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Company’s Toner Manufacturing Facility Achieves International Workplace Safety Certification.

Affirming its long-standing commitment to employee wellbeing, Toshiba America Business Solutions today announces its compliance to the stringent ISO 45001 standard within its toner manufacturing facility in Mitchell, S.D.

ISO 45001 is an occupational health and safety standard which follows other generic management system specifications including ISO 14001 and ISO 9001. National Standards Authority of Ireland certified Toshiba’s ISO 45001 compliance.
“Meeting this rigorous ISO standard underscores our commitment to ensure all of our employees work in the safest environment possible,” Toshiba America Business Solutions President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Maccabe stated.

“We will continue to strive to go above and beyond current international standards to maintain an exceedingly safe and comfortable workplace for all Toshiba employees.”

Toshiba is also implementing many safety requirements extending beyond ISO 45001, which include:
•Personal protective equipment such as safety glasses for anyone entering the company’s toner manufacturing area
•Hearing protection for those spending a least 30 minutes on the Toshiba shop floor
•Respirators for employees working with nanometer-size particles

“It is a compliment to the management and staff of Toshiba to demonstrate compliance in such a proactive manner,” said National Standards Authority of Ireland Chief Executive Officer Geraldine Larkin. “This shows incredible commitment to the safety and wellbeing of their employees.”

Toshiba’s toner manufacturing facility is the primary and longtime (33 years) global supplier of color toner for the company’s industry-recognized e-STUDIO™ copiers. The expansive 25-acre campus – producing more than 59,508 U.S. tons of toner – employs more than 100 people in the Mitchell area.

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Document solutions analyst firm, Better Buys recognises Toshiba’s commitment to quality and innovation by naming the tech innovator’s e-STUDIO™5015AC series of multifunction printers (MFPs) 2019 Innovative Product of the Year.

Toshiba’s five next-generation MFPs secured the trusted authority in office equipment’s top honor after outperforming similar high-volume, colour MFPs in side-by-side comparisons.  Better Buys testers gave the e-STUDIO5015AC series strong marks for the products’ premium features, competitive price and overall value.

Toshiba also earned high grades for its MFP customisation platform, which provides organisations with a completely custom-tailored product that supports unique workflows with the touch of a button.

“The Toshiba e-STUDIO5015AC Series is a scalable and versatile line of devices for companies that want to improve their printing, copying and scanning needs,” said Better Buys editor Melissa Pardo-Bunte.  “We find these products to be innovative in their own right because of the MFPs’ new customization platform that offers new functionality to match each customer’s exact needs.”

Better Buys also presented Toshiba’s e-STUDIO5015AC series with its Q4 2018 Editor’s Choice Award.  Toshiba earned the 2018 Better Buys Innovative Product of the Year award for its groundbreaking hybrid copier, the e-STUDIO4508LP and has won the office equipment authority’s elite honor in five out of the last seven years.

Toshiba’s e-STUDIO5015AC series MFPs are powered by the multi-core Intel® Atom™ processor while featuring next-generation security protection to tackle print, document management and workflow applications in a secure manner.  The products comply with the Hard Copy Device Protection Profile (HCD-PP) – the latest security certification adopted by the US National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) and Common Criteria Test Laboratories.  Addressing these standards helps ensure all scans, copies, faxes and digital document prints e-STUDIO5015AC series MFPs perform meet rigorous security assurance standards.

“Toshiba is honored to receive this year’s Better Buys Innovative Product of the Year award,” stated Toshiba America Business Solutions Chief Marketing Executive Bill Melo.  “Our next-generation e-STUDIO products and customisation platform are resonating with organisations seeking a document management solution tailored to match each employee’s unique needs.”

About Better Buys

After more than 20 years as a trusted authority on office equipment, Better Buys is now a rebranded site that offers resources to help companies in the market for Business Intelligence solutions, HR Software, CMMS Systems, as well as printers, copiers, and scanners. Leveraging an experienced team of in-house editors, Better Buys offers a range of content and resources designed to help organizations make smarter purchasing decisions, including expert reviews, authoritative whitepapers & reports, insightful market research, comprehensive buyer’s guides, and more. For more information, visit betterbuys.com.

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Gain a competitive advantage with Managed IT

No matter your industry, network connectivity and information technology are almost certainly important to your business. Unfortunately, managing IT internally is often an unnecessary and costly burden. Consider moving to Managed IT, where you’ll gain a new competitive edge.

Access to Unbeatable Expertise

Regardless of your business's industry, IT always needs to be managed. Most small businesses can’t afford to hire designated IT staff to manage technology, resulting in a hodge-podge of users clicking through help forums to find solutions to problems as they come up. Even mid-sized businesses will be stuck with IT generalists, responsible for a wide variety of technology issues. The dedicated specialist that comes with Managed IT, on the other hand, will be well-informed about even uncommon issues—no more scrambling to keep up with the latest technology. With Managed IT, you get all the benefits of having a team of experts without having to carry the cost on your own.

Use of Top-notch Infrastructure

It takes a lot to keep your company humming. You’ll need to purchase and manage everything from servers to software, and bandwidth to back-up drives. But because their cost is distributed among many clients, Managed IT providers give you the most extensive infrastructure option available to businesses of any size. Their systems will also be redundant and resilient, meaning you can rest assured that your data and services are safe. You’ll have less downtime, faster processing, more features, and better tools than you could manage independently.

Low Capital Outlay

Network and Information Technology solutions are costly. When you handle IT internally, you’re sinking your funds into equipment, hiring, training, and software. These costs can be erratic and add up quickly, diverting critical cash or tying up credit. On the other hand, Managed IT gives you the freedom to pay over time, distributing your costs rather than demanding unpredictable lump sums. You can also lease your hardware, spreading out your costs over the course of the lease. Your service agreement will outline flat monthly costs, so you’ll have reliable numbers for fiscal planning.

Whatever the role of technology in your business, Managed IT can mean the difference between a costly distraction and a strategic edge. Contact us today to find out which managed services are best for your office.

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Toshiba’s groundbreaking hybrid Multi-Function Printer, the e-STUDIO™4508LP, continues to receive industry accolades earning the Better Buys 2018 Innovative Product of the Year award for best monochrome copier. Better Buys’ editors recognised Toshiba’s first-of-its-kind copier for its capability to produce both erasable and standard black prints. The technology innovator’s adoption of erasable toner within its hybrid copier enables the reuse of paper by erasing all content on a sheet of paper thereby allowing organisations to operate more efficiently and sustainably. Better Buys’ editorial staff additionally presented Toshiba’s print device with high marks for its impressive feature set and value.

“We’ve selected the Toshiba e-STUDIO4508LP as an Innovative Product of the Year simply because it’s the most innovative copier Toshiba has engineered to date,” said Better Buys editor Melissa Pardo-Bunte. “We especially want to recognize its unique erasable toner technology, saving organizations money while also reducing their carbon footprint.”

Toshiba’s popular print device additionally won a Better Buys’ 2017 Editor’s Choice award and the company’s companion hybrid copier, the e-STUDIO3508LP was recently named 2018 Outstanding Achievement in Innovation Award by global document imaging industry resource, Keypoint Intelligence-Buyers Lab.  This also marks the fifth time in the last six years Toshiba has secured a Better Buys Innovative Product of the Year award.

"We are very thankful to Better Buys for presenting us with its Innovative Product of the Year award,” said Bill Melo, Toshiba America Business Solutions CMO. “Toshiba customers throughout the world have come to appreciate the significant environmental and efficiency benefits our hybrid copier provides.”

Is your company doing all it can to protect itself against cyber threats? Here are some of the most common data security mistakes made by small businesses.

Relying on outdated technology – Time doesn’t stand still when it comes to technology. No matter how effective a piece of equipment or version of software may be, it’s always one day closer to being obsolete. It is essential you remain vigilant with software patches or updates to existing devices and budget for replacement technology to keep your data safe.

Lacking an exit protocol – Do you have a policy in place requiring employees that leave your company to hand over confidential data stored on their personal devices? If so, do you enforce it? Confidentiality agreements are another way to protect sensitive information.

Betting on yourself – While you could buy the latest anti-virus software and draft your own cyber security plan, are you really qualified to protect your data from the sophisticated threats we face today? Data security is hardly the place to cut corners to save money; why not outsource your security to trained IT professionals?

Small businesses are not immune to data security threats, and they lack the resources large corporations have at their disposal to combat data breaches. Avoiding these mistakes will help minimise risks for your company.

Visit our security section to delve deeper into the ways Toshiba can help.

Managed Print Services (MPS) offer a myriad of benefits, many of which lie dormant even after a company implements MPS.

The primary uses of MPS are to save money, reduce energy costs, and consolidate printer fleets. However, MPS offers much more than that; it’s important that you get the most out of an MPS solution so you can increase workflow and boost productivity.

Here are a few ways to help MPS help you:

Start from the beginning

From day one, plan on using MPS to its fullest potential. Rather than following the learning curve, dive in head first. This way, you will avoid using MPS only for short-term savings. Instead, you’ll be better equipped to take advantage of infrastructure optimization, proactive management, and business optimisation.

Set yourself free

You may not realize it right away, but maintaining a proactive MPS solution will free you and your employees from tedious work – allowing you to focus on more productive tasks. It will also free you from distractions (like when a printer goes down) and tracking inventory (such as when you need more toner). With MPS, it’s all taken care of for you. That way, your employees can focus on what’s actually important: your business.

Integrate everything

In order to truly eliminate inefficient processes, you’ll want to integrate your MPS system with existing business systems to enhance workflow, information management, and compliance. Integration allows you to truly measure your cost savings and track productivity improvements.

Be specific

When engaging with MPS, keep your specific needs in the back of your mind. This includes adopting solutions suited to your specific industry, such as education, law, medical, or finance. Intelligent multifunction devices can be equipped with industry-specific software that provides practical solutions for your unique business needs. Remember, there is more to MPS than copying, printing, and scanning. Make MPS work for you instead of the other way around.

Improvement is key

MPS offers a wide array of benefits, and part of attaining these benefits is process improvement. Always be willing to adjust your MPS solution and your workflow in order to gain the most out of your system.

By Admin / ToshibaUncategorized / 8 Comments

Office printer technology has long been criticised for stagnating in the “good enough” stage for much of the 21st century.

While printer technology accelerated rapidly in the 80’s and 90’s, especially with the invention of inexpensive inkjet technology for home office units, a printer from 2016 isn’t all that different regarding quality or price than an equivalent unit from 2006.

Mostly there have been minor improvements in quality control, in paper management (to prevent jams) and increased ink efficiency, but even these have been small, as much of the technology has already been optimised, at least within current parameters of affordability.

To learn more about Copier and Printers please call us now on 65912000.

However, that doesn’t mean that the industry is remaining stagnant. Rather than improving the technology, trends in 2017 indicate more combined technology, especially in the realm of traditional large office copy units.

While paper and toner technology may be at about their optimum barring a major change, advances in light-sensing technology, inexpensive computing components and, most importantly, wireless antennae, have led into more multi-function printers with greater capabilities.

To wit, advances in the mobile market, especially business-oriented tablet devices, have resulted in printers that need to be able to do anything, while connecting wirelessly to any authorised device. Additionally, they need to do so cheaper than ever before, and in a smaller package.

What does this mean for you as the small business owner? It means you will, beginning in 2017, start seeing more and more multi-function options that are less expensive yet more versatile.

Instead of a dedicated copier backed up by a dedicated printer or dedicated inkjet color machine, a single machine capable of doing multiple colours, scans, copies and prints from the network or even authorized devices will become more common.

Entire copy rooms will increasingly be paired down to single units which do everything, with benefits regarding both efficiency and cost.

Trends are also focusing more and more on the fact that workers are taking advantage of the mobile networks to do more and more work away from the office, or at the very least away from their traditional desktop.

2017 will see printers increasingly compatible with phone and tablet technology, allowing hard copies to be printed directly rather than requiring them to be ported to a desktop or company server before printing. Additionally, scans can be delivered directly to the phone in question, rather than passing through an e-mail server, eliminating both time and a potential security loophole.

This means that you and your employees will not only be able to do more, but they will do so with less while paying less.

With much of the technology inherent in printers now optimized, and components dropping in price, the emphasis is on decreasing the cost of printers both to own and to operate. This means lower printing costs for you overall while gaining access to new features, especially regarding cloud and mobile printing.

It also means less need to pay for multiple machines, as functions are combined into a single unit.

So call us today, to learn how 2017 can be a year of decreased cost and hassle for you!

To learn more about Copier and Printers please call us now on 65912000.

By Admin / Toshiba / 0 Comments

Toshiba's Hybrid Eco-Printer Wins Better Buys Editor's Choice Award

Office Equipment Authority recognises Toshiba's Eco-Printer

Toshiba'S e-STUDIO™4508LP, the world's first hybrid copier capable of producing erasable as well as standard monochrome prints, earned Better Buys Q3 2017 Editor's Choice Award. The industry's first-of-its-kind product received the coveted honour by outperforming a wide array of other monochrome copiers in side-by-side comparisons.

Better Buys editors were especially impressed by the e-STUDIO4508LP's eco and cost-savings elements as well as the product's erasable toner. Featuring Toshiba's proprietary erasable toner, the e-STUDIO™4508LP enables paper reuse by erasing all printed content on the page.

“The Toshiba e-STUDIO4508LP utilises the same strong features as Toshiba’s other copiers," said Better Buys editor Melissa Pardo-Bunte. "However, it has innovative hybrid printing technology that will reduce expenses while limiting organisations' carbon footprints.”

The e-STUDIO4508LP has innovative hybrid printing technology that will reduce expenses while limiting organisations' carbon footprints..

Content produced using the hybrid copier's erasable toner is erased by simply loading pages into a designated cassette or the bypass tray and pressing the Erase button on the e-STUDIO4508LP's front panel.

The product's rules-based printing setting is another eco-conscious element engineered within Toshiba's hybrid copier. This feature enables users to select toner setting defaults based on the application. As a result, temporary items, such as emails, may be designated to print in erasable toner to conserve paper while more permanent documents such as those printed from Microsoft Word may be assigned to print in standard monochrome toner.

"The Toshiba team is excited about our hybrid copier's selection as Better Buys Q3 2017 Editor's Choice," said Bill Melo, Toshiba America Business Solutions chief marketing executive. "Our game changing e-STUDIO4508LP copier is already resonating with customers looking to operate in a more sustainable manner."

In addition to winning Better Buys Q3 2017 Editor's Choice Award, Toshiba has earned Better Buys' Innovative Product of the Year Award four out of the last five years.

About Better Buys

After more than 20 years as a trusted authority on office equipment, Better Buys is now a rebranded site that offers resources to help companies in the market for Business Intelligence solutions, HR Software, CMMS Systems, as well as printers, copiers, and scanners. Leveraging an experienced team of in-house editors, Better Buys offers a range of content and resources designed to help organizations make smarter purchasing decisions, including expert reviews, authoritative whitepapers & reports, insightful market research, comprehensive buyer’s guides, and more. For more information, visit betterbuys.com.

Future Looks Grim For SanDisk As Toshiba Tells Them To ‘Shove Off’.

SanDisk whose products are significantly over priced in Australia is facing major problems with parent Company Western Digital now battling to retain a foot in the door at Toshiba.

Dumped by Apple SanDisk is dependent on the production coming out of Toshiba factories for their memory, now Toshiba wants to rid itself of both SanDisk and Western Digital. At the weekend Toshiba took another stab at its U.S. joint venture partner, Western Digital Corp., saying it has no rights to new chip production that’s vital to the future of both companies.

The latest escalation of the fight between the two centres on a new factory called Fab 6. Toshiba said it will build the plant without any participation from its U.S. partner, thereby cutting off Western Digital from chips made with the factory’s new technology. Western Digital inherited its stake in the joint venture when it bought SanDisk who after being dumped by Apple was acquired by Western Digital.

“Toshiba is dismayed by Western Digital’s pattern of exaggerating SanDisk’s rights under the relevant agreements,” the Tokyo-based company said Friday in a statement.

“Despite claims to the contrary, Western Digital does not now possess any legal ‘rights’ to participate in this phase of investment, which is an important investment in the next generation of flash memory.”

Western Digital soon countered with a statement of its own, saying Toshiba’s position is wrong and affirming its rights.

“The terms of the agreements and our related legal rights are clear, and we remain confident that we will receive our share of any capacity from Fab 6,” the San Jose, California-based company said. “We are continuing our constructive dialogue with Toshiba on this and other matters.”

 

On Friday, a judge in San Francisco agreed to change a temporary restraining order — prohibiting Toshiba from blocking Western Digital employees access to shared databases and other joint-venture facilities — into a preliminary injunction. The order also requires Toshiba to continue to supply materials and sample wafers to Western Digital in the U.S.

Western Digital needs to retain access to output from new Toshiba factories as improvements in manufacturing technology are one of the key determinants of success in the memory chip industry. Newer plants and equipment typically produce better semiconductors more cheaply.

Toshiba said the talks haven’t proved fruitful.

“Toshiba provided an investment proposal to SanDisk earlier this year,” it said in the statement. “Despite numerous meetings and negotiations, including at the CEO to CEO level, Toshiba’s proposal was not accepted on the timetable set out in the agreements.”

Western Digital shares declined 4 percent Friday to close at $81.17 in New York. The stock has gained 19 percent this year.

Print’s Not Dead

Despite the drive towards digital, the reality is that many small businesses rely on print every day.

Toshiba Photocopier article

The big buzz in small business these days is the move towards digital business practices, and how it’s changing the landscape. However, there’s one aspect of business that is incredibly important to most small businesses, and it’s something that has been getting lost in all of the digital noise.

Print is still a vital channel for SMBs, in terms of marketing and other elements – and, of course, as much as we would all love to be completely environmentally friendly, just about every small business still uses ink and paper to get by with their day-to-day operations.

“Printed documents are still an integral part of everyday business. Small businesses still have to deal with incoming paper documents such as invoices and documents that need to be printed internally and distributed,” says Andrew Simpson, National Marketing Manager for Toshiba.

“The most important aspect for small businesses is getting the right mix of print and digital workflows to make their business run at maximum efficiency.”

Print solutions

Given that small business is often a paperwork-heavy environment, it stands to reason that in order to operate efficiently and remain competitive, SMB owners would need a print solution.

However, the reality is that a lot of small businesses underestimate how powerful their printer can be as a tool in the workplace. For many, a printer is still perceived as a simple photocopier that spits out a print or copy – but things have changed in recent years, and the humble office printer has evolved.

“The days of the “old photocopier” that could only print, scan and fax are long gone. These days the modern multi-function device (MFD) is like a business hub at the heart of running your small business,” Andrew says.

“They can make your business more productive by streamlining workflows that give the business owner (and their staff) more time to work on more important things, like growing their business,” he says. “They can even help you save money and resources by automating document workflows that previously took staff countless hours to perform.”
The biggest shift has been towards an integrated system, where the printer and software you use are more of a suite of additional tools, services or features that can be installed with your printer to turn complex processes into simple, streamlined workflows.

“Although it is important for devices to have supreme functionality such as cloud or mobile print, it is just as important that these devices are simple to use. Look for a MFD that has a large screen or a UI (user interface) that is customisable and has tablet like functionality, i.e. pinch and swipe,” Andrew says. “That way you can tailor your MFD to suit your business needs.”Big businesses have been using systems like this for years – largely because of the fact that the cost of having a print solution put together, along with a behemoth-sized printer, was huge.

These days, the cost of a print solution has come down by quite a large percentage, and the big players in the market have come up with tailored solutions specifically with small business in mind.

That’s because SMB owners need their printing solution to address the pain points of their business work flows. Printing is no longer just about the devices, but an integrated software and hardware solution.

Each business is different and the printing environment should reflect this. Some of the considerations should be: how many and which devices are needed, the ability to control printing from both a sustainability and fiscal responsibility perspective, document security, as well as the full cost scenario including installation, service and support.

This allows you to reuse the same piece of paper up to 5 times. The benefit of this is a reduction in paper consumption by up to 80%, and a reduction in your CO2 emissions by up to 50%.

Environmentally friendly

As print solutions continue to evolve, so do the demands of small business owners – and one of the more frequent reasons the SMB owners give for wanting to make changes to the way they use print is environmental.

The good news is that recent developments in this part of the industry have produced some truly startling results.

“Our e-STUDIO3508lp is an ECO friendly printer that allows you to print and then erase the toner on the page,” says Andrew. “This allows you to reuse the same piece of paper up to 5 times. The benefit of this is a reduction in paper consumption by up to 80%, and a reduction in your CO2 emissions by up to 50%.”

What kind of printer should you get?

The current trend in printers is still the ‘all-in-one’ print solution approach – a multi-function unit that does everything a small business would need: print documents, operate as a fax, scan documents, make photocopies and send emails.

And while it’s always tempting to get the latest and greatest, all-bells-and-whistles equipment for your office, before you lay out the capital, ask yourself: do I really need it?
Choosing the right system doesn’t need to be a chore, either. SMB owners really are spoilt for choice, as

“Small business owners need to consider their own systems and document workflows when deciding on what print solution to go with,” Andrew says. “For example, if a small business needs to do a significant amount of double sided scanning to send to the cloud, the business may look at purchasing an MFD with dual scan capabilities with a scan to cloud app.”

It’s good practice to think very clearly about what you need your printer to do. And the easiest way to figure out what you need in a printer is to assess your requirements now, before you need to buy a new one.

Keeping a log of when, and how, you use your printer for a couple of weeks will give you a really solid understanding of your requirements. If you do keep a log, it’s also useful to make a note of the times when you wanted your current printer to behave or perform differently.

For instance, if you find yourself wishing that the printer was faster, or less noisy, make a note of that. Likewise, if you find yourself clutching a document and wishing that you could make a photocopy of it, or scan it in to create a PDF that you can email, then make a note of that, too.

What you’ll be left with is a much clearer idea of what you actually need, and a better understanding of how important any functionality that might be on your ‘wish list’ actually is to your business.

“The best thing to do is speak to a professional that can come in and do a print and document audit to help you work out the best solution for your business,” Andrew adds.

What quality of printer do I need?

This is one of the toughest questions to answer, and to do so will require a certain amount of technical jargon – but bear with us, and we’ll try to explain it as efficiently as possible.

When we talk about “print quality”, we’re discussing the maximum resolution that the printer is capable of producing – and, broadly speaking, the higher the number for DPI (Dots Per Inch), the higher the quality of the finished product… and the higher the price for the printer.

It can be very easy to get a bit carried away when looking at new office hardware, and a common ‘mistake’ is to buy top-of-the-line equipment because you ‘might need it, one day’. Unless you’re absolutely positive that you’re going to need something completely whizz-bang in the office, then consider what your actual, day-to-day needs are and purchase accordingly.