enx magazine

Jason Miller is the owner of Mac-Laser Technologies. Purchasing this cartridge remanufacturer business in November of 2005, Miller maximized the value of his financial and industry knowledge along with his entrepreneurial spirit. “When I was searching for a business to buy, the remanufacturing industry showed excellent potential for continuing growth. Currently, 30 percent of consumers are purchasing aftermarket products. This means our growth potential is 70 percent. Very few business sectors have such a large opportunity for growth.”

Miller has a background of understanding the financial side of business. While working for IBM, he took part in their executive MBA program. After earning that degree, he worked with a business broker and started investigating business opportunities in upstate New York where he lives with his wife, Julie, and their three children--Lily, John, and Benjamin.

As he researched local business opportunities, Miller came upon Mac-Laser Technologies in Oneonta, N.Y., owned by Jeff Macumber. “It just seemed like a perfect fit,” recalls Miller. “Mac-Laser has an excellent reputation. It was the perfect size for continuing growth. Also, Mac-Laser had an excellent manufacturing facility located within driving distance of our home. It had a loyal customer base, and it was staffed by a group of highly trained workers who understood the importance of consistent high-quality manufacturing, attention to detail, and superior customer service.”

The remanufacturing industry is moving away from mom-and-pop management. The industry is on a definite growth mode. Mac-Laser is positioned to be small enough to sustain a steady growth pattern, yet large enough, when managed properly, to attract a larger entity into future purchase. After six months of research and negotiation, Miller was ready to make a commitment. In November of 2005, Miller became the new owner and CEO of Mac-Laser Technologies.

“Our initial goal was to keep doing things similarly to what Mac-Laser had done in the past. Mac-Laser had a history of quality products and quality staff. Our goal was to grow on this base of excellence. We retained all 26 of Mac-Laser's employees and have since added additional workers.” says Miller. As part of his executive team, Miller enlisted his long-time friend Kevin Harlost to be his vice president. “We have an agreement with Jeff Macumber to continue with us for the first year to make sure the transition is seamless,” explains Miller.

“Our goal is sustained growth,” states Miller. “We did some remodeling of the 19,000-square-foot facility that was included with the purchase. The remodeling enabled us to gear up for additional manufacturing and storage capacity. Before we started additional marketing, we wanted to make sure that the manufacturing side of the business was ready to go. We made sure that the back end of the business was ready for increased production. Currently, Mac-Laser is prepared to be able to double the size and scope of our manufacturing and shipping capabilities. As our client base grows, [we] will be able to handle new products and customers with ease.”

Currently, Mac-Laser is able to provide over 300 types of compatible toner cartridges. In addition to the standard Hewlett-Packard products that most remanufacturers sell, Mac-Laser offers a depth of other products including Dell, Canon, IBM, Lexmark, Brother, Epson, Panasonic, Sharp, and Samsung. Mac-Laser stocks compatible toner cartridges for the products that its wholesale customers want. It offers both monochrome and color laser-compatible toner cartridges. Additionally, the company produces remanufactured laser printer fuser assemblies.

Mac-Laser sells several universal laser cartridges that can fit in multiple machines. “We offer a universal solution for the HP 38A, 39A, 42A, and 42X. We can provide both a 12,000 and 20,000 print universal cartridge, which saves you and your customer money, shelf space, and ordering redundancy. Universal cartridges are offered for HP, Brother, and Lexmark, providing one cartridge that fits several printers. Our goal is to provide the wholesaler with a better-than-OEM performance and page yield at a value-added price,” Miller states with a sense of pride.

Miller explains, “From a manufacturing point of view, we have four workgroups that have separate cells for different manufacturing environments. Our warehouse facility has room to expand to three additional manufacturing cells. Mac-Laser is ready for additional growth. We normally stock 50 to 100 units of our most popular cartridges. Our manufacturing capacity and separate workgroups allow us to be extremely flexible and highly efficient.”

Mac-Laser has strict quality control procedures, including three separate rounds of quality control on every cartridge run. Each cell has a supervisor who does immediate inspection. A separate quality control team visually inspects the manufacturing line constantly. This is followed up with a re-examination and test prints on every run.

Mac-Laser provides a written guarantee that's available to every customer, including a “no questions asked” return policy. The customer service staff follows up with customers to make sure that any future problem is addressed. For example, if a drum has an early failure rate, service personnel follow up and make sure that any other cartridges that used that drum will be recalled and replaced.

Mac-Laser sells only to the wholesale community. The Mac-Laser name never appears on any of the products the company sells. A generically labeled box with a picture of the toner cartridge reads “compatible toner cartridge.” Mac-Laser can custom label the cartridge box with the wholesaler’s name, address, and reorder information or provide an attractive nonspecific carton. Additionally, customers have the option of using the standard box or an attractive four-color glossy box. Currently, about 50 percent of Mac-Laser’s wholesale customers use the private-label option, and the other 50 percent use the standard box.

Many wholesalers, who manufacture many of their own products, use Mac-Laser products to allow them to offer a fuller product line. Rather than turning a customer away because they don't make a specific product, Mac-Laser becomes their extended factory. It’s an easy and economical way for the smaller manufacturer to instantly extend the scope of the products it can sell.

Resellers, who have no manufacturing capabilities, have immediate access to the full line of Mac-Laser’s 300+ products. No minimum quantity purchase is required. Cartridges can be purchased with or without empties exchange. Mac-Laser offers blind drop-shipping including third-party labeling. New customers are always welcome. It’s as easy as making a telephone call. Same-day shipping is available for first-time buyers with a credit card. Upon credit approval, terms ranging from net 10 to 45 days can be offered. Whether you need one cartridge or 500 per week, Mac-Laser is your one-stop cartridge remanufacturer.

Special orders and custom labeling can usually be handled with a two-day lead-time. Mac-Laser’s Website, www.maclasertechnologies.com, provides product information. Because the company sells to the wholesale market only, there are no prices on its Internet site. This protects the wholesaler from its customers accidentally being able to obtain confidential pricing.

“Our ultimate goal is to grow your business. We understand the more you sell, the more we can manufacture. Our business mission is mutual trust and mutual growth. Once you do business with Mac-Laser, your customer becomes our concern,” Miller reaffirms. “Once you, the wholesaler place the order with us, you have the Mac-Laser guarantee that we will provide a quality product that is shipped to the correct address in a timely manner. We value the trust you have placed in us.”

Miller is committed to continuing Mac-Laser Technologies’ legacy of manufacturing quality compatible toner cartridges and fuser assemblies. Same-day shipping, attention to detail, outstanding customer service, and a focus on “mutual trust and mutual growth” set Mac-Laser on a path to continuing success.

Mac-Laser Technologies

118 Winney Hill Road

Oneonta NY 13820

phone: 800/525-3594

fax: 607/433-0686

maclaser@stny.rr.com

www.maclasertechnologies.com

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