RPT TONER

The Kings of Color

Jamie Luety
Vice President
Sales & Marketing

Jamie Luety is excited about the future. The charismatic Vice President of Sales and Marketing for RPT Toner in Bensenville, Illinois, just finished viewing a proof for their upcoming website launch in August 2013. “The look and feel of our branding came from a simple idea,” he says.  “We want to be different.”

Different is something on which RPT Toner prides itself. From their strong “Made in America” stance to boutique-style customer service and support, RPT has provided high quality products across the United States for more than 7 years. “As a remanufacturer, we can do so much more than simply building cartridges and shipping boxes, “ Luety explains. “We create value through education and customer service.”

Becoming the Kings of Color

RPT Toner was founded in 2006 by industry newcomers Shantu Patel, Jay Shah, Raman Patel and Chandra Dave and has quickly become an industry leader in providing wholesalers and resellers with first-to-market solutions for color and niche laser cartridge imaging supplies. Working as a partner with some of the major players in the aftermarket supplies industry, they have remanufactured and sold hundreds of thousands of products.

“While we don’t publish a customer list, we are proud to build for some of the most influential companies in the aftermarket supplies industry,” Luety says. “These companies partner with RPT because we are honest, accountable and we build an excellent product.”

The company produces more than 25,000 remanufactured cartridges a month, with a staggering 78% in color. Their product catalog features more than 450 cartridge SKUs, and has a wide assortment of quality brand products.

“Our research and development staff has been able to successfully reverse manufacture anything we throw their way with confidence. We have reached the point of becoming color specialists because high quality color cartridges are what customers want,” Luety states. In fact, the company’s logo is a 3-point crown to represent their constant goal to be the ‘Kings of Color.’ Luety goes on to say, “It is a way to remind ourselves of whom we want to be as a company. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not there yet, but when over 75% of what we build each month is color and we’ve gotten to the point of building 25,000 units a month based on reputation alone, without spending a single dollar on advertising or a website, we’re clearly headed in the right direction. ”

Focusing on Process

After rapid business growth, the company recently relocated to a new 50,000 square-foot facility for their corporate headquarters and remanufacturing center. The purchase of the building is proof of RPT’s dedication to be a long-term player in the remanufacturing business. The new facility features training and education facilities, a research and development lab and expansive offices. It took several months to renovate the building to RPT’s strict production standards.

Their remanufacturing facility is ISO 9001:2008 certified and STMC-compliant, showing their diligence to quality control and post testing of products. In fact, each and every cartridge is post tested using proprietary print tests to ensure each cartridge provides outstanding performance and quality to customers.

Owner Shantu Patel is both an electronics and chemical engineer who also owns a circuit board manufacturing operation.  “To me, process is the most important component in remanufacturing,” says Patel.  “We’re proud of our certifications because it lets our resellers know that we have a process in place and every year we are audited to ensure we are adhering to the rules we set out for ourselves.  Process is and always has been important.”

The company has a 10-step remanufacturing process that spans sorting through raw materials to assembly of remanufactured cartridges by factory-trained technicians. All of RPT’s remanufacturing takes place in their Bensenville facility. In fact, their newly designed packaging boldly states “Made in America”. According to CFO Jay Shah, “I love that I can walk from my office to the production area in two minutes to inspect stock or components. Having our operation under one roof ensures command of the remanufacturing process which results in more consistent quality. That has created a great level comfort for our clients.” “It is more than just a box and price,” Luety emphasizes. “The last three words an end user will read before opening an RPT box is ‘Made in America.’ I think there are a lot of resellers who can sell that important message to end users. Especially those resellers trying to transition end users from OEM products to remanufactured products.”

Going the Extra Mile

RPT’s stylish new website and packaging branding displays the environmental advantages of using remanufactured products. Factoids such as “In North America, more than 40,000 tons of plastic and metal is saved from landfills annually as a result of cartridge recycling” cover the box package, along with quality messages.

“The RPT packaging is very contemporary and has many important messages printed on the box,” Luety says. “Those messages reflect RPT’s values such as quality, craftsmanship, eco-friendly and domestically produced. We think it speaks to what resellers and end users want to hear in plain language everyone can appreciate.”

The business is also a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) which can be an advantage when procuring government contracts. The company offers bid assistance to select companies during the proposal period. “As an MBE, we are positioned to help resellers to win contracts that other remanufacturing firms do not qualify for,” Luety states.

But the crown jewel in RPT’s crown is their remarkable commitment to customer service. The company offers three tiers of customer support to fit the needs of clients and offers product support, dedicated troubleshooting and a nationwide field resolution team option to select clients. Offering what they label “boutique-style” customer service, they aim to make all customers feel like partnerships.

Luety explains that RPT is always willing to go the extra mile, sometimes quite literally, for customers.

“I had a customer email over an order way past our UPS pick up time. We weren’t the primary vendor for the item but the situation was desperate and our customer needed help. I offered to pack the order and drive it over to the nearest UPS package collection point at 7:45 PM; it added about 45 minutes to my day,” he shares. “Like anyone else, I like to head home at the end of the day but that one small favor led to the customer calling back to ask about a different product line in which they were having issues. “We developed a solution and bam–a conversation ensued that resulted in additional business and a well-satisfied customer, all because I did one small favor. Not bad for 45 minutes of work.”

Luety looks forward to building one-on-one relationships with RPT’s growing customer base. “RPT can offer resellers consistency and control over the remanufacturing process,” he says. “Our real difference is in assisting resellers as a knowledgeable remanufacturer and marketer for all their needs.”