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Laser Imaging International
Laser Imaging International is representative of a
unique individual’s journey to the United States that turned out to be
what is so often referred to as "Fulfilling the American Dream."
In 1990, upon completing his service in the Israeli army, Eyal Alkoby
visited the United States and decided that this was
where he wanted to live. Determined
to make a life for himself in this country, he worked in several areas
including construction and the carpet cleaning industries before he found
a position in a local laser imaging company in California. Recognizing
that this was where his talents were best applied, Eyal was confident that
the way to achieve his goals was to start his own company.
After humble beginnings, his new business, Laser
Imaging International, experienced rapid growth due to Eyal’s insight as
to where he would find the greatest opportunity. In the beginning, he
focused on the international market, which was generating approximately 85
percent of the company’s business. However, in 1994, noting the
opportunities in the domestic remanufacturing market, Eyal decided to
change the company’s focus to becoming a full-service solution provider.
Laser Imaging International merged with its Imaging
Division, which until then was a separate and distinct entity, in 1998
and, in so doing, enhanced its product line extensively. The result was a
company boasting one of the most diverse product lines in the industry.
With offices worldwide, they maintain two California facilities to
minimize any down time or loss of shipments in the event of emergencies,
such as earthquakes, ensuring their customers will still be able to get
their orders filled in a timely manner.
When touring the Laser Imaging International
facilities, one is almost certain to notice that the eleven key managers
and supervisors are in constant contact with each other via handheld
communicators. If an issue arises that needs to be attended to, it happens
on the spot. "Everyone I need to speak to has one of these,"
said Eyal.
Laser Imaging International boasts a team of highly
trained employees and managers. The Laser Imaging International employees
call Oren Mizrahie, CFO, "the human calculator". Miguel Silva,
vice president of operations, earned a degree in electrical engineering.
Shay Akoka, general manager of Perfect Ink (Laser Imaging’s ink jet
division), served in the Israeli army and was studying to be a firefighter
before he came to the U.S., when he joined the team four years ago. Pykes
De Leon, o perations
manager,
was a math, engineering and commerce professor in the Philippines before
joining the company. Heidi Froelich, vice president, rose through the
ranks holding such positions as office manager and sales
manager before being promoted to her
current position. Leanne Hutchings was a customer before her talents were
noted and she was hired as marketing manager. Candice
Simons, sales manager brings with her fifteen years of sales and marketing
management experience. Last but
certainly not least on the list is Debbie Fernandez, product manager, who
has ten years of industry experience and has released many of the programs prevalent in
the industry today, including private labeling, sub-assembly
kits and imaging kits. Debbie
conducts training on a weekly basis and gives "pop quizzes" to
staff members to ensure everyone is up to speed.
Laser Imaging International goes to great lengths to be
a full-service solution for its customers, as is demonstrated by the
company’s offering of one of the most diverse product lines in the
industry, which includes everything from stand-alone components to
sub-assembly kits, to ink jet and toner cartridges. Additionally, they
offer a comprehensive imaging line as well as a diverse array of ancillary
components. The company also offers its popular HPY "happy" line
which yields 20 percent more toner per cartridge and delivers a higher
page yield than OEM cartridges. Customized labels are available for all
orders, regardless of quantity, offering three packaging options.
Packaging is available in a two-color box option, two four-color box
options, and a multiple item option. A discount is offered for customers
who take advantage of the company’s 5-pack program.
Quality Control and being at the forefront of the
industry are paramount at Laser Imaging International, enabling them to
offer a 100% guarantee on all of their products. The company’s
commitment to quality is evident in the incredibly sanitary production
department, where f ifteen
production lines are busy remanufacturing all of Laser Imaging
International’s laser cartridges in-house. After assembly, each
cartridge goes through a rigorous, four-point testing procedure consisting
of (1) pre-inspection of vendor components, (2) line audit inspection, (3)
in-process cartridge inspection, and (4) finished goods audit to ensure
the highest possible quality product is being produced.
Ensuring they meet top quality standards, all
cartridges are fully inspected. During the subsequent remanufacturing
process, quality control technicians and production personnel continuously
perform product audits on the entire facility daily, focusing on the
assembly lines and recording problems as they see them. Problems and
concerns are communicated to production managers and passed on to members
of the production line. At morning meetings, production managers discuss
these issues and develop ideas for improvement.
Should a cartridge be returned, it is subjected to a
complete inspection and the problems are tracked in the company’s
database so that manufacturing defects and trends can be analyzed. When
Laser Imaging International’s team notices a trend in component failure,
the company discontinues use of that component.
The company offers same-day shipping of imaging
components and same-day or next day shipping on most toner cartridge
orders. When there is a rush order, a communications computer in the
warehouse alerts the staff. In addition, all orders can be tracked online
and all items can be blind drop-shipped directly to customers.
Eyal’s vision and pursuit to be his customer’s
full-service solution has helped him rapidly expand his product line.
Since the company’s beginning in 1992, they have found it necessary to
move to bigger facilities, to accommodate their growth, six times.
Currently, the California, Mexico, Chile, and Israel facilities total
105,000 square feet. It is notable that in the Chatsworth facility alone,
Laser Imaging International Group remanufactures over 80,000 laser units
per month consisting of more than 300 different types of laser cartridges
and 30,000 ink jet cartridges. Eyal is constantly striving to develop new
ways to grow his company, focusing on the company’s future and the
future of remanufacturing. Eyal maintains that the future of the company
relies on more implementation of automated technologies and because of
this, Laser Imaging International spends a tremendous amount on facility
automation.
The result is that Laser Imaging International is a state-of-the-art
facility. "The technology is pivotal to helping the company create
innovative products and solutions," said Eyal. Coupling this with
their co-development projects with ISO-certified vendors, including U.S.
Fuji Electric, Kuroki,
and Coates Reprographics, Laser Imaging is certain to achieve its goal of
being the first to market for many of its high quality products.
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