The Recycler Issue 307

www.therecycler.com Issue 307 l JUNE 2018 l £10 

STMC accreditation – 

staying legal 

Over the last few years, The Recycler has seen or heard of a number of 

companies without STMC certification advertising that they have the 

accreditation. In this feature, we’ll explore the testing process. Starts page 4 

An interview 

with IMEX 

Sponsored Feature. 

Starts page 24 

The Recycler Live 

Budapest 2018 

Budapest 

Your conference guide 

inside. Starts Page 26 

INSIDE: 

Memjet and Canon unite p12 

The companies have entered 

into a cross-license agreement 

Ninestar invests 

p14 

The Chinese company has 

announced a major investment 

in laser printer manufacturing 

OEM FINANCIALS 

p20 

Some OEMs have released 

their latest financial results 

ECS EXPANDS 

p32 

ECS has recently published a 

blog and hires new team member 

DEMONISATION OF PLASTICS p33 

Rob Bishop explores if plastics 

deserves the negative name it is 

getting lately

EDITORIAL 

A soap opera 

You could not have written a daytime TV 

soap opera script any better than the way 

the Xerox debacle is unfolding. Hardly a 

day goes by without some new legal 

challenge in this handbags at dawn fight 

for control over the future of Xerox. I am 

not sure who will win, but one thing is 

for sure every twist and turn is 

diminishing the Xerox brand value like a 

soap opera saga. 

As we went to press Xerox issued a 

press release to say the spat was over and 

talks were going to happen with Fuji 

Xerox, but don't hold your breath 

because it could all change even before 

the ink is dry on the magazine. The 

result of these shenanigans will be that 

everyone loses and the Xerox brand is 

probably tarnished beyond repair. 

Single-use plastics 

The latest Canon 337 actions prompted 

Clover to launch a campaign focusing on 

the benefits of remanufacturing and 

then widened the focus to include the 

ever increasing contamination of our 

oceans. It at such a point that plastics are 

now entering the food chain. The 

remanufacturing community has been 

the leader in promoting the 

environmental benefits of remanufacturing. 

Starting to tackle the singleuse 

issue now really does put 

remanufacturing centre stage in the 

whole sustainability circle and would be 

a significant feature of choosing 

remanufactured products. 

It starts with ensuring all your plastic 

waste is treated and recycled. That you 

only buy plastics that are suitable for 

recycling and you eliminate unnecessary 

single-use plastics from your process. 

Simple steps, but each one is part of a 

giant lad for saving our oceans. 

Niche lives on 

Niche is right it seems. More and more 

companies are looking to niche product 

streams to grow their business as the 

market for alternative HP and Canon 

small diameter cartridges becomes more 

like a price fight or race to the bottom. So 

it is good to see that ink specialist Robert 

Grafton has launched a remanufactured 

alternative for the HP Designjet T series 

and the Canon PFi-1700 series printers. 

Niche products never give you the 

volume of mainstream HP and Canon 

products will, but they can indeed deliver 

margins we haven't seen in a long time. 

That is of course unless you join the 

price fight race to the bottom. 

R&D 

The success of every successful product 

is built on a foundation of solid IP 

research, technical and manufacturing 

expertise and solid research and 

development. It wasn't that long ago that 

it might take two or three years to bring 

a new cartridge to market after the OEM 

had launched it. Today that is different, 

and as soon as a new printer comes out, 

there is are often parts and consumables 

options available in weeks. The sticking 

point is the ever increasing use of chips, 

which can take months, years 

sometimes, to reverse engineer and 

design, test and manufacture viable 

aftermarket solutions. Then, almost 

overnight a firmware upgrade can lock 

out your product. These lockouts 

invariably mean your customer has lost 

the value in the cartridges they purchase 

and may well be driven to buying an 

OEM product, and the aftermarket loses 

another customer. 

Stefanie Unland Managing Editor 

Collaboration 

Look at the products and technology 

pages in this magazine, there are lots of 

new products, so it is clear that 

innovation is alive and well, but can we 

collaborate to develop a printer driver 

that would work around OEM drivers 

and firmware? 

MPS 6.9 percent 

The MPS market is reported to be 

growing at 6.9 percent a year. Are you 

still sat on the sidelines unsure if MPS is 

for you? MPS has to be part of your 

business offering, and it is easier than 

you think to develop MPS as a sales 

channel for your business, irrespective 

of your size. Just don't keep sitting on 

the bench while your customers change. 

Budapest 

By the time you get your copy of The 

Recycler, The Recycler Live summer 

conference will be just a few weeks away. 

This year's destination is Budapest, 

Hungary, a historic and fantastic city sat on 

either side of the Danube river. The office 

imaging market in Hungary is, in some 

respects, bucking the European trend and 

while challenging has an active 

aftermarket and remanufacturing sector. 

Come and join us and find out where the 

industry is and what it's doing about the 

issues we all face. 

R 

THE RECYCLER • ISSUE 307 • JUNE 2018 

3

FEATURE 

STMC accreditation – staying legal 

Over the last few years, The Recycler has seen or heard of a number of companies without STMC certification 

advertising that they have the accreditation. In this feature, we’ll explore the testing process, the reasons for 

being certified, and how you should follow the rules. 

What STMC is 

The Standardised Test Methods 

Committee (STMC) is the remanufacturing 

industry’s longest continuous 

effort to maintain standardised testing, 

and was formed in 1998. Previously, 

the late Lester Cornelius, who had been 

Chairman of the STMC, told The 

Recycler: “Back then, most companies 

had their own way of testing. The 

industry was a large, disorganised 

rabble when it came to quality control. 

That was true for vendors and 

remanufacturers alike. Yield tests were 

done with hundreds of different test 

targets and you could not reliably 

compare one company to the next. 

“We have come a long way from that 

today. It is a badge of honour to be 

STMC certified and the same is true for 

STMC trainers. They take pride in what 

they are doing for the industry. The 

industry owes a debt of gratitude to the 

STMC trainers and the companies they 

work for. Without the support of those 

companies this effort would have failed 

long ago. It took vision to see that the 

STMC had great potential.” 

On the STMC’s website – hosted by US 

association the International Imaging 

Technology Council (I-ITC), it refers to 

itself that the global committee “formed 

to find and promote standardised test 

methods for the printer cartridge 

industry”, with test methods “used to 

evaluate toner printer cartridge 

performance”, as “standardised test 

methods make it possible to evaluate a 

cartridge anywhere and come up with 

the same test results no matter who 

tests it”, and “ do not specify how a 

cartridge must perform; they only 

measure it”. 

Companies certified by STMC have 

“had their employees successfully 

trained by an authorised trainer in 

these test methods”, can attest “to using 

these test methods”, and have 

“purchased the correct test 

equipment”, while authorised trainers 

having “taken a training session by the 

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) 

and have passed a written exam with a 

score of 80 percent or higher”. 

The trainer will “send a letter stating 

that the company employee(s) have 

successfully completed the training and 

also has proven they have the test 

equipment”, and the I-IITC site 

“maintains a list of certified 

companies”. In turn, trainers “have a 

certificate that is good for two years that 

is signed by the STMC, RIT, and the Int’l 

ITC”, and “it is an honour to be one of 

these trainers”, while “the industry 

owes these trainers and their companies 

a debt of gratitude”. 

The trainers “volunteer their time to 

train other companies and this is done 

without regard for competition”, and 

“they are not paid, but they can be 

reimbursed for expenses”. 

Getting certification and the 

equipment needed 

The STMC added that getting 

certification was “easy as 1, 2, 3”, 

beginning with the need to “get 

trained” and “contact a certified trainer 

to set up the training”, and to “be 

equipped” before the trainer arrives. 

This involves needing to “acquire the 

test methods and read them, and make 

sure that you have the necessary 

training equipment”, with a full list of 

methods and equipment needed able to 

be found on the STMC site. 

After “your trainer has showed you 

the proper use of the equipment and 

test methods, he will send a report to 

the STMC committee chairmen that 

attests to your training and ownership 

of the correct testing equipment”, so 

that the company can “get certified”, 

and they will “also instruct you to 

undertake a test on your own and send 

the results to the STMC”. 

The results “will be evaluated for 

correct test procedures”, and “upon 

approval of all of these items, the I-ITC 

will issue a certificate to your company 

that it is proficient in the use of the test 

methods”. Once you receive 

certification, “you will also receive 

instructions on how to receive your logo 

and registration number”, and “must 

submit in writing that you agree to use 

the test methods routinely and that you 

agree to use the logo properly”. 

The cost of initial certification is 

$1,000 (€843), while recertification is 

taken every two years, and costs the 

same amount. The testing meanwhile 

requires a lot of equipment, with those 

interested needing to “email a request 

for pricing of required equipment”, or 

visit “the organisation’s websites for 

purchasing required documentation”. 

“Required” documentation includes: 

ASTM F1856-98 Standard Practice for 

Determining Toner Usage for Printer 

Cartridges; and ASTM F 2036 Standard 

Test Method for Evaluation of Larger 

Area Density and Background on 

Electrophotographic Printers. Also 

needed was ISTA 1A Packaged- 

Products weighing 150 lb (68 kg) or 

less, while “basic requirements” if 

“shipping product” included “fixed 

displacement vibration and shock 

testing”. 

In terms of required equipment, the 

STMC lists: a balance or scale capable of 

reading four kg with a resolution of 

0.1g; class four traceable 2kg specified 

in owner’s manual of balance scale; a 

densitometer capable of reading three 

decimal places; a certified black mat or 

calibration card/tile; one side calibrated 

black; a thermometer and hygrometer 

for determining temperature and 

humidity; and a printer data system-per 

F 2036. 

Other required equipment included: 

test target generator capable of 

generating five percent page coverage 

for the cartridge to be evaluated, per 

F1856; and backing for densitometer 

readings, with a recommended GCA 

backstop, but any diffuse black backing 

4 THE RECYCLER • ISSUE 307 • JUNE 2018

FEATURE 

with a reflection density of 1.5 +/- 0.2 

is acceptable. 

Limits and restrictions 

Components meanwhile are “not STMC 

certified”, and while “vendors can use 

the test methods in their test cartridges 

and provide the results to potential 

buyers, but that does not make the 

purchaser STMC certified”. Those 

certified “can use that in their 

literature”, and “uncertified companies 

cannot use STMC in their marketing 

literature and packaging without 

breaking copyright laws”. 

On this note, “the STMC will seek to 

stop companies from unlawful use of 

STMC”, and stated that “we must do 

that to maintain the integrity of the 

STMC process”. Additionally, “some 

vendors are stating that they test 

according to ASTM”, or the American 

Society for Testing and Materials, which 

is an “independent organisation of 

volunteers that work under very strict 

rules that force objectivity to write test 

methods”. 

The STMC pointed out that “STMC 

and ASTM are not the same. The 

STMC has accepted several ASTM 

International test methods as well as 

ISO, ISTA, and ANSI test methods”. It 

does use “certain ASTM test methods, 

such as ASTM F 1856 for yield, and 

ASTM F 2036 for image density and 

background”, but “neither of these 

tests is used to evaluate toner, drums, 

PCRs, mag sleeves” or other 

components. 

The test methods are “used to 

evaluate a finished cartridge in 

comparison to another cartridge, 

typically an OEM cartridge”, and while 

“there is certainly value in vendors 

using STMC test methods to evaluate 

their products in cartridges”, that “does 

not mean you will get the same results 

unless you process your cartridges in 

exactly the same way”. 

This includes “cleaning, disassembly, 

reassembly, all of the same 

components, and the same printer”, 

and “vendors are certainly encouraged 

to test their products according to the 

standardised test methods, but 

purchasers should be aware of the 

potential for fraud”, and in turn, the 

STMC is “not a police organisation”, as 

“in general, it relies on the honesty of 

those that use the test methods”. 

Other points on restrictions include 

that “there are state contracts that will 

only be awarded to STMC-certified 

companies”, and “there are even 

private contracts that will only be 

awarded to STMC-certified companies”, 

with lists of “certified companies […] 

placed on the I-l ITC website” to be 

“available to printer cartridge 

purchasers. Its conclusion was that 

“the bottom line is that every printer 

cartridge remanufacturer is 

encouraged to become certified to make 

our industry stronger and more 

quality- and value-conscious”. 

Links 

http://www.i-itc.org/certify.html 

http://www.i-itc.org/equipment.html 

http://www.i-itc.org/instructors.html 

What does STMC certification mean to the industry? 

The Standardized Test Methods Committee (STMC) is the remanufacturing industry’s longest continuous effort 

to maintain standardized testing. The STMC was formed in 1998. It was an ambitious effort. 

Lester Cornelius, STMC Chairman, told 

us “Back then, most companies had 

their own way of testing. The industry 

was a large, disorganized rabble when it 

came to quality control. That was true 

for vendors and remanufacturers alike. 

Yield tests were done with hundreds of 

different test targets and you could not 

reliably compare one company to the 

next. We have come a long way from 

that today. It is a badge of honour to be 

STMC certified and the same is true for 

STMC trainers. They take pride in what 

they are doing for the industry. The 

industry owes a debt of gratitude to the 

STMC trainers and the companies they 

work for. Without the support of those 

companies this effort would have failed 

long ago. It took vision to see that the 

STMC had great potential.” 

So, do STMC holders feel their 

customers are aware of what STMC 

certification is? 

• Do customers choose suppliers 


specifically because of their STMC 

certification? 

• How easy is it to implement and 

maintain STMC certification? 

• Why do people make the decision to 

get STMC certification? 

• What have been the main benefits of 

having STMC certification? 

The Recycler contacted STMC certified 

companies to find out… 

Julio Ayuso, Ecoprint 

Julio Ayuso, CEO of Venezuela-based 

Ecoprint says “In our market STMC 

certification is mostly unknown, even 

among other remanufacturing 

companies. We make an important 

effort to explain the importance of this 

standard in order to get consistent 

quality, when introducing our company 

and product, especially to corporate 

markets”. 

Ecoprint has made a lot of effort to 

educate the market, undertaking 

personal interviews with the IT staff in 

charge of government offices and 

producing printed technical material 

with illustrations. The main aim of this 

was to introduce the standard 

procedures and equipment used with 

STMC and offer comparative results 

showing the OEM in comparison to the 

company’s own product to create a new 

culture in which potential buyers 

evaluate alternative products rather 

than making decisions based solely on 

price. 

And these efforts seem to be paying 

off “our customers feel more 

comfortable purchasing a non-OEM 

product when this is backed by an 

international certification” he says. 

“We are working on the idea of 

teaching government bid commission 

officials to request this standard as a 

way to qualify as supplier.” 

When talking about his company’s 

decision to get STMC certification he 

5

FEATURE 


explains “we wanted our customers to 

have our product compared objectively 

against the OEM, in order to dissipate 

prejudices. We also wanted to separate 

our product from low quality products 

where all components are reused and 

there is no a developing system 

matched”. 

He goes on to explain that 

implementing and maintaining the 

company’s certification has been very 

easy. “First, we were required to 

purchase some equipment and then I 

travelled to the facilities of our main 

supplier for laser cartridges components 

(Static Control Components) in Sanford, 

USA, to be trained on the standard 

procedures. When I got back to our 

plant I passed those skills to my R&D 

personnel and we started to run several 

analyses which were submitted to our 

trainer at SCC, Dr Wyhof. These results 

were evaluated and some corrections 

were done so that we fitted the standard 

requirements strictly”. 

To ensure that standards are 

maintained he says that “we run tests 

on every new model and every time a 

new source of components is 

introduced into our production”. He 

goes on to point out “I consider it is not 

a big deal to implement these standards 

in terms of investment and training; 

however, it is very important for 

improving quality and the perception of 

our industry among potential new 

customers”. 

Anil Kishnani, Insta Impex Pvt Ltd 

Anil Kishnani, of Insta Impex, the first 

Indian company to obtain STMC 

certification says “STMC is fairly a new 

concept for the Indian scenario and we 

feel a good amount of user education 

with regards to STMC and its benefits is 

the need of the hour here. We have tried 

to incorporate STMC as a marketing 

tool with our SOHO as well as corporate 

clients and at the same time have also 

tried to educate them of the benefits. 

Our efforts are beginning to bear fruit as 

is obvious from the repeat business we 

are garnering from our satisfied 

clients”. 

Of the whole STMC certification 

process he says “after our Laser 

Remanufacturing and STMC training 

with Dr Peter Payne and others at Static 

Control, we had a very smooth 

transition from being a novice in Laser 

Remanufacturing to an STMC certified 

laser remanufacturing company with 

the credibility of being the first one in 

India. We have been fortunate thanks to 

Recycler’s seminars in India as well as 

Static’s Indian presence which has 

given us ample scope to have personal 

interface with Peter following our 

training with him, during which we 

were able to iron out any if at all minor 

issues with regards to maintaining our 

STMC standards. We do periodic test 

cycles as per STMC norms which ensure 

that we are providing quality products 

to our clients”. 

Of the company’s decision to get 

STMC certification he tells me “we were 

educated by the Static team about 

STMC certification and its benefits. 

Instinctively but definitely not 

impulsively, we felt that this was a 

concept with a difference. On looking at 

the unorganised state of the 

remanufacturing industry back in 

India, Harish and I felt that by getting 

ourselves STMC certified would 

somehow pave a clear path for this 

sector. And that is precisely what has 

happened. The announcement of 

Insta’s certification at the Mumbai 

Recycler IF conference in November ‘06 

created quite a buzz and a good level of 

curiosity with regards the STMC 

certification and its benefits”. And the 

portents for the industry here are good, 

Kishnani believes that more Indian 

companies are now scheduled to 

undertake STMC certification here. 

He says that “being STMC certified 

has ensured enhanced credibility with 

clients” and that “the interest generated 

in the remanufacturing industry about 

STMC and its benefits at the user level 

and more STMC certification for 

remanufacturers will definitely lead to 

raising the standards of our industry 

here” 

In India, over the counter availability 

of STMC certified remanufactured 

toner cartridges provides a certain 

uniformity to the quality of the product 

as they have been subject to standard 

testing methods. This provides a 

comfort zone to the buyer or user of 

STMC certified products as well as to the 

other remanufacturers in terms of 

comparisons of page yields, print 

densities, etc. between different brands 

of remanufactured cartridges. 

Jim Cerkleski, Chairman, Clover 

Technologies Group 

Jim Cerkleski of Clover Technologies 

explained that Clover’s customer base is 

becoming more sophisticated regarding 

imaging supplies and that they are 

making more demands about what they 

want from a supplier. In this kind of 

market, Cerkleski explains, STMC 

certification is “one more thing that 

makes Clover different”. 

Since obtaining certification, Clover 

has started to make use of the STMC 

logo on its website and on business 

cards and Cerkleski feels that “it’s a 

good marketing tool”. 

When I asked him what it was that 

prompted Clover to get STMC 

certification, he said that the company 

felt that standardised testing was good 

for the industry and that it further 

legitimised the aftermarket. As an ISO 

certified company, it is used to 

implementing procedures and 

standards and so trying for STMC 

certification was a fairly straightforward 

way of adding one further 

string to its bow. 

Jeff Bendix, BENDIX Imaging, Inc. 

Jeff Bendix of USA-based BENDIX 

Imaging, Inc. tells us “most of the 

customers are not aware of what STMC 

is. It is just another acronym to them. 

However, every industry has its 

certification that generally represents a 

certain level of quality, performance, 

stability, etc. So, even though they may 

not understand what STMC is, they do 

recognize that a company has their 

specific industry’s certification. It 

allows us to differentiate ourselves from 

the competition and explain why we are 

a better choice.” 

“The process of implementing and 

maintaining STMC certification is not 

difficult for any company that has 

quality as one of their main focuses” he 

explains. “It does require a financial 

and time commitment, but it is not that 

large as to prevent most smaller 

companies from pursuing certification. 

Once you receive the STMC 

certification, it does not end there. You 

need to keep testing and retesting your 

products. You can not just obtain the 

STMC status and never test your 

cartridges again”. 

On his company’s decision to become 

STMC certified, he said that STMC 

represented “another tool to help us 

ensure the quality of our products and 

to have something more to provide our 

customers than just our word that we 

are giving them something they can 

trust to perform”. 


FEATURE 

In conclusion he says “The STMC 

certification has helped give us the tools 

and resources to increase the quality 

level of our production. We do not have 

the R&D budgets of the large 

outsourcers and need an affordable way 

to obtain accurate information about 

our products, our vendors’ products, 

our production procedures, etc.” 

Mark Valentine, greenOFFICE (Pty) 

Ltd, Durban, South Africa 

Mark Valentine, greenOFFICE says “We 

make our potential customers aware of 

our STMC Certification and show them 

the benefits. STMC has certainly helped 

us get customers on board.” 

He mentions that STMC “took a bit of 

work to implement and get the training 

and the report in order. Since being 

implemented it has been easy to 

maintain”. 

He says that STMC has been very 

useful in helping him know – 

• What yields and print density the 

company is getting from its 

cartridges. 

• Whether the company’s protective 

packaging is acceptable or not. 

• Where the company stands in 

comparison to the OEMs. 

For greenOFFICE, STMC certification 

has been invaluable. Valentine says “We 

strive to produce laser cartridges that 

match the quality of the OEM’s (in 

terms of toner consumption and print 

density). The only way we can do this is 

with the aid of certifications such as 

STMC”. 

Armando Lameirinhas, AMBI- 

RECI,LDA., Porto, Portugal. 

In the June issue of Recycler we 

featured an item about Portuguese 

company AMBI-RECI, who were at 

Remax celebrating the company’s 

recent STMC recognition. We caught up 

with managing partner, Armando 

Lameirinhas to find out more. “The best 

international way to get recognition 

was through STMC Certification” he 

tells us. “In this way we can be in the 

market with a quite different product to 

our competitors. We can also serve 

some clients that just want certified 

companies as their suppliers.” 

“For AMBI-RECI it was very important 

to get this certification for our products. 

We have been talking for some time with 

Dr. Peter Payne from Static Control to see 

the best opportunity to get this 

certification and we took the first 

opportunity he gave to us.” 

The CE mark – make sure you’re legal 

“AMBI-RECI customers already know 

that we have a good quality, that we are 

very exigent in doing our cartridges, in 

selecting the raw materials and also, no 

less important, achieving a good 

finished product, at the first attempt.” 

“When we got the STMC certification, 

it was the recognition of our efforts to 

find the best quality for our products 

and a way to test them according to 

international rules. Concerning the 

new clients, for us it’s a good way to 

open the client’s door to AMBI-RECI 

products.” 

Relative newcomers to STMC 

certification, AMBI-RECI say “It’s easy 

for us to implement, because our team 

realise that with these methods we can 

get a very good product to sell.” 

When asked what he feels have been 

the main benefits of having STMC 

certification he tells me “In our case we 

had a goal; to be the first Portuguese 

company to get this unique 

certification in our area. We got this 

title by working through a stringent 

process that our team finished with 

success, and we are now in fact, the 

first to have this STMC Certification in 

Portugal. And we think that the main 

benefits are still to come as we think 

that quality calls to clients.” 

The confusion between the EU’s CE conformity mark and the Chinese export mark is one that has been 

highlighted many times across multiple industries. In this piece, we examine how to tell the difference and 

what not doing so might do to you as a reseller or customer. 

In his talk at REMCON 2016 about 

new-builds, Connett & Unland’s David 

Connett spoke on new-builds, and 

addressed the CE marks on products, 

which differ slightly but mean very 

different things. On European-made 

products, they stand for EU conformity, 

but a slightly different E on China-made 

products stands for China export. 

This confusion has existed for a 

number of years, with Asia Quality 

Focus analysing it in 2014, and noting 

that “the CE logo of the European Union 

is often modified”, and again pointed 

out that there “are two similar logos, 

one means ‘China Export’. Additionally, 

it noted that “some ‘smart’ labs are 

experts in offering ‘special’ CE 


7

FEATURE 


certifications” in the country, before 

explaining “how to differentiate a real 

and fake CE logo”. 

CE in Europe 

The CE marking in Europe stands for 

“Conformité Européenne” or 

“European Conformity”, Asia Quality 

Focus adding that this means “the 

product meets EU safety, health and 

environmental protection requirements”, 

and that on the European 

Commission website, “all buyers can get 

information on how the process of 

affixing the CE marking on a product 

works”. 

To recognise the correct CE logo for 

the EU, “we should carefully look at: the 

three branches of the letter E - the 

central one should be shorter [and] the 

space between the C and the E […] 

should be quite big”. The EC website 

notes that the letters “appear on many 

products traded on the extended Single 

Market in the European Economic Area 

(EEA)”, and “signify that products sold 

in the EEA have been assessed to meet 

high safety, health, and environmental 

protection requirements”. 

The marking also “supports fair 

competition by holding all companies 

accountable to the same rules”, and “by 

affixing the CE marking to a product, a 

manufacturer declares that the product 

meets all the legal requirements for CE 

marking and can be sold throughout 

the EEA”, applying also to products 

made in other countries that are sold in 

the EEA”. 

From the EC’s perspective, there are 

“two main benefits CE marking brings 

to businesses and consumers within the 

EEA”, with the first that “businesses 

know that products bearing the CE 

marking can be traded in the EEA 

without restrictions”, and the second 

that “consumers enjoy the same level of 

health, safety, and environmental 

protection throughout the entire EEA”. 

It also adds a warning, that “not all 

products must have CE marking”, as “it 

is compulsory only for most of the 

products covered by the New Approach 

Directives”, and it “is forbidden to affix 

CE marking to other products”. 

Businesses should also note “that a CE 

marking does not indicate that a 

product have been approved as safe by 

the EU or by another authority”, and “it 

does not indicate the origin of a product 

either”. 

Manufacturers need to follow six 

steps to “affix a CE marking to your 

product”, with the first to “identify the 

applicable directive(s) and harmonised 

standards”, and the second to “verify 

product specific requirements”. Third is 

to “identify whether an independent 

conformity assessment (by a notified 

body) is necessary”, while fourth is to 

“test the product and check its 

conformity. Fifth is to “draw up and 

keep available the required technical 

documentation”, where as the final step 

is to “affix the CE marking and draw up 

the EU Declaration of Conformity”. 

CE in China 

Another article from back in 2010 also 

addressed the confusion, with Yachting 

and Boating World warning consumers 

not to “get confused” by the “Chinese 

companies printing [the] close replica of 

[the] European standards logo on 

products”. It added that “in recent years 

we’ve all got used to the fact that if a 

product bears the CE mark, it’s safe. 

“The reason for this assumption is 

that goods with CE marking 

demonstrate that they meet relevant 

and strict EU standards. This marking 

brings benefit to all in the supply chain 

and most notably, the consumer”. 

Unfortunately, the “very similar mark” 

fools “the majority of consumers and 

even sellers”, and “it is believed by 

various organisations that this 

similarity is not a chance coincidence 

and that this expresses an aggressive 

approach to sell into the European 

market without the right standards”. 

The China export logo’s letters “are 

sitting very close to each other and bear 

a striking resemblance to the official 

European marking”, with the site 

noting that “this is the one to watch out 

for. It wouldn’t be too difficult to 

mistake it as the genuine Euro standard 

mark. The China Export logo is not 

registered; it does not confirm positive 

test results and is placed by Chinese 

manufacturers arbitrarily”. 

Asia Quality Focus actually points out 

that the existence of the China export 

logo is “wrong”, and that “only one CE 

logo exists”, noting this in a 

“testimonial about the sad reality of [a] 

fake laboratory CE certificate”. The 

testimonial was said to have “surprised 

the AQF team and confirmed some 

fraudulent methods employed by local 

Chinese laboratories”, as “during an 

interview with the technical lab 

director of a renowned, accredited 

Chinese laboratory used by many 

factories, he confirmed the existence of 

a real business around the fake 

laboratory CE certificate”. 

The director was quoted as stating: “It 

is a 100 percent Chinese company, no 

bonus, and not serious work: we do 

almost only fake CE certificates. When 

factories ask for CE certificates for some 

electrical appliances, the lab provides 

them without even seeing the sample! A 

report is made without any pictures but 

with all references related to the 

product to make it look real. 

“Of course the price is much lower 

than with famous labs… these types of 

CE certificates usually cost RMB 9,000 

($1,303/€1,234) or RMB 12,000 

($1,737/€1,645), but we sell for RMB 

3,000 ($434.38/€411.40).” 

Legal implications 

Yacht and Boating World outlined the 

implications of the confusion, first 

noting that for resellers, the site adds 

that “you have a legal responsibility to 

ensure that the goods you sell are 

legally marked. If you are a 

supplier/importer in the UK, the 

penalty for the supply of non-compliant 

products is imprisonment and/or a fine. 

Under the regulations, authorities are 

given the powers to enter premises, test 

products and seize records and 

products. 

“Regulations also give the authorities 

the power to force manufacturers to 

recall or replace faulty product”. In 

turn, for consumers it points out that “if 

you are trying to identify whether your 

goods are CE-marked, you should check 

either the product, manual or ask your 

supplier for documentation. If the logo 

cannot be found or your supplier can’t 

supply you a CE certificate then your 

goods are not compliant and you should 

return them to your supplier for a 

refund”. 

LINKS: 

https://blog.asiaqualityfocus.com/offici 

al-ce-logo-and-fake-laboratory-cecertificate 

http://www.ybw.com/vhf-marineradio-guide/warning-dont-getconfused-between-the-ce-mark-andthe-china-export-mark-4607 

https://ec.europa.eu/growth/singlemarket/ce-marking_en 

R 


In this Issue 

City News 

20: OEMs publish their latest financials 

22: Turbon expands as 2017 sales and margins contract; 

THS expands after Parsia acquisition; CMB goes into 

receivership 

Features 

24: Sponsored Feature: An interview with IMEX 

STMC accreditation – staying legal 

Over the last few years, The Recycler has seen or heard of a 

number of companies without STMC certification advertising 

that they have the accreditation. In this feature, we’ll explore 

the testing process. Starts page 4 

An interview 

with IMEX 

Editorial 

3: A soap opera 

Features 

Sponsored Feature. 

Starts page 24 

4: STMC accreditation – staying legal 

World Focus 

12: Memjet and Canon unite in cross-license agreement; 

China reduces taxes for chipmakers; Static Control 

opens Texan distribution centre 

13: HP MD on taking on the fakes 

14: Ninestar invests in laser printer manufacturing; 

Canon wins hattrick of lawsuits; ARMOR plumbs new 

markets with OWA speaker 

16: Photocopier Consumables embraces circularity; New 

seizure and forfeiture order issued; Dell calls time on 

its printers 

18: EU and Mexico agree new trade deal 

The Recycler Live 

Budapest 2018 

Budapest 

Your conference guide 

inside. Starts Page 26 

27: Recycler Live - Budapest 21-22 June 2018 programme 

Around the industry 

32: ECS publishes blog as Roberts joins team; Downward 

trend; Jail sentence for toner theft 

33: The demonisation of plastic? 

34: UniNet Europe reveals executive team promotions; 

Steve Bradley joins Integral team; NovaCopy reveals 

corporate name change 

36: Global MPS market to grow by 6.9 percent; USTR 

imposes tariffs on Chinese products 

38: LD Products offers Gold incentives to resellers; GIT 

seeks to expand its sales team; Innotec awarded new 

ISO certifications 

Wide Format Column 

40: 3D printing starts as an eyewash cup 

41: Wide-Format news in brief 

Retail Column 

44: Crises and contingencies in retail 

Products & Technology 

46: Biuromax releases range of new products; Aster 

releases replacement toner cartridges; CET launches 

new products 

47: Apex launches new chips; Katun unveils complete 

suite in America and Europe 

48: wta releases new products; CompaTech releases new 

products 

50: IR Italiana Riprografia announces new 

remanufactured Graphic-Jet cartridges; CIG releases 

remanufactured cartridges 

51: Ink Specialist releases new products; New products 

released by GSC; CIT release new components 

10 

THE RECYCLER • ISSUE 307 • JUNE 2018

WORLD FOCUS 

visit www.therecycler.com for all the breaking news 

ASIA China, Taxes, Chip makers 

China reduces 

taxes for 

chipmakers 

The country has revealed that it has 

cut taxes for producers of 

semiconductors to help support this 

“pivotal industry”, as Bloomberg 

reports. 

This announcement comes “just as U.S. 

President Donald Trump weighs tariffs 

on the sector amid rising trade 

tensions.” 

In line with these new tax breaks, 

semiconductor companies “will be 

exempt from corporate income taxes for 

up to five years starting Jan. 1” and after 

that, rates “will then be half of the 

current 25 percent through the 10th 

year.” 

China has already recently revealed 

tax cuts designed to benefit “high-end 

manufacturing and innovation-driven 

technology companies supported by the 

Made in China 2025 plan”. 

The decision to cut taxes for 

chipmakers ties in with China’s desire to 

lessen its reliance “on some $200 billion 

(€162.8 billion) of annual semiconductor 

imports, which it fears 

undermines national security and 

hampers the development of a thriving 

technology sector.” 

China is looking at funnelling $150 

billion (€122.1 billion) over the course of 

the next decade into achieving “a leading 

position in design and manufacturing, 

an ambitious plan that U.S. executives 

and officials warn could harm American 

interests.” 

When the country made the 

announcement about its tax breaks for 

chipmakers, it simultaneously revised 

the requirements for companies eligible 

for the deduction, in order to “include 

more up-to-date technology.” 

GLOBAL Memjet, Canon, Licensing 

Memjet and Canon unite in 

cross-license agreement 

Memjet and Canon have entered into a long-term, global agreement to crosslicense 

their patents around key segments and applications. 

The terms of the agreement remain 

confidential. 

“We are excited and pleased with our 

agreement with Canon, which validates the 

value of our technology,” said Len Lauer, 

CEO of Memjet. “This agreement showcases 

the breadth and strength of our intellectual this deal will enable Canon to add page-wide 

property portfolio of patents. We will printers to their line up and allow them to 

continue to focus on our leadership position compete with HP and the other OEMs in the 

in the single pass digital inkjet market growing business inkjet sector. 

through our technology innovation that Memjet, on the other hand, appears to 

provides unmatched speed, simplicity and have lost the race to establish the brand as a 

affordability.” 

mainstream OEM printer brand and will 

David Connett, a partner at Connett & probably continue to cross license their 

Unland GbR, said of the deal “Memjet has technology to other OEMs who are all 

had a reasonably fractious journey to market seeking to find new niches in a mature and 

with legal battles with Silverbrook the contracting market. 

developers and fellow OEM HP. While Cross-licensing of intellectual property is 

Memjet may well be considered the first to common among OEMs, but you rarely see 

bring page-wide ink printing to market, HP such deals between printer OEMs and the 

has used the time to establish themselves as aftermarket sector. That may well change in 

the market leader in the office page-wide the next few years as at least two major 

printing sector. 

OEMs are evaluating several licensing 

Canon faces multiple challenges now their models that would allow them to harness 

biggest customer, HP, has bought Samsung revenue streams from the remanufacturing 

printer division. While the public face sector. The first such deal could be 

between the two OEMs is business as usual, announced as early as this autumn.” 

NORTH AMERICA Static Control, Distribution, Business 

Static Control opens Texan 

distribution centre 

Static Control, the largest manufacturer of aftermarket imaging systems and 

components, has announced the opening of a new distribution centre. 

Located in Wilmer, Texas, 14 miles from 

downtown Dallas, the distribution centre is 

ideally located within a hub of Static Control 

customers. It brings one-day delivery to 

customers throughout Texas, Oklahoma and 

regions of Arkansas, Kansas and Louisiana. 

“This new warehouse will help us 

continue to expand throughout the region. 

Our ability to deliver our high quality 

cartridges in one day was essential for 

growth,” said Bryan Bonacum, Vice 

President of North American Sales. “This is 

also a significant benefit to our existing 

customers in the area.” 

Static Control has plans to add additional 

distribution locations in the U.S. before the 

end of the year. 

“An important goal at Static Control is to 

make doing business with us as easy as 

possible. One way we are doing that is by 

increasing our service levels though faster 

delivery times,” said Bonacum. “We are 

steadily expanding our operations here in 

the U.S. and worldwide to provide the best 

service to our customers.” 



WORLD FOCUS 

EMEA HP, Middle East, Counterfeits 

Mathew Thomas VP MD HP Middle East and Saudi Arabia 

HP MD on taking on the fakes 

HP Inc’s Managing Director for the Middle East, Turkey, and East Africa, has written 

about the ongoing battle against counterfeiters in the region’s print markets. 

Writing for Channel Post MEA, Mathew 

Thomas describes the issue as taking “an 

immeasurable toll on the hard-earned 

reputation of each print service provider or 

channel partner” affected. He names the 

financial impact of counter-feiting on the 

worldwide printing supplies industry as $3 

billion (€2.4 billion) every year, quoting 

statistics from the Imaging Supplies 

Coalition. 

“It’s a problem acutely felt by printer 

manufacturers worldwide,” explains 

Thomas, who notes that the high demand 

around the world for products such as ink 

and toner has meant a significant increase 

in counterfeit products. He adds that the 

“the growth of online retail has only made it 

easier for counterfeiters to operate.” 

Other negative effects of counterfeit 

products cited by Thomas include “poor 

printout quality”; “affected print yields”; 

“printer downtime”; “extra costs”; and 

“loss of money due to non-functioning 

counterfeit cartridges.” More dramatically, 

Thomas also writes of the “serious health 

and safety risks” that counterfeit products – 

and their potentially faulty and unsafe 

components – can bring. As well as 

counterfeit products themselves, he also 

takes aim at companies selling fake 

products under misleading and fake 

branding to appear like the genuine article. 

Thomas announces that HP have put in 

place Customer Delivery Inspections for 

end customers, as part of wider strategy to 

tackle the fakes. The CDIs allow customers 

to request the inspection of large or 

medium-sized HP deliveries, if they are 

suspected of containing counterfeit 

materials. They are then carried out at the 

partner’s location, when convenient, and at 

no charge. 

“The goal of these inspections is to 

identify counterfeit products before they are 

sold on and reach the end consumer,” 

Thomas explains. 

He declares that HP has worked with law 

enforcement agencies to seize nearly 2 

million counterfeit products in EMEA 

between May and October 2016, and has 

overseen “significant successful operations 

in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, to 

name a few.” 

Thomas concludes by offering users and 

consumers some tips on protecting 

themselves from fakes, including scanning 

the box’s QR code for access to HP’s official 

validation screen; check for the holographic 

security label of authenticity; and visit the 

OEM’s website to validate serial numbers 

and security labels. 


13

WORLD FOCUS 

NORTH AMERICA Canon, Lawsuits, IP 

Canon wins 

hattrick of 

lawsuits 

The OEM has claimed victory in a 

trio of lawsuits filed following 

accusations of patent infringement. 

The three lawsuits came against Bluedog 

Distribution Inc., CLT Computers, and 

Print After Print, Inc. They were part 

of a wider crusade by Canon against 

32 separate companies all accused of 

violating the OEM’s patents. 

Bluedog and CLT were accused in the 

United States District Court of the 

Southern District of Florida of infringing 

9 distinct US patents: The 9,746,826; 

9,836,021; 9,841,727; 9,841,728; 

9,841,729; 9,857,764; 9,857,765; 

9,869,960; and 9,874,846 patents, 

which are all held by the OEM. Following 

the lawsuit, both companies agreed to not 

contest Canon’s claim of ownership of 

them, although both also denied any 

purposeful wrongdoing. They also agreed 

to a permanent injunction, which forbids 

them from “making, using, selling, or 

offering for sale” any further infringing 

products, or from any further 

infringement, direct or indirect, via any 

products falling “within the scope” of the 

asserted patents. 

The lawsuit against Phoenix, Arizonabased 

Print After Print, meanwhile, was 

filed in the US District Court for the 

District of Arizona, and followed a 

similar path. The suit concerned toner 

cartridges sold by the company for use in 

both Canon and HP laser printers, which 

according to the OEM violated the 

aforementioned nine US patents. Once 

again, the defendant agreed to a Consent 

Judgement and Permanent Injunction. 

All three cases represent a step-up in 

Canon’s determination to tackle those 

smaller companies that it believes are 

manufacturing and selling products that 

infringe its patents. The outcome of the 

remaining 29 lawsuits filed in March 

remain to be decided. 

Search for The Recycler on Facebook for more news and industry coverage 

ASIA Ninestar, Investment, Business 

Ninestar invests in laser printer 

manufacturing 

In response to the national ‘Made in China’ policy, Ninestar has revealed that it is 

embarking on the manufacture of high-end equipment for laser printers. 

According to Ninestar, the company will be 

investing a total of approximately CNY 9 

billion ($1.4 billion/€1.1 billion) in the 

manufacturing project, with the goal of 

becoming one of the top three global laser 

printer producers. 

Ninestar signed an investment agreement 

regarding the project at the 21st meeting of 

the company’s 5th Board of Directors. 

The “main content” of the agreement 

involved the establishment of a project 

company in the jurisdiction of Gaolan Port 

Management Committee, and revealed that 

once “the projects have been completed and 

put into production” Ninestar hopes to 

achieve an annual output of “approximately 

4 million units” in addition to an annual 

output value of approximately CNY 20 

billion ($3.1 billion/€2.5 billion) and an 

annual tax revenue of about CNY 500 

million ($79.4 million/€64.5 million). 

EUROPE ARMOR, 3D printing, Speaker 

ARMOR plumbs new markets 

with OWA speaker 

The Nantes-situated group is continuing the development of its flagship OWA 

speaker, which is now being launched on various B2B and B2C markets. 

The speaker’s production was financed by a 

successful crowdfunding campaign, which 

ran for 45 days, “and found support among 

those interested in designing responsible 

products which are both attractive and hitech,” 

as Pierre-Antoine Pluvinage, ARMOR 

3D’s Development Manager, explained. 

The OWA speaker is the first official product 

of ARMOR 3D, the branch of ARMOR 

dedicated to 3D printing. The housing of the 

illuminated Bluetooth speaker is constructed 

from eco-designed OWA 3D filaments and it 

is fully customisable in terms of shape, 

pattern and colour, as ARMOR explains. 

In terms of marketing, the company is first 

targeting the B2B sector, which includes 

hotels and real estate developers such as 

Cogedim. 

“We decided to buy OWA speakers as it is a 

product that reflects the image we are 

seeking to portray, in a world awash with 

new technologies. And just as 3D printing 

allows flexible production of the object, we 

also strive to adapt to the changing needs of 

Regarding the proposed scale of the 

manufacturing project, Ninestar estimated 

that it would occupy an area of roughly 900, 

000sqm of land slated for industrial use. 

The total construction period given for the 

project is cited as being about 8 years. 

According to the Articles of Association, 

Shenzhen Stock Exchange Listing Rules 

“and other relevant laws and regulations”, 

the project “must be reviewed and approved 

by the general meeting of shareholders 

before it can be implemented”, and its 

implementation also requires governmental 

approval. 

our clients,” commented Cogedim Quest’s 

CEO, Jérôme Beauvois. 

However, ARMOR also plans to plumb the 

B2C market with its flagship speaker. 

“Through new products available to the 

general public we are seeking to raise the 

awareness of our New Techs, namely the 

technologies that are in the process of 

revolutionising the world of materials,” 

emphasised Hubert de Boisredon, CEO of 

ARMOR. “3D printing offers on-demand, 

bespoke and local production, and we add to 

these naturally sustainable qualities the 

ability to use our recyclable materials.” 


WORLD FOCUS 


EUROPE Photocopier Consumables, Business, Circular Economy 

Photocopier Consumables embraces circularity 

The UK remanufacturer has revealed its commitment to circular economy practices, which it implements in its Research 

and Development department. 

The Coventry-based company, which 

produces and supplies a range of remanufactured 

products, including polymerised 

toners, drum units and fuser units, explains 

that the circular economy “replaces the 

linear economy which is very much a takemake-dispose 

concept”, and promotes the 

following: 

• Greener solution for our environment for 

now and for the future 

• Reduces plastic, chemical waste, 

pollution and energy resources in the UK 

and abroad. 

• Keeps what are normally considered 

“End of Life products” in use for 2nd or 

3rd life cycle 

• Cost effective alternative to brand new 

replacement products 

On its official website, the remanufacturer 

describes itself as “an avid 

supporter” of circular economy principles, 

saying, “this ethos is very much at the heart 

of the processes the company employs and 

in the products it produces.” 

As well as implementing circular 

economy practices in its Research and 

Development department, the company 

also operates a recycling scheme for used 

toner cartridges, waste toner collectors and 

consumable units, explaining, “Recycling 

goes hand in hand with Remanufacturing 

as without the used core items this becomes 

very difficult.” 

The circular economy is a topic 

frequently covered in the news today, as 

more and more businesses and countries 

seek to adopt its methods to boost 

sustainability and longevity. 

Recently, an EU-funded study was 

announced by Hull University, which will 

explore the impact of a Europe-wide circular 

economy, as well as discovering to what 

extent circular economy practices are 

already being implemented. 

NORTH AMERICA Seizure Order, USITC, IP 

New seizure and 

forfeiture order 

issued 

A seizure and forfeiture order has been 

issued against Calstar regarding certain 

inkjet supplies and components which 

are under a general exclusion order 

dating back 7 years. 

In legal documents viewed by The Recycler the 

U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border 

Protection stated that it had informed the 

United States International Trade 

Commission that it deemed the issuing of a 

seizure and forfeiture against Calstar to be 

“appropriate”. 

This was following an attempt by Calstar to 

import the aforementioned inkjet supplies, 

covered by a general exclusion order issued in 

January 2011, to the United States. Customs 

denied entry to the supplies, and “provided 

[Calstar] with written notice of the aforesaid 

exclusion order and the fact that seizure and 

forfeiture would result from any further 

attempt to import the articles into the 

United States.” 

NORTH AMERICA Dell, Printers 

Dell calls time on its printers 

Dell has announced a date for the termination of its printer retail arm, 

with the OEM declaring that it will exit the printer business at the end 

of July 2018. 

The Recycler first carried the news of 

Dell’s withdrawal from the printer 

market back in September 2016, when 

the company announced it was to scale 

back its imaging business, with its 

printer business wound up by 2021 at 

the latest. 

Now, following a recent flurry of 

news on the issue, the company has 

announced its intention “to transition 

our customers from Dell-branded 

laser printers and accessories to a 

partner-led imaging portfolio.” This 

means that it shall continue selling 

other-brand printers, but no longer 

its own. 

“With this diverse new partner-led 

portfolio of imaging products, we feel 

we will be able to meet our customers’ 

imaging needs better,” added the 

company, in a statement to Wirth 

Consulting. 

The transition period will begin next 

month and is expected to conclude by 

the end of July this year. After that 

point, although Dell-branded printers 

will no longer be available, the OEM 

will continue to provide a range of 

printing solutions, firmware, and 

consumables, as well as continued 

customer support for those with Dell 

printers still under warranty. 

In 2016, the company stated that all 

warranties would end in 2021, 

although it stipulated that it will “work 

with customers to provide upgrade 

options to ensure that their support 

requirements can be appropriately met 

up to 2021 end date.” 


26.–29.1.2019, Frankfurt am Main 

paperworld.messefrankfurt.com 

Remanexpo: 

Product Group 

Connecting people 

and businesses 

The dedicated part of the 

event focused on reuse 

and remanufacturing of 

printer cartridges 

Powered by 

Visit www.therecycler.com/live for more information

WORLD FOCUS 

You can contact The Recycler via Twitter at @RecyclerMedia 

EUROPE EU, Mexico, Trade Deal, Business 

EU and Mexico agree new trade deal 

The European Union has announced a new trade agreement with Mexico, as part of an updated and modernised EU-Mexico 

Global Agreement. 

The key facets of the agreement include 

the declaration that practically all trade in 

goods between Mexico and the EU will 

be duty-free, whilst sectors including 

transport equipment, machinery, and 

pharmaceuticals will all benefit from new, 

simpler, customs procedures. 

The agreement also covers areas such as 

workers’ rights, sustainable development, 

and tackling private and public sector 

corruption – a first for an EU trade 

agreement. 

The two bodies have also committed to 

implementing their obligations to tackling 

climate change under the Paris 

Agreement. 

The agreement “brings the EU’s trade 

relationship with Mexico into the modern 

era,” declared a press release, which stated 

it was “tearing down most of the 

remaining barriers to trade.” It supersedes 

a previous trade agreement between the 

pair, which originally came into force in 

the year 2000, with Mexico becoming the 

first Latin American nation to sign an 

agreement with the EU; since then, trade 

has risen at a rate of approximately 8 

percent a year – with a total rise of 148 

percent since the original signing. 

“Trade can and should be a win-win 

process, and today’s agreement shows just 

that,” explained Jean-Claude Juncker, 

President of the European Commission. 

“Mexico and the EU worked together and 

reached a mutually beneficial outcome. We 

did it as partners who are willing to 

discuss, to defend their interests while at 

the same time being willing to 

compromise to meet each other’s 

expectations.” 

Under the new agreement, EU 

agricultural exports will benefit from 



reduce tariffs, preferential access and 

geographical protections for products such 

as Comté cheese and Szegedi szalámi. 

New customs procedures will simplify and 

speed up paperwork and checks, whilst a 

trade and sustainable development chapter 

will enforce high standards of labour, 

safety, environmental, and consumer 

protection. It also allows the EU to keep 

products from its market if they are not 

scientifically certain to be safe. 

There are also chapters on political and 

developmental cooperation, protecting 

human rights, and fighting corruption, 

bribery, and money laundering. 

Furthermore, the agreement contains a 

“high level of protection” for IP rights, 

which will protect EU research and 

development, and guarantee fair pay for 

EU artists and producers. 

Trade in services, including e-commerce, 

telecommunications, transport, and 

financial services, will also be opened up 

thanks to the agreement, which includes a 

specific chapter on digital trade, removing 

barriers such as the charging of customs 

duties on downloads. 

“In less than two years the EU and 

Mexico have delivered a deal fit for the 

economic and political challenges of 

the 21st century,” said European 

Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia 

Malmström. “We now open a new chapter 

Photo © European Commission 

in our long and fruitful relationship, 

boosting trade and creating jobs. Today’s 

agreement also sends a strong message to 

other partners that it is possible to 

modernise existing trade relations when 

both partners share a clear belief in the 

merits of openness, and of free and 

fair trade.” 

Negotiations for the deal began in May 

2016, and the full legal text will be 

finalised by the end of 2018, once 

remaining technical details have been tied 

up by negotiators. It will subsequently be 

submitted for approval by the European 

Parliament and Council. 

“With this agreement, Mexico joins 

Canada, Japan and Singapore in the 

growing list of partners willing to work 

with the EU in defending open, fair and 

rules-based trade,” said Juncker, whilst 

Commissioner for Agriculture, Phil 

Hogan added that the agreement “proves 

yet again the value of the EU leading from 

the front globally.” 

“Our commitment is to deliver benefits 

for our citizens at home through closer 

cooperation with our partners abroad,” 

Hogan continued. “This deal is very 

positive for our agri-food sector, creating 

new export opportunities for our highquality 

food and drink products, which in 

turn will create support more jobs and 

growth, particularly in rural areas.” 

“The European Union and Mexico stand 

together for open, fair and rules-based 

trade,” said Guajardo Villareal, the 

Secretary of the Economy of Mexico, in a 

joint statement with Malmström and 

Hogan. “This will contribute to making 

our trade relationship fit to face the 

opportunities and challenges of the 21st 

century.” 

Remanexpo: Product Group 

Connecting people and businesses 

The dedicated part of the event focused on reuse 

and remanufacturing of printer cartridges 

Powered by 

To find out more, visit www.therecycler.com/live 


CITY NEWS 

OEM share prices 

May 2018 

Prices correct as of 1st May 2018 

Share Prices 

COMPANY APR MAY 

Brother Industries (Yen) ¥ 2477 2435 

Canon (Yen) ¥ 3900 3789 

Dainippon Ink & (Yen) ¥ 3650 3645 

Chemicals 

Sun Chemicals parent company 

HP Inc. (US$) $ 17.53 21.96 

Hubei Dinglong (RMB) ¥ 9.73 12.01 

Jadi (MYR) M 0.06 0.05 

LG Chem (S Korean Won) W 367k 339k 

Matsushita Electric (Yen) ¥ 1536 1556 

Industrial Co. 

Panasonic parent company 

Mitsubishi Chemicals (Yen) ¥ 1022 1018 

Ninestar Corporation (RMB) ¥ 27.72 30.93 

Formerly Apex Microelectronics 

Oki (Yen) ¥ 1428 1419 

Seiko Epson (Yen) ¥ 1938 2011 

Turbon AG (Euro) € 6.85 6.65 

Xerox (US$) $ 28.32 28.38 

UK Waste Prices 

price per tonne 

Aluminium € 17.78 22.87 

Plastic € 66.20 70.04 

Paper € 1.98 3.43 

Currency 

€/US$ 1.24 1.19 

€/£ 0.87 0.87 

£/US$ 1.42 1.35 

Oil Price 

Crude oil - (US$) $ 64.36 77.03 

‘Brent Crude futures, 

1-Pos IPE close’ per barrel 

Shipping Prices 

Europe (Hamburg/Antwerp/ $ 617 788 

Felixstowe/Le Havre) 

Mediterranean (Barcelona/ $ 616 756 

Valencia/Genoa/Naples 

USWC (Los Angeles/ $ 1128 1468 

Long Beach/Oakland) 

USEC (New York/Savannah $ 2150 2433 

Norfolk/Charleston) 

Sources: HMRC, FT.com, krx.co.kr, tse.or.jp, 

Environment Exchange, packagingnews.co.uk 

*Brent Crude price is for May 2018 


GLOBAL OEMs, Financials, Business 

OEMs publish their latest 

financials 

It’s the time of year when OEMs around the world release their latest 

consolidated financial data, and once again there is a range of fortunes on offer. 

The majority of OEMs declaring financial 

results had positive news to report, with 

Canon declaring an increase in MFD unit 

sales and showing a positive outlook for 

future export markets, thanks in partly to 

steadily growing economies in China and 

the USA. Similarly, Indian and ASEAN 

economies were showing signs of 

recovery, with Europe’s remaining stable. 

Under these conditions, first-quarter 

net sales decreased by 1.2 percent year-onyear 

to ¥960.7 billion ($8.78 billion/€7.21 

billion), whilst there was also a drop in 

gross profit (by 4.9 percent year-on-year to 

¥444.7 billion ($4.06 billion/€3.34 

billion)) and operating expenses (by 6.8 

percent year-on-year to ¥367.6 billion 

[$3.36 billion/€2.76 billion]). However, 

first-quarter operating profit increased by 

5.3 percent to ¥77.1 billion ($705.4 

million/€579.5 million), and income 

before income taxes increased by 9.9 

percent year-on-year to ¥85.8 billion 

($785.1 million/€644.9 million). 

Sharp, too, recorded good news, with its 

consolidated financial results for the fiscal 

year ending 31 March 2018 revealing a 

significant Y-o-Y improvement. 

The company experienced a rise in net 

profits of 18.4 percent, from ¥2.05 trillion 

($18.7 billion/€15.4 billion) in 2016 to 

¥2.4 trillion ($21.9 billion/€18.04 billion) 

in 2017, with all segments reporting 

revenue growth. 

Operating profits also showed a 

significant improvement, with the 

company achieving ¥90.1 billion in 

comparison to ¥62.4 billion ($571.1 

million/€469 million) in 2016, an 

increase of 44.3 percent. 

Sharp’s Smart Business Solutions 

achieved sales of ¥331.1 billion ($3.03 

billion/€2.4 billion) in FY2017, compared 

to ¥317.7 billion ($2.9 billion/€2.3 billion) 

in 2016, while the company’s IoT 

Electronics Devices segment achieved 

sales of ¥491.5 billion ($4.4 billion/€3.6 

billion), compared to 2016’s ¥413.6 

billion ($3.7 billion/€3.1 billion). 

Sharp reported that its Q4 2017 net 

sales “continued to show strength, 

outperforming the same period in the 

prior fiscal year”, while operating and 

ordinary profit “were essentially level 

when excluding ¥15.6 billion ($142.8 

million/€117.2 million) in temporary 

factors”, and net profit “was level year on 

year, due in part to structural reforms”. 

Looking ahead to 2018, the company 

forecasts “medium-term management 

plan progress”, predicts that FY2018 net 

sales and profits will outperform FY2017, 

and states that it expects “to achieve our 

medium-term projections” despite 

selecting more conservative foreign 

exchange rate projections than set out in 

its medium-term management plan. 

There was also good news for Kyocera, 

which declared that that for the year ended 

31 March 2018 (“fiscal 2018”), sales in the 

Document Solutions Group increased due 

to the launch of new products and 

aggressive sales promotion activities. 

Merger and acquisition activities also 

contributed. As a result, consolidated net 

sales for fiscal 2018 increased by ¥154.2 

billion ($1.41 billion/€1.15 billion), or 10.8 

percent, compared with the year ended 31 

March 2017 (“fiscal 2017”), to ¥1.57 

trillion ($14.36 billion/€11.79 billion). 

This result is a record high for fiscal 

year sales. 

Looking ahead to the year ending 

March 31, 2019 (“fiscal 2019”), Kyocera 

Corporation expects the information and 

communications market, automotiverelated 

markets and the semiconductor 

industry markets to remain favourable. 

Expected is an increase in demand for 

high-performance components for these 

markets, and proactive efforts to expand 

production capacity since fiscal 2018, as 

well as merger and acquisition activities 

are expected to contribute to sales in 

fiscal 2019. 

Sharp and Kyocera weren’t the only 

ones looking forward, with Konica 

Minolta predicting a climb of around 

20 percent in its operating profit this 

fiscal year. 

The rise, which would take the figure to 

just over ¥60 billion ($549.2 

million/€450.8 million), is due to “a 

broader line-up of new products” coupled 

with “strong printer demand in China”, 

according to Nikkei Asian Review. Sales for 

the current fiscal year, ending March 

2019, are also predicted to increase, to 

almost ¥1.1 trillion ($10.07 billion/ 

€8.26 billion). 

Earnings will also be boosted, the 

forecast suggests, by a lowering of 

costs, accounted for by warehouse 

reorganisation and employee retirements. 



CITY NEWS 

The relocation of MFP production to the 

OEM’s Malaysian sites, with their higher 

degree of automation, and the sales of land 

and “idle assets”, also play a part in the 

enhanced profitability. 

On the other side, Nikkei also predicts a 

strengthening of the yen against the euro 

and dollar, and the spending on expanding 

newly-acquired Ambry Genetics, will prove 

“potential headwinds”, but it adds that 

“overall, positive trends will likely absorb 

negative factors.” 

For the previous financial year, Konica 

Minolta’s operating profit and sales figures 

both slightly exceed projections, which were 

¥48 billion ($439.4 million/€360.7 million) 

and ¥1 trillion ($9.1 billion/€7.5 billion), 

respectively. 

There was celebration for other OEMs, 

though, with both Ricoh and Xerox 

releasing somewhat negative figures. 

Ricoh explained in their release of the 

year end results that it “continuously 

undertook cost structure reforms, business 

process reforms, expansion of growing 

businesses or reinforcing governance and 

management structure without considering 

the precedent in order to remove all the 

impediments for growth. 

The company’s sales for the Year 

increased by 1.7 percent as compared to the 

previous corresponding period, to ¥2.06 

trillion ($18.7 billion/€15.6 billion). 

However, in the domestic market, sales in 

the Office Printing segment, Commercial 

Printing segment and Industrial Printing 

segment decreased - although sales in other 

segments, mainly in the Office Service 

segment, increased significantly. As a 

result, the sales in the domestic market 

increased by 4.2 percent as compared to the 

previous corresponding period. 

Overall, however, Operating profit of 

the Year was -¥115.6 billion ($1.05 

billion/€876.7 million) (Operating profit of 

the previous corresponding period was 

¥33.8 billion ($307.8 million/€256.3 

million)). 

Xerox also had a difficult experience; the 

Connecticut-based company saw its total 

revenue drop to $2.43 billion (€2.02 

billion), a minor fall of 0.8 percent from 

$2.45 billion (€2.04 billion) in the same 

period last year. 

Of this, there was also a decrease in 

revenue from equipment, now coming in at 

$499 million (€416.7 million) from a 

previous of $513 million (€428.4 million) – 

a 2.7 percent reduction. 

The OEM’s net income dropped as well, 

from $42 million (€35 million) in Q1 of 

2017, but remained healthy at $26 million 

(€21.7 million). 

There was a similar fall in income from 

continuing operations, falling to $26 

million (€21.7 million) this quarter from 

$48 million (€40 million) in the equivalent 

period of 2016. 

Epson, meanwhile, published a mixed set 

of results in its Full Year financials. The 

company’s total revenue increased in 2017- 

18, compared to the previous financial year, 

now hitting ¥1.1 trillion ($10.06 

billion/€8.32 billion), a rise of 7.5 percent. 

Meanwhile, its business profit rose by 13.6 

percent, to reach ¥74.7 billion ($683.1 

million/€565.5 million). 

However, there was disappointment 

elsewhere, as the OEM saw its profit from 

operating activities drop, by 4.3 percent 

from the year before; it now sits at ¥65 

billion ($594.4 million/€492 million). 

Similarly, profit before tax fell to ¥62.6 

billion ($572.5 million/€473.9 million), a 

dip of 7.1 percent from 2016-17. 

There was an even more pronounced 

drop in Epson’s total comprehensive 

income for 2017-18, falling to ¥41.5 billion 

($379.5 million/€314.1 million), a decrease 

of 25.7 percent. 

At the same time, the OEM declared the 

change of several key members of its 

executive team, with the intention of 

“further strengthening its corporate 

governance,” at the same time as 

publishing a mixed set of financial results. 

Epson hopes that the changes to its toplevel 

workforce will “accelerate its efforts to 

create a strong organisation capable of 

generating ongoing improvements in 

corporate value and growth.” 

Yasunori Ogawa has been appointed as 

Director and Executive Officer by the OEM, 

having previously acted as Chief Operating 

Officer of its Visual Products Operations 

Division. Meanwhile, Taro Shigemoto 

moves from his current position as Special 

Audit & Supervisory Officer to become a 

Director and full-time Audit and 

Supervisory Committee member. 

Shigemoto replaces current Director 

Noriyuki Hama, who is retiring at the end 

of his term. The retirement of Tadaaki 

Hagata was also announced; Hagata is 

stepping down as Managing Executive 

Officer and the President of Epson 

Precision (Philippines). 

In other appointments, Kazunori 

Kumakura, the sitting General 

Administrative Manager of the IT Division, 

and Yoshifumi Yoshida, presently COO of 

the OEM’s Robotics Solutions Operations 

Division, have both become Executive 

Officers. 

Akikhiko Toeda becomes Epson’s Special 

Audit and Supervisory Officer, replacing 

Taro Shigemoto. Toeda is currently General 

Administrative Manager of the Compliance 

Office and Deputy General Administrative 

Manager of the Management Control 

Division. The changes are due to come into 

effect on the 27th of June. 


21

CITY NEWS 


EUROPE Turbon, Financials, Business 

Turbon expands as 2017 sales 

and margins contract 

Sales and margins contract while expansion in other areas continues to grow. 

Turbon reported that their consolidated 

sales in the 2017 financial year was € 89.2 

million ($108 million), down €7.4 million 

($8.95 million) on 2016 sales of 

€96.6 million ($116.9 million) mainly due 

to the delayed acquisition of the 

Interactive Printer Solutions Division of 

NCR Corporation in the Middle East and 

Africa which should have completed for 

Q3, but finally completed on 21st 

December. 

The gross margin in the 2017 financial 

year was 21.1 percent, down 4.6 percent 

on the 2016 margin of 25.7 percent. The 

margin impairment is mainly due to the 

one-time expenses in connection with the 

ongoing restructuring of the printing 

division and resulted in a consolidated 

EUROPE THS, Parsia International, Expansion 

THS expands after Parsia 

acquisition 

loss of €2.2 million ($2.66 million) for the 

year. The profit for 2016 4.0 million 

($4.85 million). 

The Turbon Group will operate in two 

segments: “Turbon Printing” will focus on 

the development, production and 

distribution of printing supplies. 

Primarily toner cartridges for use in laser 

printers and a focus in the area of 

Managed Print Services (MPS). The recent 

acquisition of the Interactive Printer 

Solutions division of NCR Corporation’s 

product range including printed and 

unprinted paper rolls for cash registers 

and cash machines, bank checks and 

Enhanced punch-through forms 

supplying this range of products to banks, 

Retail chains and service companies (e.g. 

Team Hell & Schulte (THS) has acquired the operating business of British 

partner company Parsia International. 

The acquisition, which 

took place at the beginning 

of this month, is through 

Parsia Managed Supplies 

Services (MSS), a newlyestablished 

THS subsidiary, reports 

Digital Imaging. All of Parsia’s 

employees have been retained. 

“With our involvement in the strong 

THS Group, we are excellently 

positioned to offer our customers a 

much broader portfolio than before,” 

declared Glen Constable, Parsia’s 

Managing Director. “That’s true for 

software solutions as well as OEM and 

alternative supplies.” 

As part of the takeover, Parsia’s 

warehouse is being “significantly 

increased” and its internal processes are 

being aligned with those of its parent 

company. According to Digital 

Imaging, “the goal is complete 

IT connectivity with a 

consistently uniform workflow 

and the use of proven logistics 

processes in Hemer.” 

“Due to the customer structure at 

Parsia MSS, we see a very good 

perspective to further expand our 

business and also to occupy further 

topics in England,” said Christian 

Schulte, Managing Director of THS, 

with one eye on the future. His 

optimism was echoed by Simone 

Schroers, MD of THS offshoot MHS. 

“We will bring our proven MPS 

concept to the UK and also provide our 

support for the fleet management 

solution directly from Hemer,” added 

Schroers. 

hotels) in the Arab world. 

The acquisition of Interactive Printer 

Solutions division of NCR Corporation in 

December 2017 at a cost of €3.8million 

($4.6 million). 

“Turbon Electric” will focus on the 

development and production of electrical 

and electronic assemblies concern. In 

early 2017, and has acquired a 66.7 

percent stake, via Turbon Cabling 

Technologies GmbH (TCT) in KP electrics 

sro (KPE) a specialist in cable assembly. 

In the first quarter of the current year 

2018, acquired a 51.0 percent stake, via 

Turbon Cabling Technologies GmbH of 

cable manufacturer, CPL Connector 

Productions GmbH. In the same quarter, 

they acquired a 50.001 percent stake, via 

Turbon Electric Technologies GmbH in 

SE-TEC GmbH (SETEC) based in Lostau, 

Germany. 

The outlook for 2018 looks positive with 

the new Turbon Electric division 2018 

sales forecast of €12.0 to €13.0 million 

($14.5 to $15.7 million) and earnings 

before taxes of €0.7 million ($0.85 

million). The 2018 forecast for the Turbon 

Printing division is expected to be €70.0 to 

€80.0 million ($84.7 to $96.8 million) 

due to positive outlook both in the area of 

MPS and in the newly added business in 

the Arab world in 2018 also a slightly 

positive result before taxes. 

EUROPE CMB, Receivership, Business 

CMB goes into 

receivership 

French remanufacturer CMB has 

been placed into receivership, it 

has been announced. 

The company’s fate was decided by the 

Commercial Court of Saint-Etienne in 

April. 

CMB, which was a founder member 

of the French aftermarket association 

France Cartouche Reemploi (FCR), has 

been given two months for the 

declarations of receivables to be filed, 

and have been ordered to assist the 

debtor in all acts concerning the 

management. The procedure of 

bankruptcy has been opened, as of the 

18th of April, with the period of 

observation fixed until the 17th of 

October. 


SPONSORED FEATURE 

An interview with IMEX 

IMEX, is one of the most trusted and reliable names in the industry and 

is a world leader in aftermarket toner development and manufacturing. 

Through their refined technology and global distribution network, IMEX 

provides high quality toner products and responsive technical support 

to aid the performance of their customers’ products. 

IMEX Company History 

July 1982 Company established in Chuo-ku, Tokyo 

November 1985 Headquarters relocated to 

Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa-ken 

November 1986 Headquarters building constructed 

November 1988 Okayama First Plant built 

March 1995 New office building built at 

Okayama Plant 

March 1997 American corporation Dynatone 

America Corporation became a 

full subsidiary company 

January 1998 Okayama Second Plant built 

February 1998 Dynatone America Corporation 

changed its name to IMEX AMERICA 

CORPORATION 

September 1999 OKAYAMA Third Plant built 

April 2002 Subsidiary company IMEX PRINT 

SOLUTION CO., LTD. established 

April 2002 New HEAD OFFICE built 

October 2002 Oregon Plant built 

March 2003 ISO9001, ISO14001 certification 

(assessment and registration) 

February 2004 Subsidiary company IMEX EU 

TRADING S.R.L. established 

October 2010 A-TECH CO., LTD. became a subsidiary 

company by equity participation 

November 2011 OKAYAMA Fourth Plant built 

October 2010 A-TECH CO., LTD. became a subsidiary 

company by equity participation 

November 2011 OKAYAMA Fourth Plant built 

Since its foundation in 1982, IMEX has 

gained a solid reputation as a developer 

and manufacturer of electrographic 

toners. They have achieved steady 

results with new imaging materials 

with focus on highly universal 

monochrome and colour toners, as well 

as low temperature fusing toners. 

In a constantly changing market with 

difficult technical challenges, how 

important is the research and 

development process to IMEX? 

We constantly invest in refining 

our toner technologies including 

nanotechnology, physical properties 

and chemical analysis. Our products 

and solutions for the most current 

market needs are developed through 

logical reasoning with established 

technology. Our low temperature 

fusing toners are designed via rheology 

profiling, which, is one of our key toner 

technologies. In order to mitigate 

component contamination, namely 

developer roller and OPC build-up, 

molecules with excessive radical 

reactions are excluded by proprietary 

toner formulas and process design. We 

intend to provide the benefits of our 

technology via state-of-the-art products 

to our customers, for them to enjoy 

stable and long lasting performance 

with vivid image reproduction. 

What is IMEX ‘Total Design’ concept? 

From development of new products to 

final lot qualification, we constantly 

review every step of the process to 

ensure the best quality products. The 

design range spans production 

equipment to material molecule 

distribution design. SFS - our surface 

treatment technology, is one of the 

production methods adopted in the 

early stage of developing round-shaped 

toner, which mimics polymerised toner 

applications. We have optimised not 

only our SFS process but also the resin 

material design to help generate 

smooth toner surface with sufficient 

transfer efficiency and precise image 

production. Constant communication 

with material and equipment suppliers 

through a wide web of relationships 

has made it possible for IMEX to develop 

total production design. 

Production equipment and process control 

are a big investment in the quality and 

consistency of products. Do you invest in 

process equipment to keep up with the 

demands of the latest toner technologies? 

In the course of making decisions for 

investment, we always focus on the 

benefits that a particular piece of 

equipment will bring to the quality of 

our product. With high shear 

compounding equipment and process, 

our products keep high image density 

and low background throughout 

cartridge life. Our advanced pulverising 

mills generate particles with sufficient 

diameter and a round shape, which are 

needed for the latest printer/MFPs with 

limited allowance for waste toner. The 

quality of IMEX products is the result of 

an advanced and unique production 

system utilised by IMEX Okayama and 

Oregon factories. In both production 

and research technology, we constantly 

and generously invest in suitable 

equipment to enhance our role as a 

leading toner manufacturing company. 

What quality systems do IMEX have in 

place to maintain the consistent high 

quality of their products? 

All IMEX products are constantly 

checked and monitored through our 

QA process designed by the ISO9001 

standard. On the basis of our 

left: Toner Picture TMC before surfusion, right 

TMC after surfusion 


SPONSORED FEATURE 

Tomoaki Abe, Director Technical Department of 

IMEX 

longstanding experience, our process is 

constantly reviewed and improved for 

more efficient and rigorous quality 

screening. The preciseness of the 

QA process is supported by our stateof-the-art 

measuring instruments 

which include transmission electron 

microscopes, scanning electron 

microscopes, charge spectrometers, 

particle image analyzers, and particle 

size distribution measuring equipment. 

We strive to improve the overall 

reliability of our products by not only 

enhancing the physical quality of toner 

products but also by constantly 

improving QA process quality via daily 

feedback activities defined by the ISO 

standard and our internal quality 

systems. 

Do IMEX utilize any other resources to 

help understand what customers require 

from their products? 

To be able to provide the best product 

and support to our customers, we 

research not only electrographic 

technology but also its applications. The 

staff members of our three business 

domains: toner powder manufacturing, 

cartridge recycling and print shop 

business, are constantly communicating 

via meetings and technical 

reviews, to help understand the actual 

usage and potential issues of our toners 

in cartridges in a real life situation. We 

hope that understanding actual toner 

and cartridge usage enables us to 

provide the right solutions at the right 

time if customers should encounter 

issues in the field. 

All company activities are unified by the 

following corporate philosophy. 

1. Contribution to advanced 

information society 

2. Harmony with the global 

environment 

3. Constant management innovation 

4. Innovation and mobility 

5. Respect to human harmony and 

development of a stimulating work 

environment 

Akira Kitaoka, our founder and 

President, states: “Our aim is to create 

imaging materials for tomorrow and to 

contribute to the wide spectrum of 

society at all times through the latest 

electronic and advanced chemical 

technology.” 

On what kind of solutions for latest OEM 

applications you are currently working? 

We are currently launching a couple of 

new products, utilising the latest IMEX 

technology and quality standard. 

For example, TMC040 our new 

solution for most HP colour printers. 

Its formula is a refined and highly 

universal version of our well known 

TMC013 & 027 toners. Longer life, 

which is one of the key cartridge 

specifications of the current MPS driven 

market, was a primary focus in R&D of 

these new toners. The product is 

designed to mitigate build-up on 

cartridge components, degrading image 

quality by cartridge end, and potential 

fuser wrapping and/or fuser build-up in 

legacy printers, such as HP5500. A 

new rheology profiling via controlled 

resin molecular distribution, which is 

the outcome from our state-of-the-art 

R&D, is applied to the new formulas. 

IMEX is known to be specialised in 

development and production of 

polyester toners. 

Why are polyester based toners 

becoming more important on the new 

generation products. 

Polyester, is our key material for the 

most recent new products including 

TMC040, because it contributes to 

better toner performance with unique 

physical properties. 

Polyester shows the requisite traits for 

enhancing toner performance in the 

most advanced MFPs and printers. The 

resin accepts a range of molecular 

design changes and additives for 

optimizing rheological characteristics, 

including viscosity and elasticity. The 

flexibility enables a wider fusing 

window with lower temperature 

melting and higher temp. antioffsetting. 

The material also indicates 

mechanical rigidness, which prevents 

toner particle break-up in printer 

cartridges and MFP developer units. 

Low VOC is one of the well-known 

benefits of the resin, whose 

condensation polymerization process 

transpires VOC along with water 

generated. AKO3 (M402/506) , AJI 

(M102/203), and YFX (TK3110-3190), 

which are all new monochrome 

polyester based toners, are developed 

and manufactured by maximizing the 

benefits of this material. 

This in combination with our surface 

treatment in which we shape the 

finished particles and give them a 

spherical form, will ensure stabile 

image quality throughout life and 

performance on OEM level. 

What is the IMEX corporate philosophy? 

We constantly try to contribute to the 

toner industry via our company 

strategy, operations and acting codes. 


IMEX Okayama factory 

25

THE RECYCLER LIVE 

In partnership with ETIRA 

Budapest 

21-22 June 2018 

Corinthia Hotel Budapest 

Budapest 

Association Partner 

ETIRA 

Sponsors 


Welcome to The Recycler 

Live Conference 

The Recycler Live is the place where all of the 

European industry meets to take stock of 

market trends and set the agenda for the coming 

year. Over the last 27 years, The Recycler has 

provided the platform for the industry's brightest 

minds and market leaders to connect, engage, 

inspire and transform the sector. Each year the 

event evolves and reflects the market challenges 

and the issues of the day. 

This year's event promises to be the most 

Stefanie Unland 

progressive to date. Business leaders tell us Editor & Publisher, The Recycler 

that the mix of innovation, education and 

inspiration makes The Recycler Live 

unmissable. We believe connecting with the industry is 

an opportunity you and your business should not miss. 

Whether you are a new or long-standing member of the 

office imaging industry, The Recycler Live is the place to be 

this June 21-22. We have a full programme that offers a 

unique opportunity to hear the latest trends, and participate 

in in-depth presentations, workshops and briefings and ensure 

you take away ideas and inspirations for your business. 

In the evening join your industry colleagues at The 

Presidents cocktail reception and dinner and network with 

friends and colleagues, new and old. 

27


Programme 

Presentations 

Thursday 21st June 

14:30 – 17:00 Etira board meeting 

15:00 Registration opens 

15:00 – 17:00 Meet, greet and network – Your 

opportunity to meet and engage with 

key partners, experts and fellow 

delegates and network and share 

perspectives on where the office imaging 

industry is today. 

17:00 – 19:30 Etira General Assembly 

(Etira members only) 

19:30 – 22:30 Presidents Reception and Dinner 

Friday 22nd June 

08:30 Registration opens 

08:30 – 12:30 Please see our website 

www.therecycler.com/live/budapest/ 

for session details 

12:30 – 13:45 Lunch 

Mid-morning coffee will be served at 

10:30 

14:00 – 17:00 Please see our website 

ww.therecycler.com/live/budapest/ 

for session details 

Afternoon coffee will be served at 15:30 

17:00 – 17:15 Round-up - Catch up on all the day's 

activities at our free-flowing roundup 

session. 

17:15 – 17:30 Chairmans closing remarks 

17:30 Conference closes 

Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing is 

the single most effective medium 

Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing is the 

single most effective medium remanu-facturers can 

use to deliver their value proposition to today’s 

audience. We will take an in-depth look at what are 

the most significant trends in digital marketing for 

2018 including Facebooks 87 million mistake. 

Speaker: Zoltan Matyas 

Remanufacturing and the circular economy 

Scarce resources, plastic and electronic waste and 

other developments have prompted the EU 

commission and governments all over the world as 

well as the United Nations to trigger and enforce a 

rethinking on how product are developed, used, reused 

and recycled. 

While newly built clones were able to ride on the 

wave of cheap single use, short Life cycle products, 

the remanufactured cartridges will be able to ride 

on the second wave: the prolonged life cycle and 

re-use products. 

Speaker: Volker Kappius 

The Amazon threat 

Amazon is a seen as a real threat, but, they one of 

their challenges is that they have to work in a 

"reactive" way (customers need to look for the 

product, select it, pay for it and then wait to 

receive it). Learn how you can compete & win, 

serving your customers in a "proactive" way. They 

will receive the consumable when they need, 

without doing anything. 

Speaker: Antonio Sanchez 

Budapest 

21-22 June 2018 



Master Class - Is your business LinkedIn? 

Using LinkedIn as a core strategy for your business. 

LinkedIn and marketing expert Jackie Cook explores how 

you can build an engaging profile; develop company 

pages to raise the profile of your business and improve 

your SEO (search engine optimisation); Identify and 

engage with groups and advances search techniques for 

targeting potential customers. 

Speaker: Jackie Cook 

Note: Jackie will be available, by appointment only, 

throughout the 22nd June for 1-2-1 and small group 

LinkedIn sessions and workshops. Please email 

Joe.Reader@therecycler.com to book your session. 

The Brussels Beat 

What's current in the EU agenda and the challenges for 

the European market. 

Speaker: Vincent van Dijk 

Single Use-Plastics 

Plastic pollution of our oceans is a topical issue with 

consumers, NGO’s and governments, with some 

governments planning to eliminate single use plastics. 

Remanufacturers have led the reuse conversation, but 

how can we tackle this issue as an industry at large and 

as individual businesses. This could be one strong step is 

providing a more positive outlook for remanufactured 

products. Clover’s Robin Edwardes presents Clovers 

environmental campaign and shares some of their early 

feedback 

Speaker: Robin Edwardes 

Collaborating the future 

Reuse versus single use – Effective reuse requires a focus 

on technical, legislative and market barriers to reuse. 

Technical – OEM printer drivers, especially with inkjet, 

can and do disable remanufactured cartridges. Should 

the aftermarket collaborate to develop, or adapt printer 

drivers that will disable or make harmless the OEM 

lockouts? 

Speaker: To be confirmed 

The State of the Imaging Industry 

A look at where we are at the halfway point through 

2017, what the industry’s most potent influences are, 

and where we see the opportunities for moving business 

forward. 


"Modern shared service centres and SSC trends - 

going beyond call centres and the back office" 

Lexmarks Peter Csucska explores how a modern service 

centre looks like and which added value it provides and 

trends in the SSC industry - most people have no idea 

that service centre is not just a boring back office 

Speaker: Peter Csucska 

Market – promote and educated that reuse, not 

single offers the best options. 

Legislative – Actively challenge government tenders and 

corporates that fail to include reuse in their purchasing 

strategy. 

We explore how acting collectively in key areas can 

raise the profile and benefits of reuse over single use 

could be a huge opportunity for the independent sector 

to grow market share. 


Talking Tables 

As the office imaging landscape continues to change, 

this is your opportunity to select and engage with key 

partners and experts and drill down with your peers 

about what it means for office imaging, your business 

and you. Leave this session with firm thoughts and ideas 

for the future. 

Further presentations and speakers will be announced – please visit 

www.therecycler.com/live/budapest/ for the latest programme updates. 


29


Speakers 

Jackie Cook 

Jackie Cook holds an MSc in 

Marketing Management, is 

a Chartered Marketer and 

Fellow of the Chartered 

Institute in Marketing. She 

has over 14 years’ 

experience in engineering 

and manufacturing companies, and 9 years’ in 

the professional services sector. Cook is joint 

head of a networking group for senior business 

leaders in the Sheffield City Region, and is an 

associate of the Institute of Directors. She has 

also been involved with Connect Yorkshire, a 

networking and personal development group for 

business owners since 2012. 

Peter Csucska 

Lexmark’s Peter Csucska 

leads more than 300 

employees at Budapest’s 

Competence Centre, a 

multi-function high valueadded 

Shared Service 

Centre established in the Hungarian capital by 

the OEM in 2008. It provides complex services 

and support in over ten languages across the 

EMEA region and worldwide. 

Csucska has worked for the company for the 

last decade, in a range of leadership positions in 

the supply chain, including planning, strategy, 

and customer services, as well as in Quality, 

Environment, and Operational Excellence. 

He has also held various quality, engineering, 

and supply chain positions across the 

manufacturing sector, with companies such as 

Sanyo, GE, and Diebold-Nixdorf. Csucska has an 

Honour degree in Chemistry from Uzhhorod 

State University in Ukraine, and speaks four 

languages. He is also a graduate of 

GE Healthcare’s Operational Management 

Leadership Programme, and is an ISO 

9001/14000 Lead Auditor. 

Robin Edwardes 

Robin Edwardes has served 

as the Commercial Manager 

of Clover Imaging Group’s 

EMEA division since 2011, 

and has a total of 34 years’ 

experience of sales and 

marketing for the IT industry. 

He boasts more than 

three decades of knowledge with companies 

across Europe, Africa, Asia, India, the Middle East, 

and the USA, and holds a degree from the 

University of Warwick, England. He specialises in 

international sales strategies, structures, and 

management, as well as organisational changes 

and mergers. He is also considered an expert on 

printing products and imaging supplies. 

Volker Kappius 

Volker Kappius has been 

CEO of Delacamp AG for 

over a decade, since taking 

up the post in February 

2005. Prior to this position, 

he has worked for Dell 

Computers, and business 

consultancy company Putz & Partner. 

He holds a postgraduate degree in Business 

Ethics, and studied Business Administration at 

the University of Hamburg, with a focus on 

Marketing, International Management, and 

Organisational Psychology. 

Zoltan Matyas 

In the past 15 years I have 

built a successful sales 

career in the international 

printer consumable market, 

becoming the European 

Sales Director of a marketleading 

global distribution 

company. I have a wide 

range of "C" level business contacts in Europe as 

well as Asia and USA. 

I'm also an expert in developing digital 

marketing and social media strategies both for 

B2B and B2C operations. I'm familiar with 

concepts such as online engagement, 

community management, digital lead 

generation, and inbound and content marketing. 

Peter Mayhew 

Peter Mayhew has over 35 

years’ experience of photo 

and digital image capture, 

desktop and wide-format 

hardware, supplies, and 

software, systems and 

markets. He is Managing 

Director of Lightwords Imaging, a market 

research, analysis, and consulting firm, and their 

lead industry analyst. Most recently, he 

developed Lightwords’ proprietary methodology 

for analysing wide-format markets by 

application. For Lightwords, he has established 

partnerships with the Photizo Group, focusing 

on European managed print service markets, and 

the PNI Group, who analyse and forecast 

consumer-imaging market trends. PNI Group 

also publishes Photofinishing News. 

Previously Mayhew was Senior European 

Analyst and Director of Lyra Research Europe. 

At Ilford Imaging, he achieved the position of 

Head of Worldwide Commercial Marketing and 

was a member of Ilford’s core team, charged 

with introducing digital imaging technology. 

Mayhew has also established a photo-lab, an 

industrial photo studio, and a trade-show 

display business. 

Antonio Sánchez 

Navarro 

Antonio Sánchez Navarro is 

Founder and President of 

Nubeprint. Antonio’s experience 

in managed print 

services started in 1998: 

First working for a global OEM with worldwide 

responsibilities, then as a dealer providing MPS, 

he finally set up his own software technology 

company. This expertise is the base of Antonio’s 

360-degree view that he has applied to the MPS 

industry. 

Antonio’s expertise in BPM and lean 

management provides a unique view to 

address and solve the issues around the 

complexity of the delivery of MPS services. This 

includes taking advantage of the collateral 

benefits of MPS into multiple areas of a dealer, 

a system integrator or an IT service providers, 

such as the automatic order fulfilment of 

cartridges both OEM and remanufactured. As a 

result, Nubeprint has developed the only 

software application in the market designed to 

ensure that the dealers run a profitable MPS 

business. 

Antonio actively contributes to the 

development of the MPS industry, with multiple 

articles that are regularly published worldwide, 

and as a speaker in industry events. 

Vincent van Dijk 

Vincent van Dijk is parttime 

Managing Director of 

ETIRA, the European trade 

association of remanufacturers 

of toner and inkjet 

cartridges. 

Since the creation of ETIRA in 2003 by its 15 

founding members, the association has grown to 

more than 55 members across 15 countries, and 

is now recognised as the official European 

industry representation. 

Vincent is a seasoned expert in multinational 

industry representation, having 

managed several trade associations in both 

Brussels and The Hague for more than 12 years. 

During his tenure in Brussels, he acquired major 

experience in EU affairs, providing strategic 

counsel to multinational clients in the US and 

Europe. 

Vincent holds a law degree, specializing in 

corporate law, from the University of Leiden. 

Born in 1962, he is of Dutch nationality 

and fluent in Dutch, English, German and 

French, and has basic knowledge of Spanish. 

He is a regular speaker at international 

seminars and congresses. 

Benjamin Young 

Benjamin Young holds 

Masters degrees in both 

Finance and Business 

Administration, from 

Tsinghua University and 

CEIBS respectively. In 

2001, along with Charles 

and Ricky, he set up Speed Infotech in China, 

focusing only on remanufactured inkjet 

cartridges. As CEO of the company, Benjamin 

led the whole team into fast growing in the 

past 18 years. 

The company started from zero and today 

has over 600 staff in China and Europe, over 

20,000sqm plant and more than 10 

automation production lines. Though Speed 

already became a leading company in the 

remanufactured inkjet industry worldwide, it 

keeps growing each year. In the coming decade, 

Speed will continue all remanufactured 

activities and is willing to partner all 

customers, to grow together and reach new 

success. 

R 


AROUND THE INDUSTRY 


EUROPE Printer shipments, 

CONTEXT, Market Data 

Downward 

trend 

New distribution data published 

by IT market intelligence 

company CONTEXT has shown 

printer hardware sales in 

Western Europe are following the 

declining trend of 2017’s Q4 in 

MFPs also being recorded; inkjet 

MFPs account for more than 60 

percent of printer hardware sales in 

Western Europe. 

There was more encouraging news 

in the Laser MFP category, which was 

the only one to register an increase in 

sales, albeit a small one. CONTEXT 

state that this positive performance 

was mainly driven by A4 colour and 

A3 laser MFPs. 

In more positive news, revenue 

from distributor sales in Western 

Europe rose from the previous 

quarter, but was still 3 percent lower 

compared to Q1 in 2017. Distributors 

in most Western European countries 

saw a decline in unit sales, although 

exceptions such as France (with a 5 

percent year-on-year increase in 

consumer inkjet sales) and the 

United Kingdom bucked the trend. 

Distributors in Spain, meanwhile, 

witnessed a drop in sales of 

consumer inkjets of 11 percent.) 

From an OEM perspective, 

Samsung now holds the third largest 

market share of the laser device 

market, with a 2.5 percent 

improvement, whereas HP saw a 

year-on-year dip of 1 percent – 

although still leads the field, with 

Brother in second. HP’s Q4 2017 

acquisition of Samsung’s print 

business also produced a strong 

increase for the OEM in A3 business 

inkjet hardware market share. 

EUROPE ECS, Expansion, Business, Blog 

ECS publishes blog as Roberts 

joins team 

Effective Consumable Solutions has welcomed a new member to its workforce, in 

the week that it offered knowledge on the customer benefits of remanufacturing. 

Darren Roberts, the British 

Besides welcoming Roberts 

company’s new Executive Account 

Manager, has joined as part of an 

on board, the company has 

also recently released a new 

expanding team, which has been 

blog that examines the 

steadily growing year-on-year. The 

customer advantages of 

appointment is part of ECS’ drive to 

remanufacturing. Despite 

“solidify [its] status as a leader within 

a market that is thriving.” 

Roberts, who previously held 

positions with companies such a s 

being in the business, ECS’ 

Jack Anderson argues that 

“there is much more to it than 

our own gain,” adding that 

Katun/GPI, spoke enthusiastically Darren Roberts customers “will benefit a lot 

of his new role, calling it “an 

more from a remanufactured 

exciting time to work for ECS, as one of the 

only remaining UK remanufacturers of high 

quality products.” He also praised the “leaps 

and bounds” in ECS’ growth in recent years. 

“I can’t wait to contribute to the future 

success of ECS and ensure that we continue 

to be seen as a manufacturer that is known for 

fantastic service and high quality products,” 

continued Roberts. “It isn’t often that an 

opportunity like this becomes available, and it 

is one that I grabbed firmly with both hands.” 

ECS declared that the company is “looking 

forward to the success that they can have 

together,” and hoped that its new recruit “will 

be the answer to the ever-growing market 

share that they have access to by providing an 

exceptional level of service on their behalf.” 

“Darren is the finished article when it 

comes to dealing with the toner cartridge 

aftermarket,” said ECS Director Chris Fink. 

“His years of experience will be invaluable to 

ECS and our ongoing evolution as a 

company.” 

product than you might think.” 

Anderson gives three key areas of benefit, 

the first being lower prices; he argues that 

“typically, remanufactured products cost 30- 

60 percent less than an original product, 

which provides you, the customer, with a 

huge saving.” 

Citing availability as the second key benefit, 

he points out that “remanufactured products 

usually have a shorter lead time than your 

originals, meaning that you can get what you 

want, when you want it.” Anderson also adds 

that whereas OEM products are often 

discontinued, the remanufactured alternative 

“can still be produced years after the original 

is no longer available.” 

Finally, Anderson highlights the flexibility of 

remanufactured products, adding that ECS 

and other similar companies “are usually 

interested in the final destination of their 

product, and usually offer a service in addition 

to the initial sale of the product, such as a 

take-back scheme.” 

NORTH AMERICA Crime, Toner, Theft 

Jail sentence for toner theft 

David Miedel, of Michigan, has been sentenced for his part in the theft of Xerox toner. 

42-year-old Miedel was sentenced to a year in 

prison and ordered to pay $1.03 million 

(€833,000) restitution to Xerox, following his 

conviction for conspiracy to transfer stolen 

property in interstate commerce, reports 13 

WHAM. 

The OEM provides its branded toner to 

customers who have leased office 

equipment. Miedel was working at a Xerox 

warehouse in Charlotte, North Carolina in 

August 2015, where surplus supplies 

returned by the company’s customers were 

stored. 

In September of that year, Miedel 

purchased the supplies “for himself and his 

partner”, paying the warehouse employees a 

cash sum of $1,800 (€1,455) before selling 

the supplies himself. He then began buying 

stolen Xerox supplies from a figure in 

Webster, New York, with the purchases 

reaching a grand total of around $200,000 

(€161,700). The prosecution alleges that the 

total loss to the OEM as a result was over 

$1 million (€808,500). 

The sentencing followed an investigation 

by Homeland Security Investigations and its 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement 

department, led by Kevin Kelly. 




EUROPE Airpack Systems, Plastic, Packaging 

The demonisation of plastic? 

An article by Rob Bishop, Managing Director of Airpack Systems, asks whether 

plastic deserves all of the negative press it has been receiving of late. 

Opening the article by explaining that 

plastic is currently being “demonised for its 

damaging effects on the environment”, 

Bishop goes on to ask whether all of the 

negative media attention is “entirely 

justified”, and questions the validity of 

paper and cardboard as viable plastic 

replacements. 

While he concedes that plastic waste “is 

certainly a big problem that needs to be 

urgently improved”, he argues that we 

must accept that “pretty much all human 

activity involves use of the earth’s resources 

and has an impact on our environment”; 

therefore, the challenge for humans is to 

“constantly improve the way we use those 

resources”. 

He explains that, while plastic is the 

material that is being scrutinised most 

closely, paper and cardboard may not be 

“the simple green solution some may 

think.” To illustrate this fact, Bishop makes 

a comparison between the processes 

involved in the manufacture and recycling 

of both plastic and paper: 

• The overall energy required to produce a 

paper bag is between four to five times 

more than a plastic bag 

• Both production processes require water, 

but paper production is a particularly 

water intensive process, using 

approximately 15 times more water 

• Paper bag production produces 70 

percent more pollution than plastic bags 

• Paper manufacturing generates 80 

percent more greenhouse gas emissions 

than plastic bags 

When it comes to protective packaging, 

there are a number of other environmental 

benefits for plastic over paper. 

Bishop explains: “the weight of any 

packaging materials will directly impact the 

amount of energy required to transport the 

packaging materials themselves and also 

the pack of finished goods to the retailer or 

end-user. Switching to a lighter weight 

material can positively impact your carbon 

footprint. Once inflated, inflatable bags 

consist of only 2 percent plastic and 98 

percent air – so, that’s pretty much as light 

as air!” 

Deflated bags “take up much less space 

than paper and board based protective 

packaging” which means “significantly less 

vehicles are required to transport large 

quantities and much less storage space is 

required” as well. These factors combine to 


help reduce CO 2 emissions and carbon 

footprint. 

Bishop states, “Inflatable plastic 

packaging is one of the most effective 

methods for protecting fragile items in 

transit, with significantly reduced levels of 

damage, with rates as low as 0.04 percent 

breakages for shipments achieved by 

customers over a period of an entire year. 

That’s a significant reduction in wasteful 

replacements, returns and replacement 

logistics, costs and delays.” 

Because plastic is “more durable than 

paper”, this renders the material more 

suitable for being reused multiple times. 

Recycling paper is “very resource and 

energy intensive compared to plastic and it 

takes significantly less energy to recycle a 

kilo of plastic compared to paper”, 

according to Bishop. However, he does 

concede that “due to lower awareness and 

fewer recycling facilities, in 2014 UK rates 

of plastic recycling, at 37.9 percent, were 

significantly lower than paper recycling at 

73.1 percent (Defra March 2017).” 

Bishop adds, “LDPE plastics are 

beginning to be accepted through kerbside 

recycling schemes, but there is still a way to 

go in improving the understanding of 

which types of plastic can be recycled, such 

as yoghurt pots and plastic trays, and the 

more widespread availability of recycling 

facilities.” 

He concludes the article by saying that 

“we should be careful about providing 

simple solutions to complex problems”. He 

also asserts that we need to channel more 

energy into improving the manufacture, 

reuse and recycling processes of our 

various packaging materials, saying that 

“no doubt increased research and 

innovation into plastics recycling will be 

part of the answer.” 

However he finishes by saying that we 

need to be wary that we do not “over 

simplify our response to one 

environmental problem only to end up 

with an even bigger one to deal with.” 

33



EUROPE Integral, Business, Expansion 

Steve Bradley 

joins Integral 

team 

Bradley has become Integral’s 

Business Development Manager for 

the EMEA region. 

His job description 

involves developing 

existing and new 

corporate photocopier 

dealer groups and 

distributors with either 

finished cartridges or 

bulk toner. 

Steve Bradley 

Bradley has almost 20 years of 

experience in the industry, having held 

previous roles at well-known companies 

such as Katun, where he began his 

career as Regional Sales Manager; 

Static Control Components Europe, 

where he worked as Senior Regional 

Sales Manager; and KMP, where he 

worked for just over a year as Sales 

Director Export. 

Integral GmbH is a European toner 

manufacturer based in North Rhine- 

Westphalia, Germany, which supplies 

finished cartridges or toner in bulk. The 

company’s toner is manufactured in the 

EU and is “designed specifically to be 

used in critical applications”. 

EUROPE UniNet, Promotions, Europe 

UniNet Europe reveals executive 

team promotions 

UniNet has announced new executive sales team promotions at UniNet Europe. 

Fabio Ghirardello and Iryna Volovic have been appointed as Business 

Fabio Ghirardello has been appointed as 

Business Development Manager for Spain, 

Italy, Portugal and Greece territories. 

Mr. Ghirardello has been with UniNet for 

more than 8 years, and prior to his 

appointment, he was leading the sales 

efforts for the Italian region. In his new 

role, he will be in charge of all sales 

initiatives, developing and executing new 

business opportunities, as well as creating 

customised solutions to existing clients and 

new prospects. 

Fabio Ghirardello has a proven record 

of facilitating long term business 

relationships with our client base. His 

“strong winning attitude and personality” 

are described by the company as assets that 

will “complement, and enhance UniNet’s 

ability” to meet the needs of its customers. 

Iryna Volovic has been also appointed as 

the new Business Development Manager 

for the territories of France, Germany, and 

Eastern Europe. 

Ms. Volovic has been with the company 

for over 6 years as a sales professional for 

the Eastern European region. In her 

expanded position, Iryna Volovic will have a 

strategic role in accelerating growth, as well 

Fabio Ghirardello and Iryna Volovic 

as developing and executing business 

opportunities to meet and exceed customer 

product needs, as well as to fine tune the 

customer experience for existing clients 

and prospects. 

A highly accomplished, and talented 

sales professional, UniNet explains that 

Iryna possesses a dynamic personality, and 

has proven outstanding leadership abilities, 

as well as an enviable track record of 

successfully implementing large scale sales 

initiatives for the company. 

“As UniNet prepares for the next chapter 

in our growth, Fabio Ghirardello and Iryna 

Volovic contribution will prove to be an 

exceptional and valuable asset for our 

European team and our existing and future 

European customers,” said Nestor Saporiti, 

CEO at UniNet. 

NORTH AMERICA NovaCopy, Name change, Business 

NovaCopy reveals corporate name change 

NovaCopy, Inc. announced its name change to Novatech. 

The new name was chosen to better reflect 

the company’s strategic focus of being a 

Managed IT and Print Service provider and 

marks a new chapter of the company’s 

growth. 

NovaCopy specialises in providing stateof-the-art 

office and 3D printing technology, 

document workflow solutions, and awardwinning 

service to thousands of businesses 

throughout the United States. Recognised 

11 times as one of the fastest growing 

companies in the United States by Inc. 

Magazine, the company attributes its 

skyrocketing growth to continuously 

evolving, filling a need within the business 

communities it serves. 

“As the copier business has changed, we 

have evolved into a Managed Service 

Provider and believed our name did not 

fully reflect the services we provide our 

customers,” said Novatech CEO Darren 

Metz. “To better reflect who we are, who we 

are becoming, and the solutions and 

services we provide, we have changed our 

name to Novatech.” 

In its evolution, Novatech seeks to 

improve the efficiency and dependability of 

customers’ office and IT operations as it 

moves forward. The company explains that 

it will take this even further not only by 

delivering exceptional Managed Services, 

but also providing strategic planning and 

consulting to optimise a business’ 

technology ecosystem (which includes 

office and document solutions). 

“The best Managed IT and Print Service 

providers have moved beyond break/fix 

solutions and proactively work to keep a 

customer’s IT engine running so well that 

one avoids or drastically reduces the 

break/fix cycle and all the extra costs and 

downtime that goes with it,” said Novatech 

Vice President of Technical Services Carl 

Pottkotter. “Novatech’s approach reduces 

the costs of keeping the lights on and 

enables investment in technologies that 

facilitate business growth and 

productivity.” 

Novatech is an authorised technology 

and solution provider for Konica Minolta, 

Canon, HP, Markforged and other global 

manufacturers. As part of its strategic 

focus, Novatech plans to continue, and 

build upon, the fast and efficient on-site 

and remote service it provides to thousands 

of customers throughout the United States. 

Along with the name change, the 

company updated its logo and will be 

moving into its new headquarters complex 

in Nashville later this month. 




GLOBAL Market Data, MPS, Growth 

Global MPS market to grow by 6.9 percent 

The global managed print services market is expected to reach $49.7 billion 

Managed print services provide 

accurate monitoring of print 

resources through clearly defined 

mechanism and analysis. MPS 

providers emphasise modernisation 

and continuous improvement in 

their offerings but few communicate 

the business value of MPS. 

Enhancing the use of analytics and 

cloud computing will boost the 

market over the forecast period. 

Cloud-based deployment mode is 

expected to hold the largest share of 

managed print services market over 

the forecast period. High cost 

effectiveness with the deployment of 

managed print services are changing the 

aspects of conventional IT model. 

Cloud-based deployment holds the 

maximum market share as it offers 

businesses to remotely access their 

documents and data on the cloud while 

hybrid deployment mode is expected to be 

the fastest growing mode of deployment 

over the next few years. 

Large enterprises segment is anticipated 

to dominate the managed print services 

market over the forecast period. They are 

mainly prone to malware, threats, spams 

and others security concerns. 

To avoid these, they are focused on 

managing their operations and processes. 

Thus, dominating the managed print 

services market in the forecast period. 

Further key findings from the report 

suggest: 

• The global managed print services 

market accounted for $26.7 billion (€21.7 

billion) in 2016 and is expected 

to grow at a CAGR of 6.9 

percent from 2017 to 2025 

• Large enterprises segment 

emerged as the largest 

segment in 2016 and is 

estimated to generate revenue 

over $34.4 billion (€27.9 

billion) by 2025 

• The market hybrid 

deployment mode is 

anticipated to witness the 

highest growth of a CAGR of 

7.1 percent over the forecast 

period 

• The North America market hold the 

largest share in the managed print 

services market in 2016. The growing 

start-ups, heavy demand for managed 

print services, and favourable 

government regulations drive the North 

America managed print services market. 

• Key players include Xerox Corporation, 

HP, Lexmark, Canon, and Ricoh are 

accounting for the majority share of the 

overall market in 2016. 

NORTH AMERICA USTR, Chinese Imports, Tariffs 

USTR imposes tariffs on Chinese products 

Following an executive memorandum to the USTR last month, the Trade Representative has released a sizeable list of 

Chinese-origin products which will incur 25 percent ad valorem duty. 

As Lexology reports, on 3 April, 

the USTR released a notice in 

which it proposes to implement 

the additional duty on a long list 

of Chinese products, in a move 

decided to “eliminate several of 

China’s policies and practices” 

which have been deemed to be 

“unreasonable or discriminatory 

and burden or restrict US 

commerce”. 

These policies and practices 

include “forced technology 

transfers, investment in and acquisition of 

assets to obtain US intellectual property 

and technology, and theft of US 

intellectual property.” 

Analysts working in a range of US 

government agencies “identified products 

that benefit from Chinese industrial 

policies, including Made in China 2025.” 

The list of products to be affected is 

“extensive”; the products featured on it 

“are identified by eight-digit tariff items”. 

They include iron, steel and aluminium, 

printing machinery, computer-related 

equipment and accessories, and electrical 

equipment such as transformers. 

It has been estimated by the USTR that 

the “2018 trade value” of the items 

featured on the list is roughly $50 billion 

(€40.7 billion), “which it 

believes is an appropriate level 

given the harm to the US 

economy”. 

China has reacted to the 

release of the list by 

announcing that it will impose 

“an additional 25 percent duty 

on 106 US products”, among 

them automobiles, soybeans 

and whiskey. This is in 

addition to the “recently 

implemented retaliatory tariffs 

on over $600 million (€488.8 million)” 

on other US products such as pork and 

ethanol, which were implemented 

following “the section 232 tariffs on 

imports of steel and aluminium” levied by 

the US. 

It is currently unclear to what extent 

these new tariffs will affect the 

remanufacturing industry. 




NORTH AMERICA LD Products, Gold Line 

LD Products offers Gold incentives to resellers 

LD Products Channel Partner Division revealed that the company has come up with a way for toner resellers to “create 

more demand, grow their bottom line and reduce administrative hassles associated with toner purchases and returns.” 

Following on from the launch of its new 

Channel Partners Division and website at 

the beginning of the year, LD Products has 

come up with a new innovation to benefit 

its reseller partners. 

After a full year of intense product 

development and field testing in 2017, 

LD Products Channel Partner Division 

officially launched their exclusive Gold 

Line in 2018, described by LD as 

“an alternative to expensive OEM 

and overpriced remanufactured toner 

products.” 

So far, as the business explains, Gold 

Line customers have achieved a return rate 

of only 1/10 of 1 percent of all cartridges 

shipped leading to the launch of a new 

incentive plan for resellers to rethink their 

toner strategy as an LD Gold Partner. 

“Our Gold Partners will be able to win 

market share from competition and 

increase their profitability with current 

customers by switching from their current 

OEM or remanufactured toner providers,” 

stated Christian Pepper, President of LD 

Products Channel Partner Division. “Our 

pioneer resellers have reported that the 

quality of our cartridges is excellent, so we 

are willing to do things other toner 

providers may not to earn your business.” 

In return for an annual volume 

agreement, Supplies Resellers, Copier 

Dealers, Managed Print Providers and 

Managed Service Providers will receive the 

following as a Gold Partner; 

LD Gold Partner Benefits 

• Switching Incentive 

• 10 percent rebate on all purchases 

made in the first 90 days 

• Zero Risk Quality Promise 

• Easy replacement cartridge 

management. 

• No replacement invoice paperwork or 

approval hassles. 

• Free cartridge will be shipped 

overnight if you experience any issues. 

• If your organisation sends a tech to 

investigate and repair a faulty 

cartridge, the full repair cost including 

labour will be reimbursed as well. 

• Quarterly Rebates 

• Customisable rebate programs offer 

cash back or you can use the dollars to 

leverage LD’s professional sales 

training, digital marketing, lead 

generation campaigns and consulting 

services. 

• Quarterly Onsite Strategy Sessions 

• Best practice consultancy to grow 

demand, streamline operations and 

strengthen margins. 

“Toner resellers are concerned about OEM 

intrusion into their business, margin 

reduction and aftermarket vendor 

consolidation which is why we are willing 

to put our money where our mouth is for 

dealers looking to trial our product for free 

and as long as they want”, stated Pepper. 

The LD Gold Line, engineered in 

Arizona, is the first North American toner 

line that combines a brand-new shell with 

the same components used in popular 

remanufactured cartridges. 

EMEA GIT, Expansion, Business 

GIT seeks to expand 

its sales team 

German Imaging Technologies’ CEO is calling for 

applications for 10 new sales positions the company is 

seeking to fill. 

Declaring “Are you an A player, a winner? 

Then you are who we want!”, Dr Sassan 

Dieter Khatib-Shahidi has explained via 

corporate social media that his Dubaibased 

company, GIT, is “looking to hire 

great passionate people in different sales 

functions”. 

The roles GIT is seeking to fill include Dubai Team Leader, 

MPS specialist, Key Account and Relationship Managers. 

The list of jobs available can be found here. 

This expansion of its sales team is a continuation of the 

progress and development GIT has made over the past few years. 

So far in 2018, GIT has announced the signing of a partnership 

agreement with Canon and the expansion of its Souq partnership, 

as well as the passing of an STMC certification, while last year the 

company not only reported positive financials but celebrated 

success in Kenya and achieved the ISO 14001:2015 standard. 

EUROPE Innotec, ISO, Certification 

Innotec awarded new 

ISO certifications 

The French remanufacturer has announced that it has 

obtained the ISO 9001 and 14001 2015 versions. 

The company explained: “ISO 9001 certification is a true guarantee 

of quality. This 2015 version marks a considerable change: 

The link must now be made between the Quality system and its 

context, the economic environment, in order to adapt to changes in 

the market, competition, and the expectations of our direct and 

indirect customers. The objective is to obtain a real management 

tool that goes beyond the boundaries of the company, where risks 

are controlled and opportunities are seized. 

The Environmental Component, ISO 14001, has allowed us for 

many years to control and reduce the impact of our activity on the 

environment.” Innotec also stated that “the 2015 version becomes 

an economic, social and environmental marker of sustainable 

development that has helped us, and will help us, to pursue an 

environmental policy specific to our context.” 

Companies that receive the ISO 14001:2015 certification “are 

now also required to control the value chain in relation to the 

product’s life cycle, rather than just looking at the finished 

product.” 



39

WIDE FORMAT COLUMN 

3D printing starts as 

an eyewash cup 

When Antoinette Hull was summoned from her bed by her husband, Chuck, to 

his small laboratory in 1983, she had five words: “This had better be good.” 

Neal McChristy 

What Chuck Hull showed her was a 

small device he had made that could be 

used for an eyewash cup. The black 

plastic device was built with a process 

of stereolithography then. Now we 

know it as 3D printing. 

Hull, who became the co-founder 

and CTO of 3D Systems, Valencia, 

California, USA, had been working 

with a company using ultraviolet light 

to harden layers of plastic and shape 

them. He developed a method whereby 

light directed into a polymer made a 

solid from the liquid plastic. 

Hull, extremely prophetic, told 

Antoinette at the time it would be 25 

and 30 years before the technology 

would find its way into the home. His 

company would be established in 1986 

and 3D Systems Corporation would 

introduce the SLA-1, the world’s first 

commercial 3D printing system. 

Hull showed frustration at the time 

that it could take up to two months to 

produce the prototypes of new 

inventions. Over the course of a year at 

a small lab furnished by a company 

using UV light to put plastic veneer on 

furniture, he was ready to advance his 

invention. Since then, the father or two 

and grandfather has amassed 

numerous patents and awards for his 

inventions that have advanced the 

process of additive manufacturing and 

rapid prototyping. 

An alternative method for 3D 

printing was invented by Carl Deckard 

at University of Texas that turned 

loose powder into a solid, then used a 

laser to bind the powder into a solid. In 

1989, the husband-wife invention 

team of S. Scott Crump and Lisa 

Crump invented and patented Fused 

Deposition Modeling, a new additive 

40 

Jim Kor, president of Kor Ecologic, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, shows a model of the Urbee-2 

3D printed car while in the larger prototype of the full-scale printed car, which will be powered 

from an electric motor and an ethanol-fueled 10-horsepower combustion engine for its three 

wheels. (Courtesy Kor Ecologic) 

manufacturing method. Crump 

co-founded premier 3D printer 

manufacturer Stratasys, Eden Prairie, 

Minnesota, USA. 

Now this new printing industry, 3D 

printing, is estimated to be headed for a 

$4.5 billion (€ 3.7 billion Euro) value 

soon. 

Now, there is hardly one of the 

estates untouched by 3D printers. 

From Gutenberg to the present, no 

aspect of printing has captured the 

imagination as much. 3D printing in 

the home is rapidly advancing to the 

point where making your own tools or 

parts is becoming a reality. 3D printing 

has saturated multiple fields from 

medicine to industry to space, People 

even watch science-fiction movies 

interspersed with comments about 3D 

printing. 

From a camper to space 

Chuck Hull’s first eyewash cup has 

been supplanted with making houses, 

campers, cars, planes and even objects 

in space. 

On the domestic side, Create Café 

3D Printing Solutions, Saskatoon, 

Saskatchewan, Canada, recently 

printed a camper van with a volume of 

507 square feet (47.1 square meters) 

THE RECYCLER • ISSUE 307 • JUNE 2018


from PET plastic in soda pop bottles. 

The “Printron” 3D printer is 28 feet by 

eight feet by seven feet (8.5 by 2.4 by 

2.1 meters). 

Other Canadians have been likewise 

resourceful. Jim Kor, president of 

Kor Ecologic, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 

Canada, in partnership with 

Stratasys, is working on 3D printing 

the Urbee-2, a name derived from 

urban, electric and ethanol. It’s a 

small car for urban use, with power 

from an electric motor and an 

ethanol-fueled 10-horsepower 

combustion engine for its three 

wheels. It will weigh 1,200 pounds 

(544.3 kg.) and Kor plans on driving it 

across the United States when built, 

using 10 gallons (less than 38 liters) 

of biofuel. 

Stratasys just announced a 

mainstream 3D printer, the F900, 

which has capability for carbon-fiber 

filled nylon manufacturing for such 

uses as additive-manufacturing flightworthy 

parts. 

Aircraft parts seem a natural for 3D 

printing. In 2011, engineers at the 

University of Southampton designed 

and built the world’s first 3D printed 

aircraft in 2011. The unmanned model 

aircraft was built using laser-sintering. 

The entire structure of Southampton 

University Laser Sintered Aircraft 

(SULSA) was printed, from the wings 

to the controls at the university, located 

at Southampton, Hampshire, UK. 

Further into England, a company is 

making full-sized aircraft parts. Filton, 

Gloucestershire, England, in the 

shadow of the mothballed Concorde 

supersonic airliner, is building 

something almost as complex. Filton is 

using 3D printing to build titanium 

landing-gear brackets from solid blocks 

of metal. 

Of course, zero-gravity 3D printers 

have flown and successfully printed 

in space. The Recycler reported in the 

fall of 2014 on the flight of the 3D 

zero-gravity printer by from Made In 

Space, a company located in Silicon 

Valley at the NASA Ames Research 

Park in Mountain View, California, 

USA. But astronauts may generate 

some 3D printing material. Astronaut 

fecal material converted into a 

special plastic is also being considered 

as a material for 3D printing in 

space, too. 

R 

Wide-Format news in brief 

Graphene tackling world problems 

Graphene, 200 times the strength of 

steel and made of an the most 

common element on Earth, may 

tackle some of the most difficult 

problems on its home planet, 

according to Scott Simonsen, who 

does writing and research for the 

United Nation and writes in 

Singularity Hub. 

Sustainable Development Goals in 

a UN summit outlined 17 ambitious 

targets. Graphene, in case you 

missed any of the publicity, is a 

sheet of carbon atoms one atom 

thick, but also is a superconductor. 

It was first isolated at the University 

of Manchester, which made its 

isolation a Nobel Prize-winner in 

2010. But it’s tough to synthesize. 

One method showing promise 

from Kansas State University, 

Manhattan, Kansas, USA, fills a 

chamber with acetylene and 

oxygen, detonates it with a spark 

plug and collects the graphene. 

Here are some of the proposed 

uses for graphene, according to 

Simonsen: 

Clean Water – Graphene oxide 

sieves can filter seawater and used 

to desalinate sea water, with 

modification. Two universities 

developed graphene filters that can 

filter out any objects larger than 

one nanometer, such as viruses, 

bacteria or chemicals. 

Cleaner Air – Graphene 

membranes can also capture 

unwanted air emissions, separating 

them from commercial, residential 

and industrial emissions including 

as a carbon filter to filter carbon 

dioxide. 

Replacing body processes – 

Imagine a substance 200 times the 

strength of steel replacing a hip. 

That has to go through a vetting 

process for safety for graphene 

in the body, but it’s possible. 

Michigan Technological University, 

Houghton, Michigan, USA, is 

working with 3D printers on 

graphene nerves. In addition, the 

material can be used for sensors 

that detect toxins at 10 times less 

than current sensors. All this needs 

verification of safety first, but 

researchers in China have 

developed a graphene-based sensor 

that can detect a singular cancer 

cell. 

Building – Using graphene to 

enhance building materials is a 

natural use. And graphene added to 

concrete or aluminum makes 

stronger and lighter end-material. 

Plus, graphene’s conductivity and 

strength can be added to resins to 

make it more resistant to corrosion, 

according to Graphene Flagship, 

the European Union’s graphene 

research project, and partner 

Avanzare. 

Energy – Making solar panels 

from graphene makes flexible, 

transparent solar cells that are able 

to turn about any surface into an 

electric-power source. Larger, 

lighter wind turbines using 

graphene composites are possible. 

In addition, lithium-ion batteries 

can be enhanced with graphene 

and using it for aerogels that store 

energy or are supercapacitors. 


41


Wide-Format news in brief 

Mimaki Pulls Out All the Stops at FESPA 2018 

Mimaki announced its participation in 

FESPA 2018 May 15-18 in Berlin, 

Germany at Europe’s largest exhibition 

for the wide-format print industry. 

Wide Format & Signage magazine 

reports Mimaki’s full line of products, 

including solutions for the industrial, 

textile, sign graphics and developing 

3D markets. Special exhibits at FESPA 

will include Printeriors, the World 

Wrap Masters competition and Print 

Make Wear, a new textile feature. 

Mimaki’s 3DUJ-553 3D printer is scheduled to 

be at FESPA in mid-May, 2018, dubbed as 

first capable of producing more than 10 

million colours. It uses UV light to cure layers 

of photopolymers. (Courtesy Mimaki) 

UV LED roll-to-roll machines and 

Mimaki’s flagship solvent machines 

for signs are scheduled for display. 

3DMimaki’s well-received first foray 

into 3D market, the 3DUJ-553, will be 

at FESPA. It is dubbed as the world’s 

first 3D printer capable of producing 

more than 10 million colours. The 

machine jets and uses UV light to 

cure layers of liquid photopolymer 

to create prototypes or several models 

or parts. 

Aerogel lighter than air; can balance on grass 

A graphene aerogel seven times lighter 

than air and 12 percent lighter than 

aerographite has been created by 

Chinese material scientists, according 

to ExtremeTech Newsletter. 

A cubic meter of the graphene 

aerogel weighs just 160 grams (5.6 

ounces). It is so light that a cubic inch 

of it can balance on a grass blade or 

the stamen of a flower. 

To create the graphene aerogel, 

researchers at Zhejiang University use 

a freeze-drying method by creating a 

solution of graphene and carbon 

nanotubes that is poured into a mold, 

and then they freeze dry it. That 

dehydration process leaves singleatom-thick 

layers of graphene, 

supported by carbon nanotubes. The 

end result is an aerogel that weighs 

just 0.16 milligrams per cubic 

centimeter with superior elasticity and 

absorption. 

The graphene aerogel can absorb 

up to 900 times its own weight in oil 

and has superior recovery, so is 

thought to be useful in mopping up 

oil spills, squeezed for reclamation 

and returned to the oil spill to gather 

more. 

Printed electronics make wearable sensors 

Flexible and printed electronics are 

playing more of a role in wearable 

sensors, reports David Savastano, 

Printed Electronics Now. 

With Fitbit and wearable monitors, 

wearables are now a huge market. 

Now consumers are wanting 

wearables have more sophisticated 

sensors. Companies such as BeBop 

Sensors, Berkeley, California, USA, 

uses sensor solutions using smart 

fabrics. Gloves, sacks or other 

wearables transmit information. 

Printed Electronics Now reports that 

techniques for treatment of a huge 

selection of substrates, fabric and 

otherwise, progressively cheaper and 

smaller hardware components and 

quicker and cheaper printing 

techniques are expected to help 

encourage advances. 

Bacterial lights glow for days 

Glowee, a start-up company based in 

Paris, France, is developing bioluminescent 

lights to illuminate shop 

fronts and street signs, reports Frances 

Marcellin in New Scientist magazine 

Glowee has launched its first product 

– a bacteria-powered light that glows 

for three days. The company is now 

working on lights that will glow for a 

month or more. 

Lights are filled with small transparent 

cases filled with a gel, with 

bionutrients, that contains bioluminescent 

bacteria. Glowee uses a 

bacterium called Aliivibrio fischeri, 

which gives marine animals such as the 

Hawaiian bobtail squid a glow of bluegreen 

light. Scientists have been able 

to extend the lifespan of the 

bioluminescents for up to three days. 

Editor’s Note: Neal McChristy is a 

freelance writer with over 35 years 

journalism experience in magazine, 

newspaper and Web-based work. He has 

been contributing editor for magazine 

columns in the wide-format industry for 

18 years. He also has over 20 years’ 

experience as reporter and editor in the 

printing and imaging area. He likes to 

correspond with readers and can be reached 

at freelance9@cox.net. 


RETAIL COLUMN 

Crises and contingencies 

in retail 

A functioning business perseveres when there is a crisis. A well-run business 

prospers no matter who is at the helm. Your retail business needs a plan in 

place if something should happen to you, your key management or your physical 

location. There are steps you can take today to make sure that your business 

will thrive when the worst 

What happens to cripple businesses? 

What if you were in an accident that left 

you unable to work for weeks or 

months? Or something happened in 

your family and you had to focus on 

personal issues instead of the job? What 

if that same thing happened to your 

“right hand” manager? What if your 

inventory or store were damaged? 

Retailers are typically optimists. They 

rarely want to spend time working on 

defensive plans. Yet having a plan in 

place can provide peace of mind 

knowing your business will survive 

tough times. 

The best preparation is to focus on 

prevention. Have working fire and 

security alarms in place. Be an active 

member in your neighborhood or 

community association to stay 

informed of crime in your area. Have a 

clear communication plan for how to 

deal with fire or a criminal emergency. 

Train your staff and practice an 

evacuation plan (for both staff and 

customers.) Keep an updated contact 

list for fire, hospital, ambulance and 

police in multiple locations in the store. 

Keep a list of key suppliers and 

distributors both in the store AND in a 

second location so that you can reach 

them should your store be inaccessible. 

Protect vital business records by having 

cloud backup or other offsite backup 

system for your computer data. Be sure 

your store safe is fire proof as well as 

safe from burglary. 

All stores need insurance in place to 

cover physical assets. That includes 

your backroom and store inventory as 

well as all fixtures and supplies. Review 

your coverage with an agent to verify 

that you have coverage to replace losses 

as well as to cover your lost income. 

You will need concrete documentation 

of your inventory and assets so 

regularly update photos and secure 

documents to prove ownership. 

Ask about how you would 

compensate employees should your 

store have to be offline for a month or 

more. Known as a business continuity 

plan, identify the critical components 

that your store must have to continue to 

operate: inventory, employees and 

customers. Then work with your 

insurance company to create a coverage 

plan that would meet those minimal 

needs for a reasonable duration. 

Consider your social media and 

online presence in your planning. If you 

have a robust and active community, 

you can still get your messages out and 

even operate while your storefront is 

damaged or while you are away from 

Flora Delaney 

the business. Communicate to your 

store associates and customers as soon 

as possible after any emergency event. 

They may assume you are closed or 

unavailable so make sure you are clear 

about how to continue to do business 

with your store. 

Create a secondary operational plan. 

Can you sell online with fulfillment 

directly from distributors? With access 

to inventory, do you feel confident that 

you could create sales events online 

that would deliver some revenue during 

a crisis? Do you have the ability to 

service key customers during a crisis so 

that their crucial business is 

maintained? Could you create a 

temporary store within a store at 

another location? Once again, having a 

network within your local community 

is key. 


RETAIL COLUMN 

Assuming that 

your crisis is 

more personal— 

involving you or a 

key management 

member—the most 

effective plan is to have 

training and clear documentation. Each 

process and component of your 

business should have multiple people 

who can do the work. If there are some 

tasks that you keep for yourself because 

“you are the only one who can do it” 

begin to change that opinion now. If 

your second in command is a family 

member, remember that something 

could happen to the family. 

Any operation is more secure and 

stable when multiple people know how 

to fill many roles. 

Document how you do things in your 

store: cut purchase orders, pay invoices, 

set employee schedules, process payroll, 

banking and other routine processes. If 

someone in your business is the only 

one who has responsibility for key tasks, 

make sure they are documenting and 

training other people. They may not be 

as good at it as the primary person, but 

at least they will have some familiarity 

with how things are done. 

Make sure that your team 

understands the business plan and can 

make rudimentary decisions that align 

to the plan. If your business plan is to 

focus on key commercial customers, 

then they should know that in your 

absence, they need to focus on those 

customers first. If, conversely, your 

business plan is to shift more business to 

an online consumer base, they should 

know that as well. 

As a retailer, you are also at risk when 

your suppliers have a crisis that 

interrupts their service with you. Talk 

with your critical vendors about how 

they would inform you of a disruption 

and what plans are in place to take care 

of your business. Work toward a 

mutual agreement for communicating 

and extending extra terms in an 

emergency situation. Be sure you have 

multiple contact points into your 

vendors – not just one representative. 

Think through where you could go to 

get another source of products if a 

vendor’s pipeline 

were interrupted. 

Keep a warm 

relationship with 

secondary 

suppliers so that they 

do not hear from you for 

the first time when you are in a 

difficult predicament. 

When you come back online— 

whether you return to the store in full 

force or you literally have a reopening—use 

the occasion to create 

new excitement and promotions for 

your store. Think of a three tiered 

event: 

1. Have an internal celebration with 

employees to reconnect and thank 

them for the extra responsibility 

they took on through the 

emergency. Re-establish relationships 

and consider some token to 

commemorate their dedication. 

Renew your company vision to 

portray a future that will not be 

simply returning to business as 

usual but to reach new levels of 

success. 

2. Have a private event for loyal and 

large customers to thank them for 

standing by you in the crisis. Even if 

they did not. Make them feel 

appreciated with a private 

event/party that re-establishes 

loyalty from you and toward you 

with those customers that you need 

to stay strong. Again, provide a 

token that they will appreciate to 

keep faithful relationships. 

3. Finally, have a public event that is 

based on a re-grand opening or a 

welcome back party for a key 

manager. Use social and traditional 

media to get your message out. 

Consider an on-location radio event, 

a sidewalk barbecue or food truck 

and press releases to make your 

misfortune the start of a new 

chapter. 

As an optimistic retailer, it is not in 

our nature to think about the 

downturns in business. But with these 

contingency plans in place, you can 

rest knowing that even in 

emergencies, your business will 

prosper. 

R 


45

PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY 


EUROPE Biuromax, Cartridges, Chips 

Biuromax releases range of new products 

The Polish company has unveiled a new Olivetti-compatible toner cartridge and a range of replacement chips for use 

with a variety of Lexmark and Konica Minolta Bizhub models. 

Biuromax has released a new compatible 

toner cartridge for use in the Olivetti d- 

Copia 4023MF/4024MF/4024MFP. These 

compatible cartridges come with chip and 

come with a page yield of 7,200. 

It has also unveiled a new set of 

replacement chips for use in the Lexmark 

MS and MX series. 

Newly available replacement chips are 

for use with the Lexmark MS317/MS417/ 

MS517/MS617/MX317/MX417/MX517/M 

X617, the Lexmark MS817/MS818/ 

MX717/ MX718 and the Lexmark 

M1140/XM1140 printers. 

The Polish company has also released 

replacement chips for use in the Lexmark 

M1145/XM1145, the M3150/XM3150, and 

the M5155/M5163/M5170/XM5163/ 

XM5170 printers. 

Also unveiled were replacement chip for 

use with the XM7155/XM7163/XM7170. 

All chips are for Black cartridges, and are 

available in all regions. 

The latest release from Biuromax 

included replacement chips for use with 

Konica Minolta cartridges TNP420 and 

TNP44. 

The replacement chips are for use with 

TNP420 cartridges for use in Konica 

Minolta Bizhub 4020 devices and come 

with a 20,000 page yield. 

The replacement chips for use with 

TNP44 cartridges for use in Konica 

Minolta Bizhub 4050/4070/4750 

devices. These replacement chips come 

with a page yield of 20,000. 

To find out more these new products, 

EUROPE Aster, Cartridges 

Aster releases 

replacement 

toner cartridges 

Aster has released new 

replacement toner cartridges for 

use in a range of Brother printers. 

The new cartridges, available from 

Aster’s Holland warehouse, are for use 

with the Brother HL-L2350DW/HL- 

L2310D/HL-L2357DW/HL-L2375 

DW/ HL-L2370DN, MFC-L2710DN/ 

MFC-L2710 DW/MFC-L2730DW/ 

MFC-L2750DW, and DCP-L2510D/ 

DCP-L2530DW/DCP-L2537DW/DCP- 

L2550DN. 

The two replacement toner cartridges 

offer a print yield of either 1200 or 

3000, “the same page yield as the 

OEM’s”, according to Aster. 

For more information, visit 

www.goaster.com. 

ASIA CET, Cartridges, Supplies, Parts 

CET launches new products 

The Chinese supplier has announced a range of new products for use in 

various OEM applications. 

The first new product launched was a 

compatible black drum unit for use in 

Konica Minolta Bizhub C258/308/368 

machines. The compatible drum unit 

comes with a page yield of 12,000. 

The next product launched was a 

compatible monochrome toner cartridge 

for use in Kyocera Ecosys P2235dn/ 

2235dw/M2135dn/2635dn as well as 

Kyocera Ecosys M2235dn/2235dw/ 

2635dw and 

2735dw machines. 

These compatible 

cartridges come 

with a page yield of 

3,000. 

Also launched 

was a CMYK set of 

compatible toner 

cartridges for use 

in Ricoh Aficio 

MPC4502/4502A 

/5502 and 5502A 

machines. The compatible black 

cartridge comes with a page yield of 

31,000 and the CMY cartridges come with 

page yields of 22,500. 

The latest announcement was for a 

compatible parts for use in various Ricoh 

machines and HP Laserjet machines. 

For more information go to 

www.cetgroupco.com. 


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GLOBAL Apex, Chips, Remanufacturing 

Apex launches new chips 

The company released a new range of replacement chips for use with various OEM applications. 

Since November 2017, Kyocera 

has launched a series of A4/A3 monochrome 

and colour multi-function 

machines with printing speed of 21 to 

44 ppm (monochrome) and 21 to 30 

ppm (colour). Most of this series of 

printers are MFPs with functions of print, 

copy, scan, and fax. Kyocera aims these 

printers at large and medium-sized 

enterprise users. 

Apex’s ASIC designed replacement 

chips are for use with Kyocera TK- 

6115/8115 series cartridges. Compatible 

printer models include Kyocera ECOSYS 

M4132idn/ M4125idn and Kyocera 

ECOSYS M8130cidn/M8124cidn. 

According to Apex, these replacement 

chips “pass a series of rigorous 

professional tests”, offer “stable 

performance with batch supply” and are 

“easy to install in recycled cartridges” 

The company also announced the 

release of replacement chips for use in 

Samsung MLT-110 series printers. 

In July 2017, Samsung released MLT- 

D110 series A4 monochrome multifunctional 

printers in India. The print 

speed is up to 20 ppm and supports 

mobile printing and AirPrint. 

The newly launched replacement chips 

are in the company’s SoC design and 

are for use in Samsung SL-M2060/ 

M2060FW printers and come with page 

yields of 1,000 or 1,500. 

Apex said it is ‘first-to-market’ these 

replacement chips for Samsung MLT-D111 

series cartridges. 

Furthermore, the company has released 

new versions of replacement chips for 

HP CF500 series, replacement chips for 

Canon CRG-052 series and replacement 

chips for Epson P6000 series. 

The range of new version replacement 

chips announced are for use with the HP 

CF5000 series printers. The chip maker 

stated that “Apex found that newly 

produced printers use with CF500/510 

series cartridges has made hardware 

upgrades, which results the replacement 

chips are unrecognized by its 

corresponding printers produced after 

January 2018. Meanwhile, the printer 

prompts “Supply Memory Error”. Products 

(CF530/540) of the same series might be 

update soon.” 

In response to hardware upgrades of 

newly produced printers, Apex launched 

updated replacement chips for HP CF500 

series. To meet the new printer hardware 

data validation rules, the new solution 

sets two corresponding “keys” in the chip 

data to match the printer data verification. 

In addition, the update solution can 

normally work with both the old and new 

printers, without fear of “Supply Memory 

error”. 

The new version replacement chips are 

for use in HP LaserJet Pro M254dw/ 

254nw, HP LaserJet Pro M280nw, HP 

LaserJet Pro M281fdw/281fdn, HP 

Colour LaserJet Pro M254nw/254dw, 

HP Colour LaserJet Pro MFP 

M280nw, HP Colour LaserJet Pro 

MFP M281fdw/281fdn, HP LaserJet 

Pro M154nw/154a, HP LaserJet Pro 

M180nw/180n, HP LaserJet Pro M181fw, 

HP Colour LaserJet Pro MFP M181fw and 

HP Colour LaserJet Pro MFP M180n. 

The latest announcement was a new 

range of SoC designed chips for use in the 

Canon CRG-052 series printers. 

Canon released a new series of 

imageCLASS monochrome laserjet 

printers and MFPs in March 2018. The 

new series are designed for small-tomedium 

sized business, the print speed 

up to 40 ppm. It is available to add an extra 

paper tray, as well as the function of 

mobile printing capability and Wi-Fi direct 

connectivity. 

The newly released chips are for use in 

Canon imageCLASS LBP214dw/215dw, 

Canon imageCLASS MF426dw/424dw/ 

429dw, Canon i-SENSYS LBP212dw/ 

214dw/215x and Canon i-SENSYS 

MF421dw/426dw/428x/429x. 

The third new range released are ASIC 

design replacement chips for Epson 

P6000 series printers. 

The chips are for use in Epson 

SureColor P6000/P7000/P8000/P9000, 

Epson SureColor P6080/P7080/ 

P8080/P9080 and Epson SureColor SC- 

P10080/P20080 printers. 

For more information go to 

www.apexmic.com. 

NORTH AMERICA Katun, Complete Suite, Remanufacturing 

Katun unveils complete suite in America and Europe 

In North America, the supplier has launched a complete suite of essential products for use in Konica Minolta BIZHUB 

C452/C552/C652 devices and in Europe the company released a 

The suite for the North American market, 

consists of a full set of CMYK toner 

cartridges, in addition to a paper take up 

roller, a waste toner container, and a drum 

unit rebuild kit. 

For the European market, the 

monochrome components are for use in 

Sharp’s MX-M283 N series of 

multifunction printers, and includes a 

black toner cartridge; an OPC drum; a 

drum cleaning blade; two models of both 

paper feed/separation roller and pickup 

roller; a lower heat roller kit and an upper 

heat roller kit. 

In addition, the recentlylaunched 

suite also includes a 

lower picker finger; a waste 

toner container; a black 

developer; a main charger kit; a 

transfer kit; a filter kit; and a 

web cleaning kit. 

“Ordering all the products 

you need from one supplier has 

never been easier,” said the 

company. “These suites provide 

all the essential components 

you need to keep your machines operating 

at peak performance.” 


www.katun.com. 


47


EUROPE CompaTech, Cartridges, 

Remanufacturing 

CompaTech 

releases new 

products 

The German 

distributor 

announced a 

set of “MPSready” 

ink 

cartridges for 

use in Epson 

Workforce 

Pro 

machines. 

CompaTech GmbH, headquartered 

in Wuppertal, announced the new 

CMYK set of remanufactured 

cartridges on corporate social 

media. The remanufactured 

cartridges are T789x, T755x, T907x 

and T8651 for use in Epson 

Workforce Pro printers. All come 

with an “MPS-ready” chip. 

The company says the page yield 

is equivalent to that of the OEM and 

is proud to announce this 

“remanufactured in Germany” set 

of cartridges. 

For more information and other 

products available, please visit 

www.compatech.de. 


EUROPE wta, Remanufacturing, Cartridges 

wta releases new products 

The German remanufacturer has launched remanufactured toner cartridges for 

various OEM applications. 

Released were remanufactured cartridges 

for use in Sharp MX-3050/3060/3070/ 

3550/3560/3570/4050/4060/4070/5050N/ 

5070N/6050 and 6070 printers, available as 

the full CMYK set. These cartridges come 

with a page yield of 40,000 for the black and 

24,000 for the CMY cartridges. 

Also announced were high capacity 

versions of remanufactured monochrome 

cartridges for use in Kyocera ECOSYS 

M2135DN/2635DN/DNW/2735DW, ECOSYS 

P2235DN/DW and Olivetti PG L2535. The 

cartridge comes with a page yield of 6,000. 

Furthermore the announcement included 

high capacity remanufactured cartridges for 

use in Kyocera ECOSYS P2040 printers with 

a page yield of 14,400 and high capacity 

remanufactured cartridges for use in Kyocera 

ECOSYS M2040/2540/2640 machines also 

with a page yield of 14,400. 

Expanding the Kyocera range further, 

remanufactured cartridges for use in Kyocera 

ECOSYS M5521CDN/CDW, P5021/ 

CDN/CDW were announced, with the black 

having a page yield of 2,600 and the CMY 

cartridges having a page yield of 2,200. 

Included in the announcement were also 

remanufactured cartridges for use in 

Kyocera ECOSYS M5526CDN/CDW, 

P5026CDN/CDW with page yields of 4,000 

for the black and 3,000 for the CMY 

cartridges. 

The Lexmark range was extended with a 

standard and a high capacity version of 

remanufactured cartridges for use in Lexmark 

MS317/417/517/617, MX317/417/ 517/617. 

The monochrome cartridges come with a 

page yield of 2,500 in the standard version 

and 6,000 in the high capacity version. 

And finally announced were additions to 

the Xerox range which include remanufactured 

cartridges for use in Xerox Phaser 

7100DN/DNM/N/NM which come with page 

yields of 5,000 for the black and 4,500 for the 

CMY cartridges and a CMYK set of 

remanufactured cartridges for use in Xerox 

AltaLink C8030/VF/VT/8035/VF/VT/8045/ 

VF/8055/VF/8070 which come with page 

yields of 26,000 for the black and 15,000 for 

the CMY cartridges. 

Recently, the company launched: 

remanufactured cartridges for use in Ricoh, 

Oki, Xerox Phaser, refilled Canon Maxify ink 

cartridges, remanufactured cartridges for 

Canon, OKI, Xerox and Canon refilled ink 

cartridges Brother and HP; remanufactured 

Xerox cartridges; Canon cartridges; 

remanufactured HP Inc and Samsung 

cartridges; remanu-factured HP Inc and 

Kyocera cartridges; remanufactured Samsung 

and Ricoh cartridges; and remanufactured 

Samsung, Kyocera and Canon toners. 

Last year, it launched: remanufactured 

Canon toners; remanufactured Konica 

Minolta toners; remanufactured Ricoh 

cartridges; inkjets for the Canon PIXMA 

IP 2850; remanufactured cartridges for 

the Colour LaserJet Enterprise M552DN and 

553DN/N/X; a range of Kyocera replacements; 

replacements for OKI printers; Canon and 

Brother replacements; and also released a 

remanufactured Xerox cartridge. 

For more information, visit www.wtasuhl.de 

or www.mygreentoner.de. 

Demsji 




EUROPE IR Italiana, Cartridges, Remanufacturing 

IR Italiana Riprografia announces new 

remanufactured Graphic-Jet cartridges 

The Italian company announced new remanufactured Graphic-Jet cartridges for use in the new HP range with Jet 

Intelligence Technology. 

IR is pleased to announce an expansion of 

its products range of remanufactured 

Graphic-Jet cartridges with the new HP 

range with Jet Intelligence Technology 

introducing remanufactured Graphic-Jet 

cartridge for use in HP Laserjet PRO 

M277DW with a yield page of 1,500 pages 

for black and 1,400 pages for the colour 

cartridges. 

Also announced was a higher yield 

version of the remanufactured Graphic-Jet 

cartridge for use in HP Laserjet PRO 

M277DW with a page yields of 2,800 pages 

for the black and 2,300 pages for the colour 

cartridges. 

IR also introduced two versions 

of remanufactured Graphic-Jet 

cartridge for use in HP Colour 

Laserjet PRO M452DN. One version 

comes with page yields of 2,300 

pages for the black and for the colour 

cartridges, and the higher yield 

version comes with page yields of 

6,500 for the black and 5,000 for the 

colour cartridges. 

This cartridge family is very 

different from the traditional one, it 

has reduced sizes up to 30 percent, 

uses micro powders and a sealing 

and shaking system completely 

revolutionised. 

The above-mentioned cartridges 

feature the “following advantages”, 

according to IR Italiana Riprografia: 

“OEM equivalent print quality”; “100 

percent compatibility with OEM toners”; 

“significant savings over [the] OEM” and 

“MSDS in compliance with REACH”. 

Additionally, the cartridges were 

produced “in a certificated environment” 

including the ISO 9001:2015 quality 

management system certificate; the ISO 

14001:2015 environmental management 

system certificate; and the BS OHSAS 

18001:2007 occupational health and 

safety management system certificate. 

All IR’s remanufactured products 

have the environmental certification 

(Ecolabel) ISO 14021:2016. The “product 

performances of several items 

distributed” by IR follow the standards set 

by STMC and ISO 19752 and ISO 19798. 

For more information, please visit 

www.itrip.it. 

EUROPE CIG, Cartridges, Remanufacturing 

CIG releases remanufactured cartridges 

Clover Imaging Group (CIG) announced remanufactured toner cartridges for use in Brother printers and MSE Brand 

extended yield remanufactured toner cartridges for use in HP devices. 

The announcement is a monochrome 

remanufactured Brother TN820 toner 

cartridge. The cartridges are for use in 

Brother DCP-L5500DNDCP, L5600- 

DNDCP, L5650DNHL, L5000DHL, 

L5000DNHL, L5000DWHL, L5000 

DWTHL, L6200DWHL, L6200 

DWTHL, L6250-DWHL, L6300 DWHL, 

L6400 DWHL, L6400DWTMFC, 

L5700DWMFC, L5800-DWMFC, L5850 

DWMFC, L5900 DWMFC, L6700 

DWMFC, L6750DWMFC, L6800- 

DWMFC and L6900DW printer. 

The remanufactured monochrome 

cartridges come with a page yield of 

3,000 at 5 percent coverage. 

The MSE Brand remanufactured 

cartridges announced are two full sets of 

extended yield CMYK toner cartridges 

are designed for use in HP M251 and HP 

M476 printer models. 

The black cartridge for use in HP M251 

devices offers a page yield of 3,200, while 

the CMY cartridges each offer page yields 

of 2,400. 

The black cartridge for use in HP 

M476 devices offers a page yield of 

5,800, while the CMY cartridges each 

offer a page yield of 3,600. 


www.cloverimaging.com. 




EUROPE Ink Specialist, PageWide, DesignJet, Cartridges 

Ink Specialist releases new 

products 

The company has announced it is now ready to supply remanufactured ink 

cartridges for use in DesignJet T series printers and told The Recycler about 

their latest range of products soon to be available. 

In a brief announcement Ink 

Specialist spoke to The Recycler and 

revealed the company was now ready 

to supply remanufactured HP727 ink 

cartridges which are for use in the 

DesignJet T series printers. There are 

two versions available, a 130ml 

version and the larger 300ml version. 

Also announced were remanufactured 

Canon PFi-1700 cartridges 

for use in Canon imagePROGRAF 

ProColour printers. 

The latest new product range, soon 

to be available, Ink Specialist told The 

Recycler will include remanufactured HP 

728 cartridges for use in the HP DesignJet 

range of printers, remanufactured HP 

842/843 cartridges for use in the HP 

PageWide XL range, remanufactured HP 

NORTH AMERICA GSC, Inks, Bulk Ink, Wide-Format 

745 and HP 764 cartridges for use in the 

HP DesignJet T series printer and 

remanufactured HP 772 cartridges for use 

in HP DesignJet Z series printers. 

For more information, please contact 

Ink Specialist direct via Robert@inkspecialist.com. 

New products released by GSC 

The company announced new compatible bulk ink for the Canon ImagePROGRAF 

PRO printers. 

GSC Imaging, LLC is announced the release 

of its compatible Wide-Format bulk inks 

for use in Canon imagePROGRAF PRO 

1000/2000/4000/6000. 

The 11 colour ink set with available 

‘Chroma Optimiser’ offers “vibrant 

colours with excellent image quality”, 

“good coverage and yield” and “troublefree 

printing”, according to GSC’s 

announcement. 

GSC Imaging, LLC is a US-based 

developer and manufacturer of compatible 

water base digital inkjet inks. Their products 

include desktop, dye sublimation, mailing, 




specialty, Wide-Format and custom 

formulated inks. Established in 2003, GSC 

has years of experience in inkjet technology. 

For more information, please visit 

www.gscimaging.com. 

EUROPE CIT, Components, 

Remanufacturing 

CIT release 

new 

components 

CIT has announced the release 

of several new components for 

the remanufacturing of toner 

cartridges for use in various 

Lexmark printers. 

The company has launched 10 kilogram 

bags of toner, for cartridges for use 

with the Lexmark C910/C912/920/ 

925/X925. They are available in all four 

colours. In addition, CIT has also 

released one kilogram toner bottles for 

the same printer models, again in all 

four colours. 

Furthermore, it has unveiled 

replacement chips for use in the 

remanufacturing of cartridges to be used 

in the Lexmark C925 and X925. The 

replacement chips are once again 

available in CMYK; the Black has a 

page yield of 8,500, with the CMY 

offering 7,500. 

Additionally, CIT has also announced 

the launch of a series of replacement 

chips for the OKI PRO 9431dn/9541/ 

9542 series, with a 51,000 yield on the 

Black and 43,000 for the CMY. As 

well as these, it has released 10 kilogram 

toner bags in CMYK for the OKI 

C910/911/931/941. 


www.citbv.com. 

Remanexpo: Product Group 

Connecting people and businesses 

The dedicated part of the event focused on reuse and 

remanufacturing of printer cartridges 

Powered by 

To find out more, visit www.therecycler.com/live 

51

marketplace or 

To advertise here 

Call: 01993 899800 

email: info@therecycler.com 

The 

TONER MANUFACTURER 

COLLECTOR 

COLLECTOR 

CBC (Europe) GmbH 

toner@cbc-europe.com 

Tel: +49 211 530670 

www.cbc-europe.com 

FBO Organisation, S.L. 

fbo@fbo-org.com 

Tel: +34 936724863 

www.fbo-org.com 

LVL 

bp.sales@lvlcartridge.com 

Tel: +33 251709249 

www.lvl.fr 

REMANUFACTURER 

RESELLER 

OPC DRUMS 

wta Carsten Weser GmbH 

info@wta-suhl.de 

Tel: +49 3681 4529710 

www.wta-suhl.de 

Copy Clic 

info@copyclic.com 

Tel: +33 0 1 84 18 03 75 

www.copyclic.com 

Fuji Electric Europe GmbH 

contact@fujielectric-europe.com 

Tel: +49 69 6690290 

www.fujielectric-europe.com 

MARKET INTELLIGENCE 

TONER DUST PROTECTION FOR PRINTERS 

SUPPLIER 

LightWords Imaging 

admin@lightwords.co.uk 

Tel: +44 1270 878850 

www.lightwordsimaging.com 

PrinterAide 

taiwan@printeraide.com.tw 

Tel: +886 63319580 

www.printeraide.com.tw 

TOKO Srl 

toko@toko.ro 

Tel: +40212327270 

www.toko.ro 

SUPPLIER 

COLLECTOR 

TONER MANUFACTURER 

Freckles Ltd 

info@freckles.bg 

Tel: +359 2 955 5560 

www.freckles.bg 

The Greener Side 

info@greener-side.co.uk 

Tel: +44 1427 700 700 

www.greener-side.co.uk 

Primedia Products 

info@primediaMICR.com 

Tel: +1 304-277-2050 

www.primediamicr.com 

52 THE RECYCLER • ISSUE 306 • MAY 2018

marketplace 

To advertise here 

visit www.therecycler.com 

Call: 01993 899800 

for all the breaking news 

or email: info@therecycler.com 

Email d.connett@candugbr.com 

to find out about an EU based 

solution to handle 10,000 tons 

per year. 

THE RECYCLER • ISSUE 306 • MAY 2018 

53

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307 PUBLISHED 

29 May 2018 

THE RECYCLER TEAM 

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+44 1993 899 800 

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a.vandecasteele@therecycler.com 

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News Team 

news@therecycler.com 

+44 1993 899 800 

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production@therecycler.com 

Publishing Consultant 

Anthony Critchley 

a.critchley@therecycler.com 

Get in touch with us about news or features at news@therecycler.com 

ISSUE 308: JULY 2018 

PLASTIC WASTE: 

THE CRISIS OF 

OUR TIMES 

THE SMALL PRINT 

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The Recycler (ISSN 2045-2047 [Print]) is 

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COMPLAINTS & CORRECTIONS 

The Recycler’s policy is to correct substantial 

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To complain or advise of a correction please 

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THE RECYCLER 

Wittas House, Two Rivers Estate, 

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Phone: +44 (0) 1993 899 800 

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