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solutions
Like other MFP manufacturers,
Toshiba is addressing declining
hardware sales by positioning itself
as a single source supplier capable of
providing fully integrated solutions
for major vertical industries, such
as Hospitality, Retail, Transport/
Logistics, Education, Legal and
Healthcare.
In April, to mark the convergence of
its retail and printing businesses, Toshiba
held an event at Mercedes Benz World,
Weybridge to promote the solutions it
already offers and to highlight product
innovations in printing and other
technology areas, notably digital signage.
As well as promoting its own products,
Toshiba TEC T360 gave Toshiba an
opportunity to highlight relationships it
has with third parties. These range from
software providers like PaperCut, to its
sponsorship of the Commonwealth Games
in Glasgow 2014, for which it is providing
a 200 MFP managed print service, and its
on-going work with co2balance.
Since launching its Carbon Zero
scheme in 2009, Toshiba has continued
to reduce the environmental impact of its
activities, most recently achieving PAS2060
Carbon Neutrality status for its entire UK
operation. At Toshiba TEC T360 it was
inviting dealers to do the same (see page 5
for more details).
Innovation
Toshiba TEC T360 opened with an
Innovation showcase highlighting the
company’s latest products.
The ace up its sleeve was the new
e-STUDIO 306LP erasable copier, due to be
launched in June. This bona fide example
of innovation looks and operates just like
a normal 30 pages per minute MFP, except
for its use of a special blue toner that can
be erased through a combination of heat
and pressure in an accompanying eraser
unit. The e-STUDIO RD30 can be shared
by several MFPs to keep implementation
costs down and can also scan and make a
digital record of documents before erasing
them.
Toshiba says a sheet of paper can
be erased as many as 15 times, but
because a waxy ghost of the original
print remains it recommends people
re-use each sheet a maximum of 5 times.
For the same reason, the e-copier is not
suitable for confidential documents.
What it is good for, says Toshiba, is
the 80% of internal print and copy jobs
that are binned within half an hour of
being produced. Instead of throwing the
paper away, the e-copier lets you re-use it,
saving money on paper and reducing the
environmental impact of printing: 50% of
carbon emissions associated with the print
cycle come from paper.
A potential weakness of the e-STUDIO
306LP is that notes must be written with
an erasable Pilot Frixion pen. Use any other
pen or pencil and the eraser unit won’t
be able to remove the marks and will
automatically send the paper to the locked
recycling tray rather than for re-use.
Other MFP manufacturers have
Toshiba in the round
The highlight of the Toshiba TEC T360 showcase was undoubtedly the
company’s new erasable copier but there was much else to admire.
James Goulding reports
The ace up
its sleeve
was the new
e-STUDIO
206LP
erasable
copier....
explored the concept of erasable paper
but none has gone as far as Toshiba and
brought a complete system to market.
It will be interesting to see what MFP
buyers make of the product: it is certain
to generate a lot of interest for Toshiba
dealers – when Toshiba took a prototype
to News International, Rupert Murdoch got
wind of its arrival and came down to have
a look – but will the paper-savings on offer
trump concerns about compliance, data
security and a higher cost per page?
Whatever happens, it is a great
advertisement for Toshiba innovation and a
valuable calling card for resellers.
Other printers and MFPs singled out
as examples of Toshiba innovation may
not generate quite as much interest,
but the their benefits may be easier to
sell. Highlights include the e-STUDIO
2505, which has a paper bypass tray for
occasional A3 printing and the smallest
footprint of any A3-capable toner device;
and the e-STUDIO 5055, which consumes
60% less power than its predecessor
thanks to the use of LED technology.
Integrated Solutions
Alongside its MFPs, Toshiba was showing
a number of complementary technologies,
primarily displays and digital signage. A new
product area for Toshiba, digital signage
is likely to become more important as the
company works with partners and software
providers to develop fully integrated
solutions. Examples on show included:
n
the Toshiba TEC e-Bridge PODApl:
This print on demand (POD) application
combines a large format display, a printer
and the ability to push material from a
central server to remote locations. Retailers
could use it in-store to allow staff and/or
customers to search for and print banners,
signage, recipes, vouchers, coupons, special
offers etc.;