans paid to read his works. “I am the greatest loser alive by the present law,” he complained. Dickens argued that a copyright law would help American writers as well, and he stressed that he would "rather have the affectionate regard of my fellowmen as I would have heaps and mines of gold". However, the American press turned on Dickens. His visit to America ended with both sides accusing each other of being “vulgar money-grabbers”. This interesting anecdote was shared with printer cartridge remanufacturers who gathered in Zhuhai last month. US patent attorney Steve Adkins reminded the audience that many countries, including the USA, have ignored intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the past. However, as he reminded the 212 delegates from 41 countries, “when a nation sees the merit and value in new ideas and inventions, they seek to preserve them, and pass laws accordingly.” Adkins observed that countries like China, which have been accused of ignoring IPRs, have already started to implement IPR laws—in order to preserve the value of work created in their own country. Stanislav Malinskiy told remanufacturers there are no patents on printer consumables in his homeland of Russia. It’s currently “open slather” there for those who would want to sell “cloned” or copied printer cartridges. Many other countries around the globe are the same. However, OEMs and rechargers alike must be asking “What the dickens (read Hell) is going on here?” I would agree.

NEW PRODUCTS

Uniplus Intros New Cartridge Circuit Tester Taiwan-based Uniplus Technology Corporation announced a new cartridge circuit tester for empty HP 61/301/122/802/704/46/678 black and color ink jet cartridges. The company claims that the new device is available for both new and old versions of these cartridges. In addition, Uniplus said the new

product features TSR (Thermal Sensor Resistor), cartridge recognition and nozzle condition detection. In addition, the new tester provides several benefits including, easy operation, selection of a good circuit before production and cost savings. Read more: bit.ly/uniplus4540 ■

Apex Releases New Chips, Chip Re-setter Apex announced the launch of new products, including chips and a chip resetter for Epson, Samsung and Lexmark

printers. The new products include: • Replacement chips for Epson IV series in South America (First-to-market) • Replacement chips for Samsung 115/116/203/204 series (First-to-market) • Replacement chips for Lexmark C540/544/546 series and Lenovo 8300 series • Epson III/IV chip re-setter. Read more: bit.ly/apex4506 ■

Armor Rolles Out New Reman Toner Cartridges French cartridge remanufacturer Armor rolled out four new series of remanufactured cartridges for HP and Samsung printers. The company said the four new sets are part of its goal to “offer the best product coverage for the laser printer installed base”, including remanufactured cartridges for HP's color LaserJet Pro CP 5220 and 5225 series, for

HP's color LaserJet Pro 200 and M251 machines, for HP's color LaserJet Pro CP 5520 and 5525 printers and for Samsung's ML 2160 laser printer. Read more: bit.ly/armor4539 ■

UniNet Launches Series of New Toners, Rollers, Smart Chips and Components UniNet announced the launch of new products for Samsung, Brother, HP and Kyocera printers, including black and color toners, PCR Rollers, smart chips and other components. According to UniNet, the toner MLU-1 formula has been qualified in over 80 Samsung ML, SCX and SF printer models. In addition, UniNet introduced the other new products listed below: • X Generation Color® toner and componen qualified for Brother HLcomponents 3140 3170 color printer series; 3140/ • Absolute Black® Toner Form for Kyocera FS 4200 Formula TK3 TK3124, 3122, 3120 monochrome prin series; printer • Smartchips® for Samsung SCX SCX-4650, 4652, 4655 / ML-2245 / Xp Xpress SL-M2620, 2820, M2670, 287 / Xpress SL-M2625, 2870 M2 M2626, M2825, M2826 / Xpress M267 M2676, M2875, M2876 / M2675, M Xpress M3320, M3370, M3820, M3870, M4070 / Xpress M3375, M3825, M3875, M4025, M4075. Read more: bit.ly/uninet4525 ■

Katun Rolls out Business Color Toner for Sharp Machines Katun released Business Color toners for Sharp MX-4110/4111 machines. This is Katun’s fourth toner release for Sharp equipment in the past 9 months.

Katun noted that consumers can order Katun products by phone, fax or email, or via the Katun Online Catalogue. The Katun Online Catalogue and Katun customer service contact information is available at www.katun.com. Read more: bit.ly/toner4503 ■ www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

COUNTDOWN

As with the last 30 years, 2013 saw new developments on many fronts impacting the cartridge remanufacturing industry. This year saw: the battle between ink and toner for the lucrative office market, the increasing popularity and demand for mobile printing solutions, a raft of legal battles, the evergrowing impact of clones, the impact of 3-D printing and the continual improvements and advancements in printer technologies and models. So what were the top 3 developments that impacted remanufacturers in 2013? Turn the Page>>

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20 RESEARCH

New Print Technologies Battle to Gain Markets Several years ago, few people knew about 3D printing. However, by 2013, 3D has grown to be the most heated and advanced manufacturing technology. Many remanufacturers commented online and at forums during the year that despite the initial interest in 3-D printing, it was essentially a novelty and completely unrelated to the more familiar 2-D printing. OEMs came out with a large array of new 2-D printers particularly in monochrome for developing regions as well as multifunction devices. Then CEO Meg Whitman came out and announced HP was interested in the 3-D printing market. She told the Canalys Channels Forum in Bangkok that the company will enter the 3D printer market in the middle of 2014. She said, "We are excited about 3D printing," and added it is a natural business for HP to enter given its heritage in printers. "We want to lead this businesses. HP labs is looking at it." She admitted that 3-D printing will have to be faster and cheaper if it is to gain significant traction over the next 3 years. US President Barack Obama expects 3D printing to help revive the U.S. manufacturing industry, whilst the U.K. magazine The Economist, says this technology will “team up with other digitalized production patterns to realize the third industrial revolution”. According to Dirk Hünselar, Sales Manager at the German-based ink making giant OCP, 2013 showed growth in almost every area of the world, despite some regions or countries facing tough economic times. He is convinced the most significant development was the HP Officejet Pro X. “This printer and the technology behind it gave proof that inkjet technology can and will outclass laser. With the HP Officejet Pro X and further business inkjet printers entering the market from other OEMs, such as Epson and Brother, our opinion is strengthened that inkjet will prevail.” Chinese patent attorney Helen Duan, from Innopat noticed Samsung filed patents with drawings similar to Brother products during 2013. At this point it’s not clear what the intention might be, but Duan says this “might mean Samsung is either taking reference to Brother products, or making improvements to Brother products, or preparing to cross license with Brother in the future, if and when necessary.” The global market share number 4 and 5 printer OEMs may be looking to combine technologies to gain a greater market share. In any case, Duan observes, “It may be more difficult to identify which OEM products and which OEM patents are involved.”

Issue45|www.iRecyclingTimes.com

Patent Laws are Gamechangers A battle continues to be fought in the US which could impact the industry globally. Patent attorney Ed O’Connor, from the Eclipse Group, filed a motion to dismiss a case in Ohio where Lexmark is suing Impressions Products over the rights of a cartridge sold outside of the US. Steven E. Adkins, another US-based patent attorney with Allen & Overy, says “it is possible that a US court could find that printer products that have been purchased outside the US can exhaust US patent rights and thus can be refurbished and imported to the United States without a risk of a finding of patent infringement or violation of Section 337 at the US International Trade Commission”. He says it could be a long process, but if successful, “would be a dramatic shift from what we understand the law to be now.” It has implications for the collection and refurbishing of cartridges from anywhere in the world going into the lucrative US market.

COUNTDOWN RESEARCH

OEMs & Aftermarket Align Against Unfair Competition Dr Katja Dauster, patent attorney with Ruff, Wilhelm, Beier, Dauster & Partners says an interesting lawsuit over patent infringement took place in February 2013 in the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court—one of Germany's leading courts. She told Recycling Times a patented system comprising a coffee machine and a coffee capsule is not infringed when coffee capsules are replaced. She notes that such cases could have turned out differently, however, “the UK Supreme Court essentially followed this decision in a similar case and ruled that replacement of a bottle does not infringe a patent claim related to a product comprising a cage, the bottle and a pallet, as the inventive concept resides in the cage and not the bottle (Schütz v Werit [2013] UKSC 16).”, This sets important precedents for the printer cartridge industry.

Industry research and analyst group InfoTrends completed a year-long study on the impact of new compatible cartridges (sometimes known as clones) coming from China and targeted at developed markets. Often made from inferior raw materials, potentially infringing OEM intellectual property, not suitable for reuse, and often sold at prices as low as empty core cartridges, creating unfair competition. To deal with the issue, HP, Lexmark, Xerox and the Imaging Supplies Coalition (representing most OEMs) have all demonstrated a willingness to engage amicably with legitimate remanufacturers this year. HP, for example, chose the annual Zhuhai Conference to inform, dialogue and warn remanufacturers globally about wrongful display messages emanating from aftermarket smart chips on some cartridges. The European and US trade association leaders have also met OEMs to resolve IP issues. MSE Global’s Senior Vice President, Luke Goldberg, sees this unprecedented cooperation, open discourse, and ultimately the alignment between the legitimate aftermarket and the OEMs as having the most memorable impact on 2013. “HP also took up the cause of proper identification of aftermarket cartridges when they litigated in the USA against a reseller for allegedly mismarking new compatibles as remanufactured cartridges,” he says. In this instance HP published multiple studies comparing new compatibles and “remans” making statements that consumers looking for an aftermarket solution should demand the remanufactured product because of their higher quality. “This is all certainly unprecedented stuff,” says Goldberg. “To see OEMs come to the defense of remanufactured products ensuring that the benefits they are ascribed with, are indeed delivered to consumers.” Goldberg firmly believes this cooperation will eventually lead to a higher level of legitimacy for remanufactured aftermarket products and likely to increase their market share. On the other hand, Goldberg is not so sure the general exclusion order (GEO) issued to Canon in June of 2013, will be as effective in keeping infringing products out of the USA, as were prior GEOs that were given to Lexmark and Epson. “We will know more about how this has changed the US market (if at all) in the coming months. In the meantime, some OEM action must take place in another major market to signal to global dealers that OEMs will no longer sit by and see their profits robbed from them.” Goldberg adds legitimate remanufacturers must acknowledge their debt to the OEMs. “Rechargers and OEMs are forever inextricably linked. We need OEM success, innovation and, of course their cores, for a successful aftermarket.” New clone products deprive OEMs of their profits at the first point of sale. He urges remanufacturers to remember “we need this profitable sale to take place or we, the legitimate aftermarket, have no business. We the same interests,” he concludes, “fair competition, engendering consumer choice, and a modicum of mutual respect.”

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AFTERMARKET NEWS

Green Project Introduces GP Gear Green Project, a supplier of remanufactured ink and toner cartridges, have launched its “GP” gear technology for replacement OPC drums. According to the company, the “GP” gear has been “inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection without any objection and is now available for importation.” Also, Green Project noted that the new product—for which a patent is pending in the US and other countries—will not infringe Canon’s ‘803 and ‘405 patents. The new product— which features unique design and offers high print quality—will be provided “in most of their popular monochrome and color toner cartridges”.

Roy Fan, CEO at Green Project said, “The first set of new gears is expected to arrive in the US in the middle of December and they will be used for remanufactured products only. The price for the new gear will be set at the middleupper level.” Read more: bit.ly/gpgear4531 ■

Ninestar Completes Smart Chip Modification Ninestar Image Tech Limited (Ninestar), a sales subsidiary of the Seine Group, has completed the modification of its chips to display a “Non-HP Supply Installed” message,

in compliance with HP’s recent White Paper. As was revealed by Ninestar, its engineering change began in June 2013 with its 05A, 55X and 530A toner cartridges for use in HP printers. Ninestar said this change will not affect print quality, adding that “With such a change, the display status screen or supply status page will not recognize a Ninestar cartridge as a genuine HP product when it is installed but rather represent it as a non-HP product.” Read more: bit.ly/ninestar4546 ■

Print-Rite Wins Another Green Award Print-Rite’s Unicorn Image Products Co., Ltd. of Zhuhai (Print-Rite Unicorn) has been awarded the Hong Kong— Guangdong Cleaner Production Partner (Manufacturing) commendation. Print-Rite Unicorn attributes the award to its deployment of an Injection Molding Machine Variable Frequency Drive. The company noted that the project provided several benefits, including adjusting the power of the hydraulic pump, reducing 30% of power consumption and increasing the lifetime of the hydraulic oil used in the equipment. According to Print-Rite Unicorn, a series of other environmental initiatives for its “3R (Recycle, Reuse, Recover)”

project include Waste Water and Oil Reclamation and Reuse; Waste Toner Reclamation; and Reuse and Green Data Centre. The company claimed that these projects “reduced 18% of carbon emissions compared with 2005.” Read more: bit.ly/award4541 ■

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AFTERMARKET NEWS

Huge Range of Products Released for Kyocera Cartridges Static Control Components (SCC) released more than 800 products for 250 monochrome and color toner cartridges used in Kyocera printers. These products, representing a complete system approach,

include toners, replacement chips, waste bottles, grid cleaners, hopper caps, cartridge seals, tools and packaging options. In addition, SCC said its extended yield chips will “report accurate toner low/toner out messaging when used in combination with Static Control’s toner.” Along with Kyocera drum and developer units equipped high page counts, SCC believes that the aftermarket development process for a replacement Kyocera system was unique as a single full life test can require 300,000 pages. Read more: bit.ly/scc4512 ■

Turbon Sustains Double Digit Decline in Revenue As reported in the newsletter OPI, German consumables manufacturer Turbon has sustained a 12.4% yearon-year (YoY) decline in revenues for the first 9 months of 2013. Its earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were $6 million, falling by about 21%. The company attributes shrinking revenue to fierce price competition. It also assigns “half of the decrease” to unfavorable currency exchange rates and the deconsolidation, last year, of Turbon’s subsidiary, Kores Nordic Belgium. The company is confident of its cost-saving initiatives and asserts that revenues from full-year sales

will remain at around $107.6 million. The firm claims 4Q2013 would be its strongest for the year, heading for a pre-tax profit of about $6.7 million. Read more: bit.ly/turbon4544 ■

ETIRA Discusses Clone Issue with AJCR Christian Wernhart, President of ETIRA and CEO of Embatex, met with AJCR (Association of Japanese Cartridge Remanufacturers) board members to discuss the situation of the cartridge industry worldwide. The meeting mainly focused on clone products, revealing that patent-infringing new compatible products from China are not so widely spread in Japan. In addition to Japan-based OEMs taking tough measures on clones, the National Customs Authority in Japan is also showing its commitment to seizing those products. However, AJCR has not

comprehensively worked with domestic Japanese OEMs to fight against clones. Along with 33 remanufacturing members and associates of industry suppliers, AJCR sells remanufactured cartridges on the domestic market in Japan. Read more: bit.ly/etira4548 ■

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26 FRONT COVER STORY

Issue45|www.iRecyclingTimes.com

FRONT COVER STORY

JOSEPH WU:

HEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NO

DUMMY! Phyllis Gurgevich, Consulting Editor, Recycling Times

Branding Is Everything When it comes to branding your company, you simply canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be all things to all people. Your brand is your promise to your customer: telling them who you are, what sets you apart from your competition and most importantly, what they can expect from your products and services. So it must be exact. Green Project of Hacienda Heights, California, under the combined leadership of President Joseph Wu and CEO Roy Fan, has been extremely successful in building, communicating and delivering a company with a strong reliable brand in the

B2B aftermarket imaging supplies arena. Everything from their logo, advertising, and uniforms at trade events all the way through to their production, packaging and delivery told customers what they could expect and assured customers that Green Project would deliver on its promise. That promise is to deliver a product that helps protect the environment, reduce waste, is of the highest quality and all of this at an affordable cost. An exact, cohesive branding strategy will effectively tell your target customers who you are, and why your product or service is the best choice to match their needs.

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28 FRONT COVER STORY

The Dummies brand is known globally as being trustworthy and easy for use.

This strategy encompasses all aspects remanufactured first and foremost. The licensing programs “help to leverage of communicating and delivering your existing products never seemed to generate the strength of the world's most popular promise to your customers. a brand to which the consumer would build reference brand to reach new audiences According to Wu, “At a time when name recognition or emotional attachment. and channels of distribution.” competition is tough and many competitors Being no dummy, Wu could see that That’s when Wu began talks John Wiley fight to be the low price leader, we feel consistent, strategic branding leads to & Sons to license the For Dummies brand. that by branding we can create Within a year, Ink and Toner for Dummies was launched. Since starting value so that customers are willing An exact, cohesive branding to pay slightly more for a consistent this retail website and line of products, and reliable product. For wholesale Wu states “The brand has been very strategy will effectively tell items, branding is not as important successful for us. It has grown among your target customers who for the product itself, but more the large, big box resellers.” Wu you are, and why your product feels this gives publicity not only to so for the company that sells the product. For wholesale, quality or service is the best choice to the Dummies Brand but also gives is a key factor and our customers the entire cartridge remanufacturing match their needs look to Green Project to provide a industry a great deal of exposure. consistent quality at a competitive strong brand equity. And strong brand price. Boosting the Industry Wu always firmly believed that a strong equity is what allows a branded product reliable brand would reflect well on the to sell at a higher price than an unbranded “Making Everything Easier” In 2010, Wu stepped back and looked cartridge aftermarket industry as a whole. product. at the market from the consumers’ point “Prior to Dummies, the only “brands’ in John Wiley & Sons, publishers of the of view, and a different story seemed to the consumer’s eyes were OEM brands. As For Dummies line of reference products, Ink and Toner for Dummies continues to emerge. Wu saw that the retail space never have been building and leveraging their grow, it will continue to give our industry really has had a brand well known by the brand equity since 1991. Their tag line a positive light. We do our best to provide consumer. While the cartridge aftermarket is “making everything easier” and their the best quality remanufactured cartridges industry has a few brands that do sell resources help customers with everything and consumers will associate the Ink and retail, when Wu would speak directly to a from writing computer code in the newest Toner for Dummies brand as a quality consumer about a remanufactured cartridge languages to carving a turkey at a holiday product.” they often thought generic, aftermarket or dinner. According to their website, their Issue45|www.iRecyclingTimes.com

FRONT COVER STORY

Joseph Wu—ready for business—at the front of the Los Angelas based Green Project

Roy Fan (Left) with Tony Lee, Director of Recycling Times Media and Joseph Wu (Right)

Brand and trademark licensing have Rite Aid, Frys, Walmart.com, Bestbuy. A Smart Outlook “Since Green Project, Inc. first started, a rich history in American business; the com and Futureshop.com.ca. They are also and then added our Ink and Toner for most common examples coming from in discussion with other big box retailers. Dummies lines, our commitment will mass entertainment such as the movies, “It is not easy to break into big box retail. always be to provide quality. We cannot comics and television. Having access to It takes time and patience as big box retail stress enough the importance of having the Dummies brands, and the logos and just moves at a much slower pace to make a product that works well at a very trademarks associated with those brands, any decisions.” advises Wu. competitive price. We know that for gives Wu significant benefits. Most each customer, quality is something notable is the name recognition and marketing power the Dummies brand Dummies branded products are that cannot be sacrificed, even to cut costs.” brings to his products. Dummies noted to be trustworthy and “Our manufacturing facilities are branded products are noted to be recognizable, great attributes based both outside the United States trustworthy and recognizable, great and here in California,” says Wu. attributes to attach to a retail line of to attach to a retail line of “By utilizing the strengths of each remanufactured cartridges. remanufactured cartridges location, we are able to offer the “Our following is very steady,” highest quality products.” notes Wu. “Our clientele base is Today, Ink and Toner for loyal and continues to remain loyal. Dummies is looking smarter than ever! We We are educating and sharing with the “The biggest challenge is to change the are up, running and growing strongly. Wu consumer the fact that a remanufactured mind of a big box retailer that our industry inkjet or toner cartridge gives great and Green Project’s products, including the attributes this to their customers: “Green For Dummies lines, are of great quality. Project, Ink and Toner for Dummies, performance.” Roy Fan and I are truly grateful to our But it is not all fancy logos and nifty Convincing them that our industry as a customers and their continued support. names. Licensees sign on expecting that whole has advanced in the last 15 years Without our customers we wouldn’t be the license will provide them with sales where we are able to produce a quality growth. Often those sales come if the product. Consumers are looking for a value here today. We will continue focusing on providing high quality ink and toner licensed brand will open new doors and product without sacrificing quality and this cartridges at the most competitive ultimately increase sales. For Ink and is where the Dummies brand comes into prices.” ■ Toner for Dummies, the doors are open at play. www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

LIFTOUT DIRECTORY

The tw two main types of bla blades used in toner cartridges cartridg are a wiper blade and a doctor blade. The wiper blade, or cleaning blade, is a device used to remove residual toner from the OPC drum after image transfer has been completed. The Wiper Blade Although this blade is unable to remove 100 percent of the residual toner, wrong sign toner, toner additives, or paper dust from the OPC drum surface, it must remove enough debris to maintain acceptable print quality. It accomplishes this function by exerting contact pressure against the surface of the OPC drum by either wiping or deflecting toner into the waste bin. Performance of the cleaning blade depends on its shape, pressure, or angle of interface with the drum surface. A wiper blade consists of a metal platform and an elastic arm typically comprising a slice of polyurethane (PU) film affixed to the platform. The two parts are connected either by glue, screws, or other mounting methods. The quality of the wiper blade determines image quality and the life span of the cartridge. The elasticity, parallelism, straightness and abradability (resistance to scratching, wear and abrasion) of the PU slice are the four factors that determine the quality of a wiper blade. A qualified wiper blade has a translucent yellowish white PU slice free of bubbles; the slice has a moderate elasticity, and the working surface is smooth and even. Before using a wiper blade, a lubricating powder is often recommended to be sprinkled on its working surface. With the exception of Brother and certain early Samsung products, such as the ML1210/1710, other cartridges all have their wiper blades. Due to the wear and ageing of the PU

Issue45|www.iRecyclingTimes.com

BLADE MANUFACTURERS ASIA PACIFIC ABEX PRECISION INDUSTRIAL CO. LTD. OF ZHUHAI Abex Precision is professional company dedicated in the R&D, manufacturing and sales of copier and printer components. We provide full line of wiper blade, doctor blade, transfer belt blade, upper fuser roller and lower fuser roller for printers or copiers. Our wipe blade and fuser roller are performing exceptionally well on production copier, high-speed black-white copier and color copier.

Li Shangchu, Manager 3/F, Block 2, No.7032 Nanwan Road South, Wanzai, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China 519030 Tel: +86.756.882.5350 Email: chu@abexcn.com Website: www.abexcn.com

ANNO TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED Anno Technologies Ltd., based in Zhuhai, China, is a high quality developer and manufacturer of printer and copier consumables. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s product range includes wiper blades, doctor blades, drum cleaning blades as well as upper and lower rollers all developed to OEM standards. Also, it is capable of producing to ODM standards and quality control of its products successfully surpasses the ISO9001 certification.

Vanessa Wong No.9, Shuguang Rd, First Industrial Zone, Tanzhou Town, Zhongshan, Guangdong, China 528467 Tel: +86.760.2363.8360 Email: vanessa@anno.com.cn Website: www.anno.com.cn

APEX MICROELECTRONICS CO., LTD Apex Microelectronics, the pioneer in this field, is focused on research, development, manufacture and sale of aftermarket cartridge components, with a wide product range including inkjet and laser chips, ink, toner, Organic Photo Conductor (OPC) drums, Magnetic Rollers, Developer Rollers, Sender Rollers, Primary Charge Rollers and blades to offer customers a One-Stop solution.

Eva Liu 7/F, Unit 04, No 63, North Mingzhu Road, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China 519075 Tel: +86.756.333.3768 Email: info@apexmic.com Website: www.apexmic.com

KOGON TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED Kogon Technologies Ltd. of Zhongshan is a professional manufacturer for laser printer and photocopier consumables. KOGON develops, manufactures, and sells a full line of wiper & doctor blade for printer & copier. Except the blade, we also can supply you the other spare parts of the laser printer and copier, such as upper fuser roller, lower sleeved roller, mag roller, pcr and so on.

Ms. Anna Jiang No.118, Dexi Road, Tan Zhou Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong, China 528467 Tel: +86.186.6613.6866 Email: 603836130@qq.com Website: www.kogon.net.cn

LIFTOUT DIRECTORY

KUROKI INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. KUROKI Industrial Co., Ltd. was founded in 1989, with a total area of 20,000 square meters factory. The company specializes in the production for wiper and doctor blade of laser printer and photocopier, products which are sold around the world. The company upholds quality as a fundamental, service based company has rich experience in product design and manufacturing, product quality is stable and reliable, enjoys a good reputation in the industry.

Ms. Jacklin Huang No. 23, Zhong-Xing Rd., Tu-Cheng Industrial Park, Tu-Cheng Dist., New Taipei City 236, Taiwan Tel: +886.2.2267.9922 Email: tw.kuroki@msa.hinet.net Website: www.kuroki.com.tw

SHENZHEN ZHANXINLONG SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD Shenzhen Zhanxinlong Science & Technology Co., Ltd. is a producer specialized in laser printer and copier parts. Founded in June, 2006, the company produces developing roller, supply roller, drum cleaning blade and control tab. The company has worldclass production equipment and one of the only eight advanced lines in flightier production worldwide.

Mr. Nie Xinchun, Manager Block B.9# of Xiawei Industrial Estare, Keng Jing Guanlan Street, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China 580110 Tel: +86.135.1025.0864 Email: zxl@szzxl.cn Website: www.szzxl.cn

TUICO PRODUCTS JOINT-STOCK COMPANY TUICO is specialized in manufacturing High-Quality blades for Photocopier and Laser Printer. With over 40-year experiences and excellent technical team, TUICO achieves 100% vertical integration of manufacture, offers various models, and successful supply customers worldwide. Quality, Integrity, and Reliability are what TUICO commits to the business.

Helen Wang Plot 1-16, Ho Nai Industrial Zone, Trang BomDistrict, Dong Nai Province, Vietnam. Tel: +84.613.671.222 Email: service@tuico.com Website: www.tuicovn.com

ZHUHAI HAITE ELECTONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD ZhuHai Haite Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. is located in the "world supplies production base" Zhuhai Nanping Science and Technology Park in 2008. The company has been focusing on manufacturing wiper and doctor blades of laser printers, copiers and scraper speed copier. There are completely productions of HP, Samsung, brother, Epson series toner coverage with blade.

Ms. Zhao Lizhen 2/F, No.3, Pinggong No.1 Road, Nanping Industrial Zone, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China Post Code: 519000 Tel: +86.756.869.6338 Email: htkj6156161@126.com Website: www.haite-pla.51pla.com

film, few blades are recycled, but most are replaced during cartridge remanufacture. Thus, the market demand for WBs is enormous. The Doctor Blade The doctor blade, sometimes called a “metering blade” or “leveling blade,” controls the level of the magnetic brush developer roller while providing an electrical charge to the toner. Typically formed from a flexible metal strip attached to a rigid metal bar, the strip may be coated or laminated with a thin polymeric material. The doctor blade meters the amount of toner contained on the brush and therefore is one of the most critical components in a printer or copier cartridge. The doctor blade regulates the amount of toner applied to the magnetic brush developer roller. At the same time, it contributes an electrical charge to the toner enabling it to develop the latent image on the OPC drum. The surface finish of the doctor blade, along with its size and shape, is critical to the proper performance of this critical cartridge component. Print defects, including low density, streaks, voids, banding, etc., are often caused by a worn or abraded, blade surface, or residual toner or dirt on the doctor blade. Warping is another defect that can create undesirable variations in image quality. Any changes or irregularities in the doctor blade’s construction, configuration, alignment or pressure on the developer roller can create variable and nonuniform forces against the OPC drum that result in a number of possible print defects. Some of the newest toners, which have a lower fusing temperature, may be inclined to adhere to the doctor blade, thereby causing print quality defects. Polymer coatings on the blade tend to reduce this toner adhesion and extend the useful life of a doctor blade. Apex Microelectronics Co., Ltd.

www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

LIFTOUT DIRECTORY

ZHUHAI HONGDERONGYE ELECTRONICS CO., LTD Hongderongye is a high-tech company, which is specialized in developing, manufacturing, marketing & serving at Wiper & Doctor Blade, SR, Roller for printer and copier. With an area of 5,800, it has a very young team who is accomplished in high polymer material, automatic controltechnology, machine & mould design, testing technique, quality control.

Lv Yucai, General Manager No.1, Jinfa Industrial Zone, Jinding Town, Xiangzhou Area, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China 519000 Tel: +86.756.686.6691 Email: zhhdry@126.com Website: www.zhhdry.com

ZHUHAI PU-TECH INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD Founded in July 2002, Zhuhai Pu-Tech Industrial Co., Ltd is a hitech private enterprise specialized in the manufacture of elastomers. Our products mainly include Doctor Blades & Wiper Blades for laser printers, copiers, laser facsimile machines, integral machines, high-performance fittings for industrial equipments, and raw chemicals.

Bingren Wang, General Manager NO.18, 2nd Jinheng Road, Jinding Industrial District, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China 519085 Tel: +86.756.331.9600 Email: brwang@pu-tech.com Website: www.pu-tech.com

STATIC CONTROL COMPONENTS, INC. Static Control is the global leader in aftermarket imaging and remanufacturing technology. Sales and distribution facilities are located worldwide. Research, development, engineering and manufacturing as well as global distribution is located at its world headquarters in North Carolina, USA.

Mr. Danny Tang Unit 2810, Yuecai Building, No. 188 Jingshan Road, Jida, Zhuhai, China 519015 Tel: +86.756.332.0300 Email: info@scc-china.com Website: www.scc-inc.com

NORTH AMERICA STATIC CONTROL COMPONENTS, INC. Static Control is the global leader in aftermarket imaging and remanufacturing technology. Sales and distribution facilities are located worldwide. Research, development, engineering and manufacturing as well as global distribution is located at its world headquarters in North Carolina, USA.

Mr. Bryan Bonacum 3010 Lee Avenue, PO Box 152, Sanford, NC 27331 USA Tel: +1.919.774.3808 Email: info@scc-inc.com Website: www.scc-inc.com

This Directory, compiled by the staff of Recycling Times magazine, represents the best information currently available to us regarding those independent producers offering Blades to aftermarket dealers, distributors and remanufacturers. We plan to review and update this list on an annual basis. Your comments, additions, deletions and suggestions are most welcome as they will enable us to update and certify the inform information presented.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll publish the directory of Manufacturers of Smart Chips in next monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edition of Recycling Times magazine. If you want to be in the list, please send your company profile details to Ms. Violien Wu at violien.wu@irecyclingtimes.com.

ISSUE

DIRECTORY PUBLISHING PLAN Jan 2014

Manufacturers of Smart Chips

Jul 2014

Trade Associations

Feb 2014

Manufacturers of Ink Jet Inks

Aug 2014

Print Testing Labs

Mar 2014

Empty Cartridges Collectors and Brokers

Sep 2014

Manufacturers of Dry Toners

Apr 2014

Manufacturers of Primary Charge Rollers

Oct 2014

Manufacturers of OPC Drums

May 2014

Manufacturers of Developer Materials

Nov 2014

Industry Standards

Jun 2014

Manufacturers of Dye & Pigment Dispersions

Dec 2014

Manufacturers of Blades www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

BIOTONERS FEATURE

ARE BIOTONERS READY TO ROLL? Doris Huang, Editor, Recycling Times

Turn the Page>> www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

BIOTONERS

Most of the raw materials used in traditional monochrome and color toners are derived from crude petroleum, a nonrenewable resource. Among these are the charge control agents, colorants, pigments, resins and certain polyolefin waxes. While environmentalists in every field continue their quest for a green alternative, so are a number of toner producers in the imaging industry. When the concept of a biotoner was first introduced at industry conferences and seminars worldwide, delegates approached it with great interest. Why not? Such a novel toner could utilize bioresins derived from harvested agricultural resources such as soy beans, sugar cane, field corn, sugar beets, sweet potatoes, etc.. These materials are environmentally friendly, degradable, compostable and present no harm to human health. Also, they fit in perfectly with the ecological proposition of recharging, recycling and remanufacturing. But when the first biotoners officially hit the market, customers retreated. The various products introduced by Future Graphics, SoyPrint, Print-Rite and others were priced much higher than petroleumbased aftermarket toners and end-users were unwilling to pay the difference. Meanwhile, some products had not reached America’s bio-products standard.

According to the BioPreferred Vendor Program of the United States Government, products must be at least 25% biobased to be eligible for certification, labeling and preferred purchasing status. In the end, biotoners gathered dust on dealers’ shelves. What’s more, hardly any new products have been released in the last two years.

When the first biotoners officially hit the market, customers retreated Breakthrough Recently, an aftermarket company finally broke the silence by launching a series of new biotoners. That pioneer is ICMI (China) Ltd. (ICL), a subsidiary of Print-Rite Holdings. Three years have passed since the company first introduced its new generation biotoners at RemaxAsia Expo in 2010. In the ensuing period, ICL has been improving its biotoner product line, solving countless technical and manufacturing problems. Most biotoners comprise at least a bioresin, a second resin (typically, a frangible petro-based resin to increase throughput in the jet pulverizing operation), colorants, a charge control

agent, waxes and additives. Finding the right bioresin that mixes perfectly with the petroresin is a most formidable task. ICL has looked for many suppliers to provide a suitable solution and submit samples. Upon testing the physical properties of these samples at the first stage, many of them simply won’t pass. For example, every petroresin has a softening point upon heating, known as the glass transition temperature. But most bioresins have softening points that differ widely from the petroresins. Some revert immediately to a liquid phase. For a toner image to fix permanently onto a paper surface, the fusing temperature must be within a certain range wherein the toner is in a semi-solid condition. Mr. Tang Fugen, General Manager of ICL, said, “When a suitable bioresin was found, we had to ensure that the individual particles of resin remained evenly dispersed within each toner particle. After going through many failures, we readjusted the formulas, materials and processing methods over and over again. After years of diligent research, we can now develop biotoners that contain 48% biocontent (a result tested by Beta Analytic, an ISO 17025 accredited radiocarbon dating lab in Miami, Florida). That result is up from 23% three years ago!”.

www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

BIOTONERS

Code

Series

Cartridge Model

Suitable for use in Printer Model

Bio-content

HP Q2612A

HP 1010/1022/1012/1015/1018/1020

30%

HP Q278/285/ CB436/CB435/ CB388

HP 1566/1606/1102/1120/1212/1005/1505/1006/ 1007/1008

25%

LCI-4015B

HP Q5942A

HP LaserJet 4240/4250/4350

25%

LCI-4017B

SAM ML1710/1610/1043

Samsung ML-1610/1710/1666

10%

SAM MLTD101S

Samsung ML-2160/2161/2165,SCX-3400/3405

10%

BRO TN350/ TN360

Brother HL-2040/2070N/2030/2045/2140/2150

10%

LCI-4018B LCI-4014B

Samsung LCI-4016B LCI-1084B

Brother

List of ICL's New Bio-toners

While success in the laboratory is one in a moist or wet environment. US$0.2 more than traditional toner, but thing, success in plant scale manufacturing He said it’s important to assure after the cartridge was bioproduct labeled, is another. One cannot simply copy customers that the two different products resellers priced the cartridge US$20 the same formulas and methods in don’t distinguish very much from each more than the one filled with traditional the laboratory and apply them to other. People have expressed their concern petrotoners. Of course customers will not manufacturing. Mass production is another over the archival keeping properties of pay the difference. But if you priced the unavoidable challenge for ICL. However, such degradable biotoner—will words cartridge just $1 or $2 higher than that today, ICL can manufacture various on the printed paper disappear after HP biotoners with 25% and 30% a period of time? ICL has tested One of the primary challenges their products under international bio-content (See the above table of ICL’s BioToners). All of these have in marketing is to correctly price standards and found they can last as been tested and registered in the long as OEM products. Tang says, products and services for end United States. Also, the company “It’s understandable why people have users. This challenge is magnified such a worry and we will eliminate has released some 10% biocontent toners for Samsung and Brother such concerns through technology for products that are sold printers, which are not qualified to improvement and market promotion”. through various intermediaries be registered as biobased products “Albeit the market for biotoner is in the market. But with experience still very small at this stage, I believe and technology in hand, ICL is set to it will have a bright future,” affirmed with petrotoner, I believe customers will mass produce biotoners with 40% to 50% Tang, “I believe biotoner will be accepted be willing to pay extra. ” biocontent in the very near future. by more and more people as the Low To ensure proper end user pricing, PrintCarbon Consumption and Low Carbon Rite will simplify the distribution channels Life philosophy becomes more popular to avoid the uncontrollable factors and sell Will Customers Pay Extra? One of the primary challenges in worldwide. In addition to benefits for the it directly to them through online stores. marketing is to correctly price products environment, the print quality and page Speaking of pricing strategy, Tang says, and services for end users. This challenge yield of bio-toners are comparable with “The cost of biotoner is normally 20%is magnified for products that are sold OEM toners. In consideration of market 30% more than for traditional toner. But I through various intermediaries. Legal demand, we’ll improve our technology to think the pricing of our products is quite constraints and the structure of most bring down the cost of biotoner, so more competitive. Our biotoner is priced at distribution channels do not allow end users will benefit from it.” around US$10/Kg, whereas others’ are suppliers to exercise control over pricing Will customers buy the several-dollarsUS$25/Kg”. to end users. Pricing is determined by the difference driven by their zealousness resellers. towards environmental protection? Only Biotoner Quality Tang claims the quality of ICL’s Tang Fugen admits that wrong pricing market data will answer this question. biobased toner is the same as OEM toner. of biotoner in the past few years was Suffice it to say, there is no denying that Yet, these products help lower CO2 the major cause that placed this “good the product itself is commendable and emissions and simplify the waste paper stuff” in an awkward situation. He adds, by choosing biotoner, end users can take de-inking process. Also the ICL biotoners “For example, the cost of biotoner filled pride in doing their part to protect our degrade upon exposure to high temperature environment. ■ in the HP388 cartridge was only about www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

38 OEM NEWS Canon: Color Segments Drive Sales Canon released its consolidated financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2013 (3Q2013). The company posted solid growth in the Office Business Unit, with sales totaling ¥493.9 billion (US$5,039 million), a 20.6% YoY increase. The company attributes the growth to the increased demand for color MFD models. Sales of monochrome and color copiers increased 16.8% and 15.8% respectively. Laser printers recorded strong growth in sales volume and MFPs are the driving force in this segment. Consumables posted positive unit sales growth as well. Printers net sales grew 20.8%. Color printer units were up 31% YoY and monochrome

printer units grew 22% YoY. Canon said inkjet market continued to shrink, so a decline in unit sales is reported. But the company said it has improved its market share position in basically all regions. Read more: bit.ly/CanonQ3 ■

Lexmark Reports Continued Growth in MPS Segment Lexmark released its financial results for the 3rd quarter of 2013, reporting revenue at $890 million compared to $919 million in 2012 and net earnings at $29 million. Managed Print Services (MPS) created a record $184 million in revenue, up 18% year-over-year (YoY) compared with 2012. Inkjet represented 9% of the total company revenue, dropping 44% YoY to $84 million. Lexmark commented that Inkjet Exit revenue “is expected to decline as a percentage of total revenue as the trailing inkjet supplies revenue from the remaining installed base of inkjet printers naturally decreases over time.” Perceptive Software revenue reached

$54 million, growing 38% compared to the 3Q2012. Revenue from software and other sectors hit $102 million, up 21% YoY. Hardware revenue was $182 million with an 11% YoY decline, while supplies revenue dropped 4% YoY to $606 million. Read more: bit.ly/LexmarkQ3 ■

Xerox’s 3Q Earnings Remain Flat Xerox’s earnings report for 3Q2013 shows total revenues of $5.3 billion, flat compared with the prior year. Operating margin for 3Q2013 was 9.4%, up by 0.5% year-over-year, and gross margin achieved 31.5%. Revenue from the company’s service business now represents 56% of Xerox’s total earnings, up by 3% with a segment margin of 9.9%. The company’s document technology revenue decreased 4% (5% in constant currency) with a segment margin of 12.1%. Ursula Burns, Xerox Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said, “We Issue45|www.iRecyclingTimes.com

continue to see demand from small and midsize businesses in the United States, and positive trends in the high end of our business.” Read more: bit.ly/XeroxQ3 ■

OEM NEWS HP’s LaserJet Printer Sales Break 200 Million Units HP is celebrating its shipment of the 200 millionth LaserJet printer since 1984, and launched a customer contest commemorating the milestone. The OEM stated it has collected limitededition, commemorative HP LaserJet printers. These products will be displayed at its Customer Experience Centers in Spain, China, Mexico and USA. HP encouraged its customers to take part in the contest, by sharing their personal stories,

images and videos on how HP LaserJet printers have helped their succeed. Read more: bit.ly/hp4533 Watch more:bit.ly/million9601 ■

Konica Minolta, Brother Partner Downunder Brother International announced a brand partnership with Konica Minolta in the New Zealand market. According to the

agreement, Brother NZ will sell Konica Minolta’s European Develop copier brand in the region, and expand its product range to offer printers and copiers suitable for both large and small businesses. Brother is pleased that it can now provide balanced deployment solutions in New Zealand. Brother is one of the few companies that offer such solutions in the region.

Xerox Wins Another Million Dollar Contract Xerox has been awarded a 10 year contract worth $94 million for the onboard document needs of the U.S. Navy’s vessels worldwide. It will help the U.S. Navy with the installation, training and supplies procurement of the multifunction printers (MFPs) and production devices across its fleet. Also, 18 Xerox technicians will provide onboard document management services and support. Xerox noted that the advanced security provided by the company’s office devices is a main contributor to Xerox’s win of this contract. Read more: bit.ly/xerox4507 Read about the army contract p10 ■

Read more: bit.ly/toshiba4536 ■

www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

42 ENVIRONMENT Konica Minolta Achieves Green Milestone Konica Minolta claims it has recycled one million cartridges through its partnerships with Cartridges 4 Planet Ark and Close the Loop, saving over 600 tons of waste from landfill in Australia. Cartridges 4 Planet Ark and Close the Loop recycle all Konica Minolta toner bottles to create innovative, green

products like eWood park benches and raised garden beds. Dr Cooke promotes the partnerships as vitally important to its continuing commitment to deal with business waste. Konica Minolta Australia noted it backs a global eco vision to reduce CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050, adding that 92% of all machines are recycled at the end of their lifetime via Australia’s Sims Recycling e-Waste program. Read more: bit.ly/konica4537 ■

Ricoh Pursues Green Printing Options According to printing industry newsletter ITWeb, Ricoh is practicing how to reduce the environmental impact of printing in its manufacturing plant in Telford, England, and looking to educate its customers. The plant is building its carbon balance printing business unit, said

the statement. "We have analyzed our production processes to detect which areas need focus in terms of CO2 emissions, and use the same methods to encourage our customers to follow suit." explained Craig Lewis, Ricoh's Corporate Printing Business Development Manager for Europe. Ricoh also affirmed there are different teams working on green technology projects in the plant, e.g., the device re-manufacturing division, where old devices, ranging from printers, photocopiers and faxes, are rebuilt and released back into the market. Read more: bit.ly/ricoh4534 ■

Samsung Bags Leadership Award for e-Waste Recycling Samsung has been granted the inaugural eCycling Leadership Award from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) ® for its efforts in recycling e-Waste. The award was presented by CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro during a ceremony at the association’s 2013 Annual Member Meeting held in Los Angeles. The company noted it was the first manufacturer of its kind to work with recycling vendors that meet strict social and environmental requirements. Since its Samsung Recycling Direct program began in 2008, Samsung has Issue45|www.iRecyclingTimes.com

collected and recycled more than 300 million pounds of e-Waste, 92.5 million pounds of which were acquired in 2012. Read more: bit.ly/sumsung4504 ■

REGIONAL NEWS

Europe

Finding a Fit for 3D Printing

José Bustamante <redaccion@consumiblesEmagazine.com>

• Epson Europe Defends IP Rights

Nicola Bullock, Epson's IP Protection Manager in Europe, in an exclusive interview with Consumables e-Magazine, confirmed that Epson has taken several different legal actions in Spain related to the import and distribution of infringing cartridges. He also stated, "Epson takes a proactive position when it comes to defending its brand and IP rights as well as its customers."

From left to right: Andrew Gardner, Lexmark; Vincent van Dijk, ETIRA Breda; Gerhard Van Klaveren, Van Klaveren CCC; Simon Grimes, Static Control, Dr. Aydan Bekirov, RechargEast and RechargRussia Magazines

• R3 Conference Held in Prague, Czech Republic

The first ever gathering of companies active in printer cartridge Recycling, Refill and Remanufacturing –R3 Conference and Mini-Expo, took place in Prague, Czech Republic on October 21-22, 2013. The event was organized by RechargEast and RechargRussia Magazines. According to the organizer, the event attracted 400+ visitors from 34 countries and exhibitors from 12. During these 2 days, top leaders and key industry figures discussed the challenges, shaped main trends and outlined the future of the cartridge remanufacturing market. Representatives from OEMs, empties’ collectors, rechargers and remanufactures and the industry associations provided their views and opinions on the matter.

LATIN AMERICA

Ivan Rosales <Ivan.Rosales@irecyclingtimes.com>

• Rogue Rechargers Use New Hoax to Sell Counterfeits

According to our resources, unscrupulous rechargers in Mexico are using a new hoax to cheat their customers. These counterfeiters collect inferior empty cartridges—in most cases clones and counterfeits—then refill and sell them as brand new cartridges. Normally, they use the same empties collected from their customers. In some cases, they make identical ones. This malpractice is further damaging the reputation of the aftermarket industry in Mexico since such toner cartridges would end up failing after a few prints. An angry customer being cheated

said, "The quality of clones and counterfeit cartridges can hardly compete with remanufactured cartridges. Now imagine what would happen if they are recharged. They will surely fail". Recycling Times’ Regional Representative in Mexico, Mr. Ivan Rosales, condemns this behavior. He stressed that the industry should be safeguarded by remanufactured cartridges which guarantee quality and no violation of OEM patents.

AUSTRALIA

Maurice Aiken <MauriceA@keytek.com.au>

• Toshiba’s New Multifunction Printer Reduces Paper Usage

Toshiba Australia has released a new multifunction printer (MFP), the e-studio 306LP, that can print on normal office paper up to five times on the same sheet. It uses a technology with special blue toner that can be erased, so the paper can be reused. It also archives the documents before erasing them, taking the device a step closer to paperless printing. Australia's paper consumption has

dropped 327,000 metric tonnes in three years. The drop in volume is attributed to the widespread rollout and usage of tablet devices, duplex printing and other methods of reducing paper consumption. www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

By Sand Sinclair, Editor, imageSource

<ssinclair@questex.com>

I recently ran an article in imageSource on 3-D printing that certainly was interesting as well as provocative. InfoTrends’ Director of Channel Strategy Service, David Ramos, provided in depth information both researched and through an interview with the VP of 3D Systems Corporation, a leader in this technology. I learned from Ramos that “Additive Manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing as it most commonly referred to, is a process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model. 3D printing technology is used for both prototyping and distributed manufacturing with applications in architecture, construction (AEC), industrial design, automotive, aerospace, military, engineering, civil engineering, dental and medical industries, biotech (human tissue replacement), fashion/ textiles, footwear, jewelry, eyewear, education, geographic information systems, food, and many other fields.” I also heard that Melba Kurman, coauthor with Hod Lipson of "Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing," told ABC News that she thinks there's no reason why in five years a man couldn't walk into, say, Brooks Brothers, get scanned by a computer, and then come back in a few hours to pick up a bespoke 3D-printed suit. "But that's not pushing the limits," she says of 3D printing technology, which already is being used to make everything from shower heads to key chains. She envisions a near-term future where 3D printers will make possible a marriage of fabric and intelligence. "Imagine printing a textile of some kind," she says, "and dropping in a very fine thread of connective metal— perhaps an embedded printed circuit of some kind. The result would be a smart fabric. You could walk out of Brooks Brothers with a conductive suit carrying tiny electronic components." Okay, take it a step further. The suit could warn you if your heart rate rises higher than what your doctor recommends. Or it could translate a real-time weather report to tell you it's about to rain, and that you should unfurl your umbrella. In addition, researchers tracking this technology are very bullish with projections to be $3 billion by 2016, while the industry is currently a $2.2 billion market, and that its revenues will reach $10.8 billion by 2021. As Ramos aptly put it, “Let’s ask ourselves this: how would the independent (office) channel capitalize on this emerging technology, associated growth potential in the market, and make money in the process? And what is the business model? Now that we see the possibilities, isn’t it time to investigate and find the opportunities in 3-D printing (for our industry)?” I agree. The time is now.

IN MEMORIAM

USA

Bernie Drouillard Sales Engineer at Schoon

A Salute to Ed Swartz Art Diamond, Senior Consulting Editor As CEO of Static Control Components, Ed Swartz set the gold standard for fair competition between OEMs and legitimate aftermarket players in the cartridge remanufacturing industry. He was a brilliant, gifted engineer and a shrewd businessman. He had the innovative skills to design around OEM patents and the legendary courage to challenge and often defeat them in court. Yet, in all of its promotional materials, publications and advertisements, SCC urged its customers to honor and respect Hewlett-Packard, in particular, not only for their efforts to provide consumers with the best digital printers and copiers the world had ever seen, but also for HP’s distinguished reputation as a fair player willing to share the market. He clearly saw that HP’s vast population of copiers, printers and multifunction devices provided a solid foundation for remanufacturers worldwide. He also recognized that rechargers, at the end of the day, by giving the end user a choice of replacement cartridges—new or remanufactured—would ultimately benefit the OEMs. After many years, HP finally acknowledged this fact when on October 16, 2013 during Recycling Times’ Conference@2013 at the Holiday Inn

in Zhuhai, China issued a White Paper recognizing SCC as a model of compliance in designing their smart chips to signal the end user that a non-OEM cartridge was being installed in the HP imaging device. Those of us following this act recognized, along with Ed, in the final hours of his life, that his dream had been realized. HP’s White Paper officially ratified, if not endorsed, the existence of the entire cartridge recharging aftermarket. Thankfully, his reward, the official recognition of our industry, came not a moment too soon. Thus, it was with long sought satisfaction that Ed Swartz passed peacefully and with well-earned contentment into the Great Beyond, carrying with him this rare gift of appreciation from HP. For all he has done to build this great industry and to finally have it recognized, if not endorsed, we salute a rare champion. Ed Swartz’s legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of OEMs and aftermarket Players alike. The strong technical, legal, marketing and managerial team he assembled and trained at Static Control embodies his passion for success. That strength and purpose will continue to drive the company and the industry forward for many years to come.

Static Control’s Eulogy Ed Swartz was a true entrepreneur, starting a recycling business in Sanford when he was in his 20s. In the 1970s, he sold his business and retired, but retirement didn’t suit him in the least. In 1986, Ed came out of retirement and founded Static Control Components, Inc. Static Control first began manufacturing static shielding products in Ed’s basement, assembling products on his ping pong table. His sons Michael and Bill joined the business in 1987 and 1989, respectively. In 1989, Static Control branched out into providing other products, including those used by the toner cartridge remanufacturing industry. The toner cartridge remanufacturing business at the time was in its infancy. Ed recognized that this new industry needed quality manufactured products if it were to continue to thrive and grow. Over time, Static Control grew into the largest manufacturer of aftermarket imaging systems. Today Static Control manufactures virtually all the components needed to remanufacture a high quality toner or ink cartridge, from the toner to complex electronic circuits. Ed’s vertical integration approach meant that products were designed, engineered and manufactured in-house to ensure the highest quality products for customers around the world. Ed knew the importance of a talented team and early on assembled great talent in many disciplines, from engineering to sales and beyond, in order to continue to advance the cartridge remanufacturing industry. Ed was diagnosed with cancer in 2012. He had earlier turned over day-to-day management of the business to others but remained vitally interested in Static Control and the industry as a whole until his passing. Ed died on November 4, 2013.

www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

It's hard to find words to express what Ed’s company meant to me in the early days of our industry. I was always focused on quality, and with matched components from Static Control, I was able to achieve an honest and true low failure rate. Ed, thank you for your contribution that has intertwined with my career over the past 22 years in the Industry. To Ed’s family: I am sorry for your loss. India

Lalit Kumar Rakhecha Former Founder and MD at Softline Sales Corporation

Ed Swartz showed a light to us we followed him. His company created some of the best products which made enabled us to compete with OEMs in quality and quantity. His love and contribution to the industry is unmatched. We will definitely miss him. His demise is a great loss to the remanufacturing industry worldwide. India’s remanufacturers lost one of its best friends, and I lost a mentor from whom I learned so very much. China

David Gibbons Director of Recycling Times

Ed has always been a giant of a man, in his football days, as well as in the imaging industry. He can stand proud for the work he has done to pioneer work around solutions, and his preparedness to go into battle as a champion for remanufacturers around the globe. Today we salute you Ed. You have passed on a huge legacy to the imaging industry as a whole. Thank you. Canada

Jim Marshall President / Owner at IMSinkspot

My sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of the late Ed Swartz, a courageous pioneer and visionary of the industry, a gracious and generous individual. He will be missed by the people whose lives he touched and enriched. South Africa

Briana Scott Leonora Systems (Pty) Ltd.

As a customer of Static Control Components, it is with deep regret to learn of the death of Mr. Ed Swartz. Heartfelt condolences to his family on behalf of Leonora Systems (Pty) Ltd. South Africa

Jorge Ospina Manager, Vantek Technology

Condolences to his family. We will miss a great entrepreneur and generous man. UK

Eddie Caldow Founder at GC Enterprises

Truly sad. A pioneer and legend of the remanufacturing industry, my thoughts go out to his family.

Watch more: bit.ly/memorium94

48 TECH ZONE

All models come equipped with HP’s ePrintTM and Apple’s AirPrintTM mobile print technologies. The cartridges for these machines are similar to the older HP-M5025. New replacement end caps to convert an HP-M5025 cartridge to the M712 are now available. Some minor cartridge modifications are needed, but it’s all fairly simple. Separate instructions for the conversion are available. Read more: bit.ly/ZsufQF ■

LOOKING FOR STEP-BY-STEP GUIDES FOR CARTRIDGES? Mike Josiah's popular toner cartridge procedures will be available soon online as a library of more than 400 cartridge models. This service will be provided exclusively to Recycling Times Media readers by UniNet Imaging: www.uninetimaging.com

Issue45|www.iRecyclingTimes.com

TECH ZONE

Mike Josiah Remanufacturing the HP Enterprise 700 M712 Toner Cartridge The HP Enterprise 700 M712 series of printers are based on a 1200dpi, 40ppm wide format Canon engine. This series replaces the LaserJet M5025 series. As with all the new HP cartridges, these cartridges use a chip to monitor toner low functions. The cartridges available for the M712 are the CF-214A and X The M712 series of printers use an 800 MHz processor and the most basic unit has 512Mb of memory. The entire series has a monthly duty cycle of up to 100,000 pages per month. All models come equipped with HP’s ePrintTM and Apple’s AirPrintTM mobile print technologies. The cartridges for these machines are similar to the older HP-M5025. New replacement end caps to convert an HP-M5025 cartridge to the M712 are now available. Some minor cartridge modiſcations are needed, but it’s all fairly simple. Separate instructions for the conversion are available. The CF-214A is rated for 10,000 pages and has a list price of $164.99* The CF=214X is rated for 17,500 pages and has a list price of $181.99* Figures A and B show the differences between the A and X cartridges. Note that the supply hopper on the X is larger. Because of this, you cannot convert an A cartridge to an X. Figures C, D and E show the top side differences between the HP-5200, M5025 and M712 cartridges. *Pricing as of January 2013. So far the M712 series consists of the following printers: HP Enterprise 700 M712, M712dn, M712xh and the Enterprise 700 M725 Figure 1 shows the pull tab for the seal. This tab prevents the cartridge from being installed unless the seal has been pulled (Unless the tab has been separated from the seal of course). Figure 1A shows a new cartridge as received. As with the M5025 cartridges, they have eliminated all the screws that hold the

supply hopper end caps on. They are now held on by plastic rivets. This is not too much of a problem, but it is a bit of a pain. Printing test pages and some simple cartridge troubleshooting is covered at the end of the article. Also covered will be how to convert an HP-5200 and (separately) an HP M5025 into an M712 cartridge. This will be at the very end of the article. It has been a while since the theory of a normal monochrome HP cartridge has been covered. So we have included it here. There is really nothing new here, but it can be used as a refresher course. The toner cartridge printing process is best explained as a series of steps or stages. Figure 2 shows the various cartridge parts as they relate to each other, and Figure 3 shows a block diagram of the entire printing process. In the ſrst stage, the Primary Charge roller (PCR) places a uniform negative DC Bias voltage on the OPC drum surface. The amount of the negative DC Bias placed on the drum is controlled by the printer’s intensity setting. This process is called conditioning. See Figure 4 In the second stage, the laser beam is ſred onto a rotating mirror (scanner). As the mirror rotates, the beam reƀects into a set of focusing lens. The beam then strikes the OPC’s surface, leaving a latent electrostatic image on the drum. See Figures 5 & 6 The third stage or developing stage is where the toner image is developed on the drum by the supply chamber, which contains the toner particles. The toner is held to the magnetic roller sleeve by the stationary magnet inside the sleeve, and a DC bias voltage supplied by the high voltage power supply. This DC bias voltage is controlled by the printer’s intensity setting, and causes either more or less toner to be attracted to the drum. This in turn will either increase or decrease

Figures A

Figures B

Figures C

Figures D

Figures E

www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

5 QUESTIONS

on the move, obituaries, special achievements

Brand Building Is Essential Mito Color Imaging, having been acquired by Dinglong Chemical, has become one of the hottest topics in the print consumables industry this year. What is your comment on this? Dinglong is the only listed chemical company in this industry that produces chemical toner and Mito is a dedicated color toner cartridge remanufacturer. I think it’s vital for Mito to cooperate with an upstream company. Meanwhile, such movement is essential given that we want to become bigger and stronger in the capital market. It’s also a great brand building initiative as more and more people are cognizant of our industry and Mito. I think this acquisition is an example of how print consumables companies can get better through acquisition.

The industry has been drawn into a price war for a few years, what do you think of such phenomenon? Every year, Mito visits some key customers globally, who have mentioned many times the quality issues in China, saying “Chinese products, though cheap but not in high quality, will be better sold if quality is improved.” Indeed, Made-in-China has brought large fortune to our nation, so has the expansion of economic scale, but our investment in brand building, quality improvement and new product development is far from sufficient. If we allow the price war to continue, everyone will be a loser in the market. Since quality is the pursuit of customers, we should go all out to meet such a demand. Mito, after cooperating with Dinglong, will

PEOPLE Lifetime Award Given

concentrate more on brand building and try to differentiate ourselves from our competition. I believe, if we pay more attention to quality, price will not go down, instead, it will go up.

Mito has been positioning itself as a color toner cartridge remanufacturer ever since its establishment. Has that positioning changed? As our company grows, especially after cooperating with Dinglong, we’re gaining more recognition from the industry. Some customers have expressed their wishes that they want us to branch out to monochrome cartridges. So, to meet such demand, Mito will expand the range of remanufactured monochrome cartridges in 2014, in which process we will maintain the same high quality philosophy as we do with our color cartridges. A company should make adjustments in different stages if the market requires, including expanding product lines.

What is the status of remanufactured products in China? We still need to promote remanufactured products among customers, including government agencies, enterprises and individual end users, and let them know they have a choice, an alternative to OEM products, but at a lower price. Such promotion is not sufficiently emphasized in the Chinese market. In some developed countries, remanufactured products are the preference in government purchasing. I’m glad to see the Chinese government has released new print consumables purchasing regulations, putting aftermarket products as the primary option instead of OEM offerings. It’s a good opportunity for the aftermarket.

How is Mito’s performance in overseas markets? What’s your plan in 2014? In 2014, we plan to build our own brand in the Chinese market. As overseas markets are concerned, we will mainly cooperate with business partners to develop better products and explore the markets together. This is our kind of differentiation.

Mary Ouyang, Managing Director of Mito Color Imaging （www.mito.com.cn） www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

The Cannata Report has proclaimed an industry Lifetime Achievement Award on Kirk Yoshida—a former chairman and CEO of Ricoh—during its 28th Annual Awards and Charities Dinner. Yoshida worked with Ricoh between between 1973 and 2012.

Four-time Winner Konica Minolta’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Rick Taylor—who joined the company in 2008—has been named "Executive of the Year" by The Cannata Report. Taylor previously worked as President and CEO of Toshiba America Business Solutions and has received the same award three times.

Laser Printer Guru Snapped Up Andrew Knight—who has worked at Ontrak Services and The Green Printer Company—has joined Costa Copy as its new Operations Manager. With his strong laser printer industry experience, he will be responsible for managing the engineers and technicians who provide printer repairs, maintenance and installations.

One-in-a-100 Roland C. Smith—who has worked as a president and chief executive officer at both public and private companies, and sat on numerous boards—has been appointed Chairman and CEO of the global office product provider, Office Depot. He was selected from more than 100 candidates in a rigorous process to find the best leader.

Industry Born of Image Chester Carlson, an American physicist, inventor, and patent attorney, and born in Seattle, Washington, is being honored by Xerox for creating the first xerographic image 75 years ago. Xerox said this humble invention would eventually lead to the formation of the company and the birth of an industry.

MONEY FROM HOME

Art Diamond A Path to World Peace Keep in mind that your arch competitor is not an enemy, but in its success becomes a consumer, a market for your own products and services Recently, I heard one of our industry icons rail against our trading partners and world competitors in the Asia Pacific region. I could not help feeling that others of our number share the same disdain, fear and distaste for the growing competition from the East. In this brief column, I’m motivated to set the record straight on at least two levels: fair competition and the power of human interaction. My basic premise is that world trade is a sure path to world peace. Yes, competition can be fierce, aggravating and perhaps frustrating, yet we all admit that competition is good. It’s good for the consumer, good for every player, and good for the industry as a whole. Let me insert one overriding caveat: I’m talking about fair competition, that is, decent pay, safe working conditions, health benefits, etc., on both sides of the pond. Competition promotes innovation and advances in every discipline: science, engineering, medicine, etc. World trade stimulates growth among nations and leads to prosperity within those organizations serving international markets. With a healthy exchange of goods and services, of natural resources and food crops, countries can flourish, and in the process, strengthen

their economy and build a happy and healthy middle class. Keep in mind that your arch competitor is not an enemy, but in its success becomes a consumer, a market for your own products and services. Learning to deal with a foreign entity teaches you much about their culture, their capabilities, the beauty of the land they inhabit and the pleasures of their exotic cuisine. By the growing association, understanding and friendship, tourism expands as an income generating business, and foreign investment often follows in its wake. In the end, our lives are enriched. A good example is the planned acquisition of Smithfield Foods, Inc., the world’s largest pork producer and processor, by a Chinese company. Based in Smithfield, Virginia, the company’s shareholders have approved the offer from Hong Kong-based Shuanghui International Holdings, Ltd. of $34 per share, or $4.72 billion in cash. This deal, valued at about $7.1 billion, will be the largest takeover of a U.S. enterprise by a Chinese company. And as China continues to accumulate significant assets in America, trade between the two nations will increase. Workers from both companies will exchange ideas and

develop a better understanding of each other’s culture, ethics and personal values. Trade, travel and tourism will increase as American and Chinese managers work together to build a prosperous future for Smithfield Foods. Most important is the fact that serious food safety concerns exist in China at this time and it is believed that Smithfield can help Shuanghui resolve these problems. Ideally, the change in ownership will serve as a model for additional acquisitions and mergers on both sides of the Pacific. And the synergy that develops between the partners will benefit the company, its customers, and the two nations involved. How could my colleagues ignore the outstanding examples set in distant lands by so many American companies, such as, Apple Computer, Black & Decker, Caterpillar, General Motors, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Walmart, Walt Disney Company, on and on? These businesses are not only providing unique products to enrich the lives of those living across the sea, but they are creating jobs and careers at home and abroad as well. Over time, with the parties joined in achieving a common goal, I believe the spirit of peace and solidarity will take root and ensure a lasting relationship. With this strong foundation built on friendship and economic benefits, the chance of an armed conflict developing between two nations becomes remote. That premise applies to every nation in every region of a world growing more interactive, increasingly linked by advances in telecommunications, transportation and trade. ■ Art Diamond, a 58-year veteran of the imaging industry, is known globally as a consulting chemical engineer with 15 U.S. patents, author of the “Handbook of Imaging Materials,” CEO of Diamond Research Corporation, organizer of ImagExpo trade shows in the USA, Europe and Australia, and since 1984, the Santa Barbara Toner Seminar. <drc@west.net> www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

PATENTLY SPEAKING

Ed O'Connor At Last, A Glimmer of Hope on the Horizon We will simply have to wait to see how this plays out, but we are extremely hopeful that by the time we enter 2014, we will at least have one court determining that Jazz Photo is no longer the law I recently gave a presentation in Rome to European re-manufacturers who sold their products into the United States. None of them were aware of the Jazz Photo ruling and all were extremely disconcerted to hear of it. (The Jazz Photo case in significantly undermined the first sale extinguishment of patent rights doctrine.) They were particularly disconcerted because they purchased empties from all around the world, primarily from Europe, Japan and China, and then sold the refurbished cartridges into the United States. They were shocked to discover that they were probably infringing, or at least that they would be unable to prove that they were not infringing. I’m presently representing Impressions Products, in a case in Ohio, where it has been sued by Lexmark. I have filed a motion to dismiss that case, as it relates to remanufactured products, first sold outside the United States, on the basis of a recent US Supreme Court copyright decision*. In a recent conversation, the Court indicated it would be rendering its decision shortly. We are extremely hopeful that the Court will determine that the US Supreme Court's recent copyright decision will have effectively overturned the Jazz Photo ruling. The precise legal significance of such a ruling would be limited. In order for the decision to be a national mandate, it would have to be affirmed by the Federal Circuit in Washington DC, which would handle any appeals from the decision.

As a practical matter, however, this could have a significant impact on the desire of OEMs wanting to pursue remanufacturers. We will simply have to wait to see how this plays out, but we are extremely hopeful that by the time we enter 2014, we will at least have one court determining that Jazz Photo is no longer the law. In that same case, Lexmark has raised, once again, the specter of its prebate program. Under that program, those who purchase prebate labeled cartridges are prohibited from refilling or refurbishing, or having others refill or refurbish those cartridges. Lexmark raised this issue in its opposition to my motion to dismiss, based on Jazz Photo being overturned by the United States Supreme Court. As a result, I filed a second motion to dismiss, directed at the prebate program. I relied in large part on a decision by a federal court in Kentucky which determined the prebate program was unenforceable under US patent law. That is the latest decision

on the prebate program. I am hopeful that the District Court in Cincinnati will be persuaded to follow the lead of the District Court in Kentucky. There is an irony in Lexmark raising the prebate program at this time. Lexmark offers no altruistic reasons for its prebate program. It distinguishes between prebate cartridges which are less expensive and identical to non-prebate cartridges which are more expensive. The issue which is tacitly raised by Lexmark’s program is whether or not Lexmark’s program is essentially an attempt to monopolize a product by inappropriate use of the patent laws. The irony is that Lexmark's assertion of its prebate program might, and I emphasize might, result in Lexmark's straightforward patent infringement case evolving into an antitrust case. Once again, we expect that determination to be made before the end of the year. While there may be other developments on the horizon, in my opinion these are the two most significant issues which are presently being litigated, and whose determinations could have a major impact on this industry. Read more on: bit.ly/patently45 ■ * The United States Supreme Court, in a recent copyright case, determined that whether a product is first sold in the United States or overseas is of no significance in terms of the extinguishment of rights in the product being sold. While the case dealt specifically with copyright rights, the reasoning is equally applicable to patent rights, or any other property rights.

Edward O’Connor, chair of The Eclipse Group's litigation department, has represented clients before the United States Supreme Court and the International Trade Commission and has won patent infringement and antitrust cases throughout the United States. He will speak again in Zhuhai on October 16, 2013. <efo@eclipsegrp.com> www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue45

KEEPING UP

Steve Weedon

Page Wars PAGE WARS will be won by companies that can support it all—copier, laser, mono and color, inkjet, MFP’s, wide format printers, fax machines, label printers, and probably, 3D printers—under an MPS program There is a war going on. Be assured, there will be casualties. It’s all about the survival of the strongest MPS (Management Print Services) player. Losers will be those companies involved in the imaging industry who have not yet embraced MPS, or who recognize the latest industry buzz words, but only give it lip service. There are many of them. What we call MPS today, is nothing more than a sophisticated hybrid of the “cost per copy plans of the 80’s for the copier industry. Yes they are much more comprehensive and backed by the latest technology. However, when you boil it down, it does exactly the same thing. It locks in the revenues from each page printed, whether produced on a copier, a laser printer or an inkjet printer. When the first mass-produced digital printers came along in 1984, (HP LaserJet) they were sold at high prices ($3,500) and a good margin was made on the printer

sale as well as the continuing sales of the cartridge consumables. However, as competition became fierce with more OEM players offering printers, the printer selling prices tumbled to a point where printers are at giveaway prices. Now the OEM business model has changed from making margins on the printer and cartridges, to margins only on cartridges—the razor blade model. The OEM’s of course do not win all the cartridge business on their branded printers. The cloned cartridges and the remanufactured cartridges have eroded their profitable business. Most OEM’s have retaliated by targeting the clone makers, but the legal actions have affected the genuine cartridge remanufacturer also. The OEMs know each change to their business model is a one-way street, and there’s no turning back—they can’t start charging high prices for printers, so everything rests on the profits derived from selling the cartridge. MPS was first muted in 2008 and has gathered huge momentum. OEM’s, dealers, distributors, retailers, cartridge remanufacturers and supplies companies are all rushing out with their own MPS programs. It’s the answer to everyone’s problem, because it ring-fences your printer base, making the customer untouchable by the competition. OEM’s are not just concentrating on large customers. Small customers are much more profitable per page, adding up to big

profits. HP, for example, recently launched their INSTANT INK monthly subscription plan, that delivers ink cartridges before you run out, for as low as 50 pages per month at $2.99. That's almost $0.06 per page. MPS locks in printed page profits for the contracted period. That is why it is a PAGE WAR. It’s not all bad news for remanufacturers. Non OEM MPS providers will want to use high quality remanufactured cartridges, probably with higher than standard page yields to maximize profitability. Some OEM’s may also be open to buying remanufactured cartridges to support printing devices that are not their own brand, but are included in their MPS contract. MPS will morph into ever-more sophisticated programs, and may even change its name to something else. Whatever, it will be designed to lock-in the printed page profit, and lock out the competition. MPS affects the entire imaging industry, copier, laser, inkjet, OEM’s, copier dealers, retailers, parts suppliers, cartridge remanufacturers … and even the clone cartridge makers. PAGE WARS will be won by companies that can support it all—copier, laser, mono and color, inkjet, MFP’s, wide format printers, fax machines, label printers, and probably, 3D printers—under an MPS program. It provides a solution by saving customers money—30% or more —and giving them more control on their printing budgets. It also solves the OEM’s problem of lost business to the aftermarket, providing it can get to it customer base before another MPS provider does. That’s why it works so well. ■ For 40 years, Steve Weedon has been a senior manager at Nashua, Katun Corp, Kalle Infotec, Gestetner and Static Control. He started the Recycler Trade Magazine in 1992. He is a Brit, living in America, with a parts supply business based in Hong Kong. <steve@discoverimaging.com> www.iRecyclingTimes.com|Issue44

56 THE LISTS Research What do you consider to be the key issues affecting remanufacturers during 2013?

Top 10 bargain-basement printers (Great deals for under $200)

According to James Hutchinson at Good Gear Guide (formerly PC World Australia)

1. HP Officejet J4580 All-in-One, Price: $159 2. Brother MFC-250C, Price: $149 3. Epson Stylus TX200, Price: $99 4. Canon PIXMA MP480, Price: $99 5. Epson Stylus TX300F, Price: $149

1. Diminishing cartridge sales have forced remanufacturers to look for other related businesses such as e-waste collections; 44% 2. Manufacturers of clones will have to look for other markets following the expected granting of the general exclusion order to Canon by the U.S. International Trade Commission; 19% 3. Remanufacturing has become tougher and more expensive as a result of intellectual property and legal fights brought on by the OEMs; 13% 4. Successful raids on illegal printer cartridge counterfeiters will help clean out unscrupulous remanufacturers and businesses; 13% 5. Business mergers have made some larger remanufacturers stronger, making it tougher for smaller and medium sized businesses to compete; 6% 6. Global economic recovery is gradually creating a better business environment for remanufacturers. 6%

6. Canon PIXMA MP210, Price: $89 7. HP Photosmart C4580, Price: $179 8. Brother HL-2140, Price: $149 9. HP Photosmart D5460, Price: $119 10. Canon PIXMA MP540, Price: $179 (Source: http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/ slideshow/297341/top_10_bargain-basement_printers_ great_deals_under_200/?image=1)

Top 5 Printer, Copier and MFP OEM Market Share in India for 2Q2013 According to Gartner

1. HP 51.6% 2. Canon 23.7% 3. Epson 8.7% 4. Samsung Electronics 7.7% 5. Others 8.3% (Source: http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2619516)

BERTO

InBox Letters and blogs from readers

• OEMs haven’t filed many lawsuits as regards to aftermarket chips for toner cartridges, but many warning letters have been sent out. I predict chip patents will be the next emphasis in OEM’s legal battles. Yuexia Xia, Seine General Counsel • My staff informed me with great plesure about your Zhuai Show. It was more than excellent as we have got many wonderful contacts during your exhibitiom. I would like to express my thanks to you and your whole team for giving us such an opportunity to express ourselves to our potential customers. I look forward to having your booth plan for 2014 whenever it’s ready, we will be your regular exhibitor from now on. Ali Örgücü, IPM’s Managing Director • I would like to express again our good impression on the RemaxAsia Expo. This year, the show becomes more international and the interest to our products from the Chinese companies has grown. So we are confident with our connections to the companies in China to enlarge the number of our customers there. I hope we can have a good place for our booth in your new exhibition venue on RemaxAsia Expo 2014. Tania Hagemann, Integral GmbH • It was the first time we attended RemaxAsia Expo. It was a great experience as we found excellent business opportunities. In our region, recycling as a sustainable concept is still in development which means a great opportunity for our company. Javier Gonzalez, Toner Solution

Next Month’s Poll Question Will there be significant increase in the use of inkjet printers in office?

Go online to vote:irecyclingtimes.com

DID YOU KNOW? Approximately 1.3 billion inkjet cartridges are used around the world annually and less than 30% are currently being recycled. Berto reminds readers that RemaxAsia Expo invests in top security. See more on p9 Issue45|www.iRecyclingTimes.com