PRINT
IT
RESELLER.UK
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Rob Wood and Paul Anderson set up
International Copiers 22 years ago,
with a target of £2 million turnover
within the first three years. They
achieved this on schedule and have
enjoyed steady year-on-year growth
ever since. Today, their company
has 45 employees, 75,000 sq. ft.
of warehouse space and an annual
turnover of more than £10 million.
Before establishing International
Copiers, the two directors had worked in
the print industry for a number of years,
Wood on the dealer side and Anderson
with a leading manufacturer. From their
different perspectives, they both recognised
that there was a problem with the way used
copiers were disposed of and the potential
to make money by doing things differently.
“Back then there was a huge problem
getting rid of old copiers. Every time we
sold a new device, we’d end up with a
used machine and these were clogging up
the warehouse,” explained Wood. “Whilst
it’s fair to say that many of the five-year-
old ones were unserviceable, there were
lots of models that had not reached
end-of-life and were in good working order
that we ended up selling for peanuts.”
Any make or model
The duo set up in business together with
the intention of reselling used devices
more profitably. Today, International
Copiers sources used devices from OEMs,
dealers and leasing companies, taking any
model of device, from desktop printers
to production presses, and all brands,
although Ricoh, KYOCERA, Xerox, Toshiba,
Canon and Konica Minolta are the ones it
deals with most.
It also sources used devices directly
from end users via another part of the
business, webuyanycopier.com. “We picked
up 100 used devices from a local council
the other day. They were delighted to free
up the space and receive payment for
machines that were simply gathering dust
in the basement,” said Wood.
Tailor-made
The company’s fleet of Mercedes vans and
trucks is on the road every day collecting
machines, bringing them back to head
office and delivering quality used devices
to International Copiers’ large customer
base among UK dealerships. “We also use
a number of specialist transport companies
who deliver to us,” added Wood.
Once a batch of used machines has
been received and sorted – International
Copiers carries 8,000 copiers at any time
– its twelve-strong team of manufacturer-
trained engineers gets to work.
From its £4 million purpose-designed HQ in Reading, International Copiers processes
around 40,000 used printers and copiers every year
A new lease of life
“We test and repair all of the devices,
ensuring we only deliver machines of the
very highest quality,” said Wood. “Carrying
such a large stock allows us to configure
any device with a selection of peripherals
and options and tailor-make to most
customer requirements. This extends from
small office printers to some of the largest
and latest production printers available.”
Overseas sales
In addition to domestic sales, International
Copiers has a thriving export business,
especially for older and less feature-rich
devices.
“We initially started buying up old
devices and selling the better quality ones
to dealers, which is a really important part
of our business, generating some
£4 million in revenue. In the early days,
we shifted around 40% of the copiers we
bought through the channel, but that still
left us with a lot of less popular and older
models in stock,” explained Wood.
“Paul took charge of handling this and
set up an export side, which very quickly
took off. Today, a large proportion of the
devices we handle each year are exported
around the globe.”
High standards
International Copiers operates to strict
quality standards. It has had ISO 14001
accreditation for over 12 years; provides
a secure data wipe service for customers,
including manufacturers; and doesn’t sub-
contract any of its warehouse operations.
Copiers are professionally packed and
prepared so they are ready to ship by the
container load – “Just to give you an idea
of scale, in a typical day we can pack and
ship up to four containers,” said Wood.
Special packing methods are used both
to protect goods in transit, so that they
arrive at their final destination in the same
condition that they left the warehouse, and
to optimise space so that the maximum
number of machines is included per load.
Two custom-made self-levelling docks
ensure the safe loading of equipment.
“The majority of our customers are
long-standing and we don’t want to lose
them,” explained Wood. “We have grown
the business by forging strong, long-lasting
relationships. We look after our customers
and pride ourselves on delivering the
highest quality at the lowest price possible.”
Carrying such
a large stock
allows us to
configure any
device with a
selection of
peripherals
and options
and tailor-
make to most
customer
requirements
COMPANY PROFILE
