Konica Minolta’s much-publicized Print Xpress digital yatra of four buses — containing an AccurioPrint C4065 and an AccurioPress C73hc to demonstrate digital solutions — has completed its campaign of covering 150 tier 2, 3, and 4 cities in all four directions of India. With its focus on creating awareness about the brand, technology, and its offerings, the campaign aimed at becoming an enabler for short-run and start-up businesses in the urban and rural parts of the country.
Titled ‘Print Xpress – Innovations in print’, the roadshow came to a conclusion on 21 August 2023 at Crowne Plaza in Greater Noida. As reported earlier by Indian Printer and Publisher, the journey was flagged off at the end of March from Greater Noida, Delhi-NCR. A brainchild of the company’s managing director, Katsuhisa Asari, the roadshow showcased Konica Minolta’s AccurioPrint C4065 High Chroma Engine production printer, its AccurioPress C73hc, and a print finishing application zone.
At the conclusion ceremony, Manish Gupta, head, product lifecycle management and planning division Konica Minolta India, said, “The successful completion of the Print Xpress is a result of a combined effort from the entire team of Konica Minolta. This was a first-of-its-kind roadshow and gained a better reception than we anticipated. Live demonstrations of digital printing were quite enamoring for the visitors and many of them responded with ‘We didn’t know this was possible.’ The sharing of information and creating awareness pushed Konica Minolta’s concept of becoming engines of growth to a higher degree.”
Ankit Madan, senior product marketing manager PP & IP(PLM), Konica Minolta, said covering 150 cities helped them uncover the possibilities of digital print and make a shift from what he referred to as offset mentality. “This journey endeavored to cover cities whose names we heard for the first time. Eventually, we noticed that sharing of information was not just one-sided. We got to know what our potential customers may require from us for their photo album printing and other commercial needs. Konica Minolta, moving forward, is going to witness a vendor evolution with an enhanced sales pipeline.”
The much-awaited bus was welcomed with great joy at the event after covering a distance of 48,000 kms. During an inside tour, it was told that despite covering such a long journey, there was no breakage of the machines on board. Despite various logistics challenges, including the paperwork required for the transport of capital equipment across state lines, there was considerable enthusiasm for the mobile roadshow in tier 3 and 4 towns and cities where the Print Xpress gave demonstrations.
Konica Minolta says it has observed a shift in the requirement of the print volumes. The printers are acknowledging the benefits of digital printing in the short run. In tier 1 cities, the interest in digital printing is still increasing. Economic growth across the country is having a positive impact on print consumption in all forms — digital, offset, labels, and packaging.
Konica Minolta has been continuously expanding its portfolio to cater to the requirements of its customers and new segments such as labels and commercial printing. “Additionally, we have introduced embellishment devices to add eye-catching effects to documents. This has expanded the list of applications that can be done using digital technology. We shall continue to bring in more products into digital printing for the benefit of our customers and to be relevant to the changing dynamics of print requirements and consumption for mutual growth,” the company says.
