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Original equipment manufacturers approve of Laser Technologies’ product quality—and so should you. Laser Technologies was recognized early by the OEMs for consistent quality: Narrowing down a nationwide list of manufacturers that could help them get out the numbers they needed, one OEM came up with a list of five. Then the list was narrowed down to three… and then to one—Laser Technologies.

“…And that’s how we got chosen as a manufacturing partner,” says Bob Tury, sales manager at Laser Technologies.

“We began as a small business, but based on the quality of our compatible products we started getting noticed by the OEMs,” Tury says. “Today we’ve grown substantially from OEMs, and into the recharger and dealer markets.”

Today, Laser Technologies occupies a 100,000 sq. ft. facility in Exton, Pa., and has just opened a new production facility in Mexico, bringing its total production capacity to over 100,000 cartridges per month. The focus of production is always quality. And with a segment of customers as OEMs, Laser Technologies has some of the most stringent quality control procedures and requirements in the industry.

“I want to make it very clear,” says Thomas Spicker, Laser Technologies’ director of sales and marketing, “that when we talk about levels of quality, Laser Technologies is producing some of the highest quality compatible cartridges available. By principle, we apply the same processes used when remanufacturing for OEMs to the production reserved for all of our other customers.”

“Dealers need the security of knowing that they are buying a cartridge which will fulfill their expectations of the number of prints made,” he adds. “We understand that cost-per-page is a very important selling point to a large percentage of our customer base, which is why we do rigorous testing to ensure that the cartridges we manufacture meet life expectancies.”

And, while quality control and high quality standards are of the utmost importance when offering supplies to end-users, many dealers may be missing out on supply sales altogether. Remaining focused on the cost-per-page bottom line, dealers may provide better service and value adds to end-users. But what dealers sometimes overlook is that there is more opportunity for supply sales than on just the machine you came to service.

“The dealer has a great opportunity to partner with a company like Laser Technologies, to capture this part of the market as well. He already has the account by selling a cost-per-page service to the end-user in the form of a multi-functional machine. But, a lot of the laser printers or fax machines are in the same end-user account. A service technician is already there, why should somebody else, or the superstores, be providing the supplies for those additional machines?” said Spicker. “We can help the dealer improve his bottom line with the introduction of compatible supplies.”

When selling color supplies, dealers look for more than just quality—they are interested in consistency. The key to producing quality products with the consistency that Laser Technologies’ customers demand is having a quality-focused staff of industry experienced professionals at the helm of production output. While Laser Technologies prides itself on upholding ISO 9001:2000 quality management system certification and STMC testing compliance, experience itself is the major contributor to its success.

At the helm, Laser Technologies’ daily operations are maintained by president Bill Kopatich, who has been in the imaging and computer supplies industries for 25 years. Peter Rohrmayer, senior engineer, and Jeff Burroughs, production and process engineering manager, are key fixtures—not only at Laser Technologies, but also in the industry itself.

Rohrmayer, with a chemical background, has over 14 years experience in the industry. Burroughs, in his tenth year at Laser Technologies, conducts a seamless operation of restoring cartridges to render top-quality performance. But it’s the company’s whole R&D, production and quality teams that make it possible for Laser Technologies to be first to market with a top-quality product solution.

Extensive product research, development and planning go into every new product. In manufacturing, all worn cartridge parts are replaced with high-level, new components. Laser Technologies uses only virgin cores and installs new OPCs, first-tier wiper blades, and new or recoated PCRs.

But more importantly, Laser Technologies uses the highest quality, true polymerized (chemical) toner. “ Chemical toner creates vibrancy and consistency of color and page yield for each cartridge. This is why we only use the best quality chemical toners in our color laser products,” Spicker says.

While production is a large facet of the Laser Technologies’ facility, they have also dedicated an extensive section to warehousing dealer inventory. “Some dealers prefer for us to house their inventory,” said Spicker “So, we have a warehouse that currently serves our dealer’s stocking programs.”

An on-time fill rate of 97% provides dealers the quick turn-around time necessary to distribute their products to their customers’ sites direct from Laser Technologies’ shelves. The cut-off time for receiving same-day ship priority is 4:30 p.m. EST; express shipments of next-day and 2nd-day deadlines are scheduled at 5 p.m.

Customer Quick Info: there is no minimum order requirement at Laser Technologies; quantity price breaks are available; and blind drop-ships are welcome.

Private label blind drop-ships are made easy by Laser Technologies’ marketing assistance programs. While its own branded product line, “Image Life,” is available to resellers, Laser Technologies also has a number of custom packaging options available. Customers can choose to have products shipped in a generic box; a box with a private custom label detailing their own information; or, Laser Technologies’ graphic designers will help create your own packaging line that will enhance your image in the marketplace. Custom marketing support materials such as catalogs and brochures, product spec sheets, sales training presentations, and educational materials for end-users are all available through Laser Technologies’ marketing department.

Marketing is important to build alliances and an industry understanding about product needs. But product education is just as important. This is why Laser Technologies creates a “Product Launch Packet” (PLP) for every new product they release. The PLP includes tech specs on the cartridge, the history of the machine, as well as data on how many machines are in the market. Cost-per-page calculations for each product and print samples complete the PLP.

“It helps us internally as well as externally,” Spicker says. “Internally, all of our employees are educated about the product line and industry demands; externally, our customers can clearly see the benefits of offering the product. Our sales, marketing and customer service staff is dedicated to creating and maintaining a true partnership with each customer. We are positioned to help our dealers grow their compatible supplies business.”

While educational materials show industry demand on a national level, high-quality marketing and packaging materials give customers here in the U.S. assurance that the quality inside the box will match what is on the carton. Laser Technologies recently began to discover that the same goes for international markets as well. “This past year is the first year that we have really focused on Latin America, and we have had some great success there,” says Tury.

While Laser Technologies is looking forward to more market expansion, they see the future in color. “Everything points to the industry going toward color,” Tury adds. “And we want to continue to position ourselves as a strategic alliance partner for high-quality color in the marketplace.”

Laser Technologies has released premium compatible HP 4600 and HP 2500/2550, and looks forward to its upcoming HP 5500, HP 3500 and HP 3700 color cartridge releases in August. Laser Technologies also offers premium compatible drum unit cartridges for copier machines.

Contact Laser Technologies:

800-229-9756

www.lasertechnologies.com

by Jamie Hamilton— in addition to writing business profiles in ENX, Jamie writes and designs ads, brochures, catalogs, newsletters, and technical manuals for companies in the imaging industry. She can be contacted at: Tel/ Fax 502-896-1051 or e-mail her at: jamiewriter@hotmail.com.

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