Static Control enjoys a well-earned position as one of the largest manufacturers of aftermarket imaging systems and components supporting laser and ink jet cartridge remanufacturers. Their customers represent the best of the best in the remanufacturing industry and can credit much of their success and excellence to Static Control who supplies them with the best products, services, and training. Customers range from small mom & pop hobbyists, to the largest wholesalers supplying big box retailers, to reseller distribution partners. Indeed, the company’s client list reads like a Who’s Who from the remanufacturing industry. “We serve the very largest remanufacturers in the industry as well as the smallest, every day in more than 150 countries,” states Bryan Bonacum, vice president, North American sales. Many of those customers have been doing business with Static Control for more than 20 years. “We’ve grown with our customers and many of the customers we have today who are growing are the same ones we’ve had since day one,” says Bonacum. “They remain focused on quality, not price.” Static Control’s sales offices and 12 distribution facilities are located worldwide in 19 countries. Research, development, engineering, and manufacturing as well as global distribution are located at their world headquarters in Sanford, North Carolina. These various locations and global distribution partners enable Static Control to satisfy the needs of customers wherever they may be located.
Origins
Bryan Bonacum, vice president, North American sales
The family owned business was founded in 1986 as a manufacturer of anti-static bags. Some customers used the bags to ship remanufactured cartridges. With an ingrained ability to listen to their customers and understand their business needs, Static Control created the Imaging Division to provide consistent quality products to those cartridge recyclers. From there the company began looking at other ways to support cartridge remanufacturers. As the market grew, the need for replacement parts in monochrome toner cartridges, such as PCRs, mag rollers and seals, became a necessity. Static Control began to provide these solutions, items that were not readily available at the time. “That led to what we’ve become now—a vertically integrated source for the remanufacturing marketplace,” states Bonacum. Although the Bag Division was sold to 3M in 2006, Static Control’s Imaging Division continues on the path that forged its success, listening closely to its more than 20,000 customers around the world to ensure their needs are always being met.
An Emphasis on R&D
One of Static Controls’ chip engineers working in the early stages of designing a cartridge chip.
As a market leader of remanufactured supplies, Static Control has and continues to make investments in R&D; it’s critical to the reverse engineering process. “Being the IP-focused, technology driven company we are, we are often first-to-market with new solutions, such as cartridge chips, where we have always been the market leader. It started with providing the first advanced solutions, such as replacement chips for HP® 4100 cartridges or a full remanufacturing system for HP® 9000 cartridges,” said Bonacum. “We were years ahead of the competition and it opened up many opportunities for our customers. We are always tackling the latest technological challenges to help our customers better succeed.” Bonacum continues, “Hands down we are the global leader of reverse engineering in the industry. We’ve invested a tremendous amount over the years.” Thoughtful design that takes into consideration customer goals and process efficiencies is a key component of the company’s development program. Equally impressive is Static Control’s ability to move the industry forward through a changing landscape of market conditions and technological innovation. For example, Bonacum cites one OEM whose cartridge microchips proved to have been extremely challenging to emulate. Static Control spent two years on the reverse engineering process and introduced a replacement chip to the market another two years prior to any other company in the world. Static Control’s research and development team is comprised of a talented group of specialists, including scientists, engineers, and technicians across many disciplines who collaborate closely with one another to better understand the products they’ve been tasked with creating.
Product Offering
An employee in Static Control’s chip plant.
Static Control’s mission is to provide the best possible customer experience, the best possible products and services, with the smallest possible environmental impact. It’s a mission that’s been accomplished since the very beginning. The company manufactures, in-house, more than 10,000 imaging products and has a catalog of more than 15,000 imaging products. It also stocks thousands of chips for cartridges, all developed and manufactured in Sanford. Static Control also offers toner for printers and copiers. Chemical toners are blended in-house using proprietary formulas to provide quality image density and the same amount of page yield as the OEM. In addition to its expansive chip and toner offerings, Static Control manufactures a wide variety of solutions such as toner adder rollers, developer rollers, doctor blades, packaging options, seals and more. “We are known for our chips and other imaging solutions, but we develop everything that is needed to remanufacture a cartridge, right down to the box you sell to the customer,” said Bonacum.
Respectful of IP
One of Static Control’s engineers discussing intellectual property with a member of the company’s legal team.
Providing IP-safe solutions is more important than ever in the imaging industry, as almost every major OEM has sued a remanufacturer, supplier or dealer for patent infringement or product mislabeling. Bonacum believes a key factor in having a successful business today is being informed on the IP surrounding products. “The people who understand that IP is a valuable part of business know they have to purchase from a supplier who conducts the best due diligence to avoid infringement,” said Bonacum. “We also continually communicate with our customers regarding the latest IP concerns to help keep them aware, like with the recent drum gear legal action.” The company’s legal team reviews each design to ensure the integrity of all products and avoid IP-related issues. In addition, Static Control holds more than 100 U.S. and foreign patents. Bonacum added, “Our customers know we are the safest place to buy on the IP side and a known source for the next technology breakthrough for the aftermarket.”
Mature Marketplace
The majority of Static Control’s business is conducted outside of North America, although North America represents a strong, albeit mature base of business. As a leader and trend setter in a mature market, Static Control has been unwavering in its commitment to its core business values. Every single day the company works closely with its broad customer base to provide the solutions they request to continue growing their businesses. “We have customers who have been remanufacturing for a long time,” says Bonacum. “They’re providing high quality cartridges to the dealer channel. These customers are staying the course and growing even as fewer pages are printed. For those customers doing it right, there’s a lot of opportunity for growth.” As successful as the company has been over the years that success couldn’t continue if it didn’t make an effort to ensure its customers are successful as well. Static Control customers have access to an online library filled with technical documents to assist in remanufacturing and general product information. The company also provides training sessions and informational seminars throughout the world. Additionally, the company offers dedicated marketing resources to its customers, including brochures, videos, and packaging options. “In the past, we would develop and market components for our customers. Now we are shifting the conversation and working with customers to understand the market needs of their customers and dealers,” explained Bonacum. “This helps us develop and market the solutions we know they need, such as extended yield offerings for Kyocera/Lexmark/Dell, or offering full color imaging solutions that provide consistent high quality.” “Arlington’s ColorEdge line of cartridges is a great example of how we understand the need of our customers and the marketplace,” said Bonacum. “While we don’t have a direct relationship with Arlington, we helped our customer win the business by not only providing ColorControl, the imaging solution that proved to perform at the same level as the OEM, but went a step further and helped with their marketing plan.” The ColorControl Replacement Imaging Systems is one of the latest ways Static Control is helping its aftermarket customers achieve success. This new system makes it easier for aftermarket suppliers to remanufacture business quality, premium color cartridges. “The industry has spun their wheels on color. While some have been successful, overall the industry has struggled due to the lack of high quality components developed to work together,” says Bonacum. “With ColorControl, we’re giving our customers a new opportunity to raise their profits. The point is to go after that big OEM market share.” An interactive website, www.colorcontrol.info, offers videos and renderings that help Static Control’s customers better communicate with their customers the benefits of the ColorControl system. The website explains in an easy-to-understand format the complexity within a toner cartridge. With more than 30 embedded animations and videos, it can explain to any novice the importance of using the company’s integrated system of components.
The Future
After introducing more than 1,000 new products late last year, expect to see greater diversification in Static Control’s product portfolio in the coming year. For instance, the company has some exciting new initiatives in store for 2015 that will positively impact its traditional aftermarket remanufacturing customers along with the dealer channel responsible for selling MPS (Managed Print Services). “We’re going to bring new solutions to the market targeted toward MPS sales which will address some of the problems that have historically plagued that marketplace,” reports Bonacum. He feels MPS still has the potential to reap big profits for Static Control’s customers. “We’re going to push that high level of quality and give them more opportunities. That includes working on providing more extended yield offerings and properly reporting cartridges, which are great benefits for MPS clients,” said Bonacum. That’s just one more example of how Static Control meets customer needs in an ever-changing market and why they remain a trusted source. “Static Control, just like in our beginnings, continues to provide the best solutions for our customers to allow them to be the best at what they do,” concludes Bonacum. And that’s why Static Control remains the best at what they do.
Contact Information Static Control Components, Inc. 3010 Lee Avenue PO Box 152 Sanford, NC 27331
Web: www.scc-inc.com
E-mail: info@scc-inc.com
Tel: (800) 488.2426
Fax: (800) 488.2452
International Tel: (919) 774-3808 : +1 (919) 774-1287
Static Control Components, Inc. at a Glance
- Founded in 1986 and led by brothers Bill and Michael Swartz
- The company employs more than 1,000 people in Sanford, NC
- The electrostatic bag division of the company was sold to 3M in 2006
- More than 10,000 products are manufactured in Sanford throughout 12 manufacturing facilities
- Static Control Component’s world headquarters is in North Carolina. Its European headquarters is in Reading, United Kingdom; Middle East/Africa HQ is in Johannesburg, South Africa; Asian HQ is in Hong Kong, China
- Static Control Components has 12 Distribution Centers across the globe. The locations include Sanford, NC; Camarillo, CA; Reading, UK; Hong Kong, China; Zhuhai, China; Cape Town, South Africa; Johannesburg, South Africa; Barcelona, Spain; Ontario, Canada; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Butzbach, Germany; Istanbul, Turkey
- Static Control has 18 global distributors, which cover the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Italy, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Ukraine and Venezuela
