The 2024 manufacturer event slate kicked off in earnest Feb. 12-13 as Konica Minolta invited nearly 50 mid-market dealers from the east and south to the first of several road show meetings. The Westin Hotel in Sarasota, Florida, provided a sunny backdrop and a breath of fresh air for the OEM’s message, employing a format designed to increase one-on-one interactions with its reseller partners.
The conference struck a productive balance by splitting an agenda that manufacturers have historically crammed into a day-long experience. Instead, the Feb. 12 afternoon featured a keynote from President and CEO Sam Errigo, followed by presentations from the organization’s other top executives (Michael Mathe, Elisa Esposito and Dino Pagliarello), emceed by Laura Blackmer, president of dealer sales. Day two included a morning focus on breakout sessions and tours of the product showcase. The format effectively addressed the primary beef many dealers have with the traditional full-day OEM agenda: information overload.
It was clear from the outset that Konica Minolta refuses to dwell upon the issues that plagued the company from 2020 through 2022, namely the supply chain and toner shortages brought about by the pandemic and facility fires, respectively. Errigo set the tone at the onset of his presentation, laying out the five business priorities the manufacturer has identified for fiscal year 2024:
- A growth mindset supported by programs to accelerate market share
- Grow volume through production print and drive service revenue
- Continue business transformation and provide value-added services for dealers
- Restore the company’s reputation as the premier channel partner
- Improve profitability for dealers and partners
Errigo thanked the dealers in attendance for sticking with the company through the lean times. “We’ve gotten through all that,” he told the crowd. “Now’s the time to think about, as a company, how do we improve profitability, and how do we help you improve profitability?”
A common theme was diversification, which Errigo feels is the key to dealers garnering a bigger slice of market share. He noted Konica Minolta has a 17% market share; while not to the level of a Canon or Ricoh, impressive nonetheless. Reviewing the company’s third quarter financials, Errigo noted that the slight revenue decrease was driven by an $11 million impairment charge absorbed by the company’s planetarium business.
On the subject of manufacturing, Errigo reported an exodus from China in terms of manufacturing, with long-range plans to shift production of high-value equipment back to Japan. Considering the stain heaped on manufacturing via last year’s charges that Ninestar utilizes slave labor, Konica Minolta’s decision to distance itself from China is good PR in addition to smart business. The major takeaway, echoed over the past year, is that Konica Minolta is flush with product.
Mathe, the chief of operations and sales enablement, followed suit by discussing some of the OEM’s marketing goals. These included solidifying partner relationships, bolstering dealer benefits and incentives, raising Konica Minolta’s product and capabilities awareness, bolstering communications and honing training and sales enablement tools.
Konica Minolta is not lacking in programs and incentives. Mathe shared several success stories of dealers who have dominated in the Rev’d Up program, including Pearson-Kelly Technology and CFBT (formerly Copyfax), as the number of participants continues to swell. He also discussed some of the enticements offered through the KM Rewards You program, including dealer and customer rebates for office gear and production print. The OEM’s Go the Distance sales contest features a May 2025 sales trip contest to the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa in Lost Pines, Texas. The dealer trip is a week-long experience in Australia next February.
Esposito, director of marketing programs, provided an overview of Konica Minolta’s sales enablement tools. She also emphasized the ongoing need to communicate with the channel.
Among the new products touted by Pagliarello, the senior vice president of product management and planning, was the Dispatcher Stratus, a cloud workflow automation tool and the latest in the Dispatcher line. The OEM is rolling out new A3 and A4 devices this spring as it works toward refreshing the entire product line.
The breakout sessions on day two were wide-ranging and included tracks for executives, sales and service. One of the more fascinating presentations was Opportunities in SLED and Health Care. On the public sector end, Nancy Newel, government accounts manager, did a fascinating deep dive on strategies for optimizing local government sales, with tips on how sales people can get the jump on upcoming opportunities and expiring contracts while eluding the RFP process.
The product showcase was short on hardware innovations, instead plugging into the movement toward solutions and beyond-the-box product opportunities.
Konica Minolta took care of its guests after hours, with an opening night cocktail reception on the roof of the Westin, followed the next evening with fine dining at Café L’Europe, set in the heart of St. Armands Circle. On the whole, the more intimate gathering seemed to resonate with dealers, who increasingly prefer opportunities to chat with executives as opposed to sitting through an in-person commercial for new products.
