The Recycler Issue 317

CITY NEWS
EUROPE Konica Minolta, Acquisition,
Business
Konica Minolta
acquires SEQUOÏA
subisidiaries
Konica Minolta Business Solutions
France says it is strengthening its
presence in the Grand-Est and
Reunion Island regions by acquiring
seven SEQUOÏA Group subsidiaries.
The SEQUOÏA Group, headquartered in
Metz, France, was founded by Jean-Michel
GUYOT in 2006. Konica Minolta and the
SEQUOÏA Group have just concluded an
agreement to acquire the following
SEQUOÏA Group subsidiaries: Sequoïa
Logistique, Est Multicopie, Dyctal
Bureautique, Global Bureautique, A4A3
Bureautique, REPRO BUREAU and
Alliance Bureautique.
This operation is part of Konica Minolta’s
medium-term development plan aimed at
consolidating its presence in strategic
regions such as the Grand-Est region,
explains the OEM. In this way, Konica
Minolta wishes to deploy its IT service offers
as well as the Workplace Hub, its new
services platform to support the digital
transformation of SMBs.
At the end of this operation, Konica
Minolta will hold 100 percent of the capital
of the SEQUOÏA Group’s subsidiaries. Jean-
Michel GUYOT remains Chairman of the
SEQUOÏA Group in charge of development.
“This operation has the advantage of
bringing together a very high performance
distributor network that are well established
locally with the power of the Konica Minolta
Group. Our skill sets will enable us to meet
today’s customer needs more globally
through an expanded offering,” comments
Jean-Claude Cornillet, President of Konica
Minolta Business Solutions France.
“Konica Minolta is a historic partner that
we share same strategy and values. This
synergy will enable us to secure the
company’s future. The SEQUOÏA Group’s
subsidiaries will join an innovative company
that creates added value for its customers
and contributes their growth by providing
them with the IT management technologies
and services that optimise their efficiency,”
states Jean-Michel Guyot, President of the
SEQUOÏA Group.
“The strategic direction taken by the
Konica Minolta Group reflects its
determination to improve work environment
and customers’ performance with
collaborators and innovative services,”
concludes the OEM.
NORTH AMERICA Kodak, US Tariffs, Exclusion
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Kodak next for tariff exclusions?
Following last week’s announcement that Fujfilm had received tariff tax
exclusions on its aluminium offset printing plates, Kodak now reveals it could be
next in line.
As Aluminium Insider
reports, the Eastman
Kodak Company has
announced that “tariff
exclusion requests it
lodged with the United
States Commerce Department
for an exception to
the Trump Administration’s Section 232
blanket tariffs on imported aluminium”
have been approved or, in other cases, are
“on track for approval.”
Kodak began petitioning for the
exclusions from the 10 percent tariffs
shortly after they were put in place, with
the OEM collaborating with “several
members of Congress and industry trade
associations.”
John O’ Grady, President of Kodak’s
Print Systems Division, described the
NORTH AMERICA Sharp, Acquisition
government shutdown as
merely delaying “the
inevitable”, saying:
“We’re pleased to report
that prior to the U.S.
government shutdown, the
Commerce Department has
granted exclusions for a
number of our requests, and we expect all
of our exclusions to be approved once
the federal government reopens for
business.”
“We will continue to provide our
customers with regular updates on this
situation as it develops,” he added.
Currently, Kodak has placed a “passthrough
surcharge” on its printing plates
sold to US customers, but the company
says these will be refunded once its tax
exclusions are approved.
Sharp expands with acquisition
of Saratoga Technologies
Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America’s (Sharp) direct sales
division, Sharp Business Systems (SBS), has revealed a new acquisition.
SBS announced that it has expanded its
direct regional sales coverage for both
document systems and managed network
services in Eastern Tennessee and
Southwest Virginia through the
acquisition of Saratoga Technologies, Inc.
Since its first branch opening in
Arizona in 2006, Sharp has established 15
local SBS branches in 56 locations
through growth initiatives within the
organisation. Saratoga Technologies’
commitment to providing all sizes of
organisations with virtually all their
technology requirements is in line with
Sharp’s promise to provide total office
solutions for its customers, explains
the OEM.
For the past 18 years, Saratoga
Technologies has provided business,
medical, academic and other clientele with
computer hardware, networking services,
printing solutions, software and
communications services in Knoxville,
Johnson City and Chattanooga,
Tennessee, and in Abingdon, VA.
“We chose Saratoga Technologies
because of the company’s dedication to
adding value to its customers by reducing
costs, improving efficiency and protecting
equipment and data,” said Anthony Sci,
Senior Vice President of Sharp Business
Systems. “These values closely coincide
with Sharp’s commitment to provide the
highest quality solutions and services to
each one of our customers through
personalised, local service.”
The employees of Saratoga
Technologies will join the SBS team and
will continue to provide service to new and
existing customers. Saratoga Technologies
President and CEO David Temple will also
continue working with Sharp to ensure a
continued, smooth transition.
“We are very excited about the
opportunities this will bring to not only
our employees but to our customers too,”
said Temple. “Becoming a part of the
Sharp team will allow Saratoga to leverage
the many benefits that come from being a
part of an award-winning, multinational
company, all of which will be passed along
to our current and future customers.”
24 THE RECYCLER • ISSUE 317 • APRIL 2019