Compu-Imaging
By Jamie Hamilton
Compu-Imaging
Inc. has always strived to be the “company behind the company.”
Selling through co-manufacturers and distributors has enabled the
firm to build a reputation as a quality organization and build
market share through word-of-mouth advertising, while selling
specialty items has enhanced the products their customers offer
customers.
In recognition
of the need for brand awareness, the company has developed a strong
marketing and packaging campaign to mirror its product quality. This
includes the introduction of the “High Performance” packaging
design. The magic of this program is that it provides all the
marketing tools to customers to allow them to offer a “name brand”
without giving away the company who makes the product. In turn,
clients build brand recognition and loyalty from their customers
that rely on quality products.
Compu-Imaging maintains a low
profile, selling only to re-sellers. However, it continually seeks
to establish distribution channels through strategic alliances and
advertising in numerous trade publications. Focusing on quality,
service, and loyalty since its inception in 1981, Compu-Imaging has
established itself as a leader in the industry.
Even with its
low-profile mentality, Compu-Imaging’s growth has been explosive.
With an increase in sales by over 50% annually for the last four
years, it now distributes over 1,000 SKUs into over 20 countries
throughout the Americas and Caribbean. Additionally, it maintains a
diversified product line to prevent geographic market trends from
adversely affecting its regional sales.
“One value-added
feature we bring to our customers, and a strength that has allowed
us to remain balanced, is that our product line is layered,” says
Craig von Teuber, president of Compu-Imaging. We can manufacture to
order, supply training, components and raw materials to
co-manufacturers, and distribute finished products from
pre-qualified outsource partners that lead in quality.”
Although von
Teuber takes great pride in the continued growth and expansion of
Compu-Imaging, he shares the credit with many influential people. “I
learned the value of establishing joint ventures from my father, who
initiated this practice long before 99% of the companies that
currently outsource in the U.S.,” he says.
The other main
contributor to Compu-Imaging’s success is customer service. “We
answer the phone without a machine, take orders by phone, get quotes
out within 24 hours, deliver when we say we will and thank people
for their business. It sounds corny, but it’s what a customer should
expect,” proclaims Nilda Che, head of customer service. Adds von
Teuber: “Nilda runs the show in customer service and I get at least
one call a week from customers who want to hire her. Sorry, but we
love her and she ain’t leaving!”
Anthony von
Teuber, Craig’s father, is not only one of the original financiers
of Compu-Imaging but also the founder of Performance Plus Imaging in
California. Performance Plus also manufactures and distributes
imaging supplies under the “High Performance” brand.
The combined
resources of the two companies are a huge benefit to their
customers. By providing distribution points on the east and west
coasts, they can guarantee three-day delivery anywhere in the
continental U.S. Currently, the two companies between them maintain
over 57,000 square feet to house a comprehensive line of consumables
for copiers, fax machines, ink-jet printers, laser printers, dot
matrix printers, P.O.S. equipment and many more supplies.
Additionally, Performance Plus is a recognized leader in empty
cassettes for dot matrix ribbons, serving co-manufacturers
(including many OEMs) since 1973.
“I’m extremely
grateful for the groundwork my dad laid for me and, indirectly, for
many other companies in the U.S. who did not have the foresight to
look overseas for suppliers,” von Teuber says. “Fifteen years ago
there were almost no companies in the U.S. importing from China.
And, there were few companies in China selling into the U.S. Today,
there are hundreds of companies in China, and U.S. companies have
many options. What makes us different is that we’ve established the
relationships and have developed quality products together with the
leading companies in China. We’re not looking for the flavor of the
week in selecting our vendors, like many U.S. companies that allow
price alone to dictate their buying strategies.”
One of the
critical factors that differentiate both companies from getting lost
in the pack is diversification. Today, both Compu-Imaging and
Performance Plus stay diversified by continuing to manufacture in
the U.S. and also by importing from Asia, Mexico, and South America.
By being able to manufacture and distribute from multiple shipping
points, they are also able to deliver on a timely basis in
consistent packaging. “How often have you heard a company say, ‘That
item is back ordered,’ or ‘We’re waiting for our container’?’” von
Teuber asks. “We greatly reduce this from occurring by offering
various options from multiple shipping points.”
These visions of
where the market is headed and the importance of maintaining
international alliances remain Compu-Imaging’s greatest pursuits.
They have inspired Compu-Imaging to establish partnerships to
develop new technologies.
“We’ve conducted
extensive market research to identify the criteria that will
influence future consumer buying trends,” says Denisse Handal, Compu-Imaging’s
marketing director. “The typical office environment will require a
high-resolution, full-color graphics printer with a low price tag
and a high page output. This means color laser.”
These new
partnerships propel Compu-Imaging into the forefront of the color
laser market. “We challenge any other company in the U.S. to compete
with our color laser quality,” said von Teuber. “We are proud to
disclose that chemical color toner developed by Static Control is
one of the keys to our success.”
Another
contributing factor to the recent growth that also relates to
technology is its new software acquisition. Richard “Ric” Stone,
Compu-Imaging’s operations manager, has been with the company for
the past year. “Ric’s been a huge asset to us,” von Tueber says with
pride. “Ric’s background in software, distribution, and inventory
management enabled us to take our company to the next level. We’ve
made huge strides in becoming a recognized leader in the Southeast.
We can now offer our customers conveniences and services that
parallel companies with sales exceeding $50 million—and we’re not
far behind.”
Furthermore,
this vision has also prompted the company to make considerably
increased investment into China to develop its “World Line” toner
cartridges. Manufactured under joint venture with a certified ISO
9001/14001 manufacturer, “World Line” toner cartridges are available
for the top-selling printers in the U.S. “We’ve always been known
for our refusal to compromise our product quality to meet price
demands by keeping our margins skinny,” Stone says. “And now with
our ‘World Line’ toner cartridges, we are offering unbelievable
quality at prices below what we can offer for our U.S.-made toners.”
Compu-Imaging is
aiming to keep its sights on the future by continuing to support the
recharging industry. The company takes pride in its memberships with
various organizations that promote fair-market competition and
facilitate recycling. They also make a point to encourage industry
professionals to take responsibility and educate their customers
about industry trends, such as being misled by “cheap” prices for
new printers.
“It’s no mystery
what the game is and how the OEMs make their money—it’s
consumables,” von Teuber says. “Go to any office supply store and
price out the printer versus the supply. Expect to pay anywhere from
a quarter to three-quarters the original machine cost for a full
replacement set of the supplies.
“We need to
differentiate between the OEMs that recognize the role the
rechargers play by allowing us to compete fairly,” he says, “and
those that engineer their products to limit the consumers’ options.
Additionally, we need to band together to increase our market share
and continue to better the products that are currently available.”
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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