It only seems like yesterday when Green Project, Inc. emerged on the scene providing an alternative to OEM imaging supplies. In this instance, “only yesterday” was about 8½ years ago, but my, oh my how things have changed for Green Project since then.
The company has been enjoying consistent growth, driven in large part by the relationships it has established with some of the document imaging industry’s leading wholesalers as well as expanding into private label relationships and bonding with some of the leading Big Box stores.
The company is considered a leader in recycled Epson inkjet cartridges, but also specializes in Brother, Canon, Hewlett Packard, Dell, Lexmark, Samsung, and many other brands.
After the formation of the company, Green Project launched its flagship brand, Ink for Dummies, which has since become a staple in the Big Box arena and with online retailers.
“That was amazing to break into the Big Box space where no other toner company was currently in,” recalls Joseph Wu, Green Project’s president.
Joseph Wu, president of Green Project
Customer Satisfaction
It’s no secret why Green Project has been so successful and why customers keep calling.
“We have competitive pricing, but what keeps customers coming back is quality product and good service,” states Wu. “Those are the customers we typically want to deal with. We don’t have as many customers that are just price oriented because those [types of] customers don’t stay with us very long.”
Most customers who rely on Green Project for ink and toner have been buying from them since the beginning. Those customers are scattered around the globe, from North America to Mexico and Latin America, to Europe and Australia.
“This last year has been amazing for our company in terms of growth,” observes Wu.
Offering a wide range of consumables with an uncanny ability to quickly meet customers’ needs have also impacted growth. Green Project carries more than 2,000 SKUs and typically has two to three months of inventory on hand at any one time.
“We try to carry the most popular items to the most obscure,” says Wu.
Fast order fulfillment is another asset that makes a difference for its customers. Orders placed by 3 p.m. on the West Coast and by noon on the East Coast ship the same day. Green Project’s Jessup, MD warehouse stocks about 90 percent of the products found in its Hacienda Heights, CA warehouse.
More importantly, customers appreciate the margins they can achieve on Green Project products.
“Any of our distributors that sell the Ink for Dummies line will tell you the margins are great,” says Wu. “If you can provide good margins and good quality product then customers will continue to come back.”
Green Project’s company headquarters.
The Green in Green Project
Ever since it opened its doors Green Project has maintained a strong emphasis on recycling and taken its environmental responsibility seriously.
“When we first started, our industry didn’t put as much focus on the environmental side,” says Wu. “The name ‘Green Project’ tells customers that we are a green industry in the sense that we’re recycling and reusing discarded ink and toner cartridges. That’s something we share with the public. We’re not just an aftermarket ink and toner company. We’re not here just to sell ink and toner; we’re here to sell environmentally friendly ink and toner. That’s an important message that other companies in the industry sometimes forget to promote.”
Green Project takes quality cartridges and puts them through an extensive cleaning process with the end result a high-quality finished repaired cartridge. Products are extensively developed by the best engineers while meeting ISO 9001 quality management standards. It’s no surprise then that the company’s strength is product development. Wu points out that the company’s repair process is different from that of many other recyclers, allowing for an even higher quality cartridge with a lower defect rate.
Manufacturing facilities are based both outside the United States and in California. By leveraging the strengths of each location, Green Project can offer the highest quality products.
The company also includes prepaid mailing bags with its products so end users can ship their used cartridges back to the company. Green Project even assists its wholesalers in developing their own recycling programs.
Submitted for Your Reconsideration
When asked what customers or prospective customers might be surprised to hear about Green Project, Wu focuses on prospects who haven’t done business with the company yet or those who may have done business with Green Project early on, but are no longer customers.
“In the past few years we have transformed our business to truly focus around the quality aspect of our product,” emphasizes Wu. “When we started we were focused on price, growth, and selling more cartridges. We listened to our customers and put our focus on quality. Our quality control standards are now the highest they’ve ever been and our defect rate as of today is the lowest it has ever been in the history of our company. Current customers who buy from us know it and are happy. At the end of the day, to survive and grow in this industry it’s all about product quality and has less to do with price. Price only gets the customer through the door.”
Equally notable is Green Project’s focus on patents. Its Green Project green gear for HP and Canon toners, which is customs approved, is described by Wu as the best alternative to the OEM gear.
“In this day and age for our industry, we know that intellectual property is an important aspect of this industry,” affirms Wu. “Currently many factories utilize our gear and it is one of the hottest selling gears on the market. We were prestigiously awarded the ‘Patent Innovation’ award for 2015 at the RT Imaging summit.”
From Green Project to GP3D
What started 8½ years ago with toner and ink cartridges expanded into filaments for 3D printers about three years ago as Green Project became one of the first companies in the ink and toner space to truly market a full offering of 3D printer filaments. Those filaments were developed by the company’s engineers and passed through the same rigorous quality control systems as its inks and toners prior to hitting the market. That has since led to the creation of a subsidiary, GP3D, to further expand Green Project’s footprint in the 3D printing space with the production of its own line of 3D printers. The first 3D devices, the Root 3D and Root Plus 3D printers, were introduced during the fourth quarter of 2015.
An example of the 3D filaments available from Green Project an GP3D.
Customers asked for a 3D printer and GP3D took the initiative to develop a product and bring it to market. Instrumental in bringing the first two products to market was a Kickstarter campaign launched in early 2015. The campaign was fully funded within just a few months and backers began receiving their 3D printers in October. That was quite an achievement.
“We’re proud we can fulfill all of our backers because one of the biggest issues with Kickstarter, especially in the 3D space, is that a lot of the successful projects backed never came to fruition,” observes Wu. “We were able to get our 3D printer manufactured and to the customers within six months.”
The same reasons why customers rely on Green Project for ink and toner are the same reasons they count on the company for 3D filaments—service and quality. Wu expects that to remain true for the 3D printers as well.
“We build a quality product,” emphasizes Wu. “We’re not out to just make a 3D printer and sell it and not support it.”
One of the new 3D printers from GP3D funded by a Kickstarter campaign.
The early returns on the quality of GP3D’s 3D printers have been positive.
“Our Kickstarter backers are happy with their 3D printers,” reports Wu. “The quality has been very stable and we are now selling them through some of our retail partners. That’s been a huge step for us.”
The company is in discussion with its wholesaler partners to take on the products as well. Wu is optimistic and expects wholesalers to embrace the 3D products as they gain a deeper understanding of the product category.
“The benefit of our 3D printer is that the price points are fair—$549 and $649—placing them within reach of small businesses and consumers.”
Without a doubt the introduction of its 3D printers was the highlight of the past year for the company.
“We’re making a big push to gain a larger footprint in that industry,” notes Wu. “3D printing is only going to grow; it will change and evolve and as it changes and evolves we want to be there.”
GP3D 3D printer
A Bright Future
If past history and recent events are any indicators, then Green Project has a bright future. Currently, Wu is excited about a few projects on the ink and toner side of the business that the company will be rolling out in the Ink for Dummies line and its private label business, as well as a dongle gear alternative that will be an industry changer for HP and Canon toners. And, as he alluded to earlier, he’s especially optimistic about 3D printing.
Anyway you look at it there’s no place for Green Project and GP3D to go but up.
“We’re still in our infancy and expect to grow,” says Wu. “We are doing a big push at CES. We have a great booth location in the 3D printing section. We feel with CES we’ll be able to bring on more dealers. 2016 should be a year that helps define who Green Project is. We’re almost to our 10-year anniversary and 2016 will be a big year for us.”
