Aperu: Welcome to the Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) the new communication centers from Minolta. These new systems are going to be launched in October 2003 targeting to replace Minolta-own placements like EP2010/3010 and Di250/350 but also respective competitor machines like Ricohs Aficio 350 or Canons GP 335. We have lost a lot of dealers and their trust with the Di250/350 because of technical problems. Even with the introduction of the Di251/351, this circumstance could not be changed. Using a completely new design, a new naming (4 digits instead of 3), and a completely new engine concept, we will give a clear signal to the market: Minolta is back. Among many new features, the following three areas stand out as highlights of the machine: The Central Imaging Platform (CIP). This brand-new controller technology allows the various system functions such as copying, printing or scanning to be controlled by just one CPU. While maintaining the accustomed performance, the use of this all-in-one controller considerably reduces the initial purchase price and makes the machine much easier to operate. Various new design features (e.g. tilt-able panel, machine status lamp, simplified display, display enlargement, etc.) reflect the second highlight, the Universal Design concept, which is being applied to all new product launches with the aim of maximising the ease of use. The focus of Minoltas efforts in redesigning their mid-market monochrome range was on making life easier for the user, and not just improving the usability of the machine. The result is that these new machines offer greatly improved accessibility, especially for people with special needs. A panel that tilts by up to 43 is good news for people in wheelchairs and numerous other improvements such as transparent feeder rails, slanting feeder labels, display enlargement, easy display-contrast regulation, new panel and output tray colours, concave-shaped buttons, large feeder handle and top-down access to paper cassettes will be welcomed by all office users. The third highlight is the embedded finisher FN-117 which allows any of these machines sophisticated finishing functions (saddle stitch, crease folding, corner stapling, punching, 100% duplex productivity, mail bin finisher) to be retrofitted without altering their compact footprint. As far as the serviceability is concerned, the major goal was to design these machines as sturdy and reliable as possible. Many product features known from Segment 4, like optical sensors and 3 rollers paper take-up and electromagnetic clutches, can now also be found in the Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f). Finally a lot of features are available now which make sharing of information easier like the fax gateway which allows an automatic forwarding feature of received fax either to other fax destination or to eMail addresses or even an archiving on an FTP server. More details about it you will find by going through this document. Enjoy !
4 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) T Ta ab bl le e o of f c co on nt te en nt ts s: : 1 1. . T Th he e o of ff fi ic ce e c co om mm mu un ni ic ca at ti io on n c ce en nt tr re es s 1.1. Product Positioning 1.2. Market Trend 1.3. Attachment Ratios 1.4. First Shipment 2 2. . F Fe ea at tu ur re e S Se et t 2.1. Improvement Overview 2.2. Technical Improvements Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) 2.3. Technical Improvements Pi3505e
3 3. . P Pr ri ic ci in ng g 3.1. Hardware Pricing 3.2. Running Costs 3.3. Click-per-x 4 4. . S Se er rv vi ic ce e 4.1. Service Strategy 4.2. CPP Tool 4.3. Training 4.4. Reliability Test & Quality Check
5 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f)
1 1 The office communication centres 1.1 Product Positioning ... with competition becoming keener all the time, you cannot afford to be inefficient in your office communication especially in the most basic business unit of the small or medium-sized workgroup. In this environment you can enhance efficiency by introducing a versatile office communication centre for the everyday tasks of printing and copying, effective finishing and sharing relevant information ... [sales brochure Di2510]. This abstract reflects already the strategic positioning of the Di2510. Surely this machine is not used for often copying or printing huge volumes but small or mid-sized workgroups would like to count on its flexibility in handling all kinds of office communication [e.g. copying, printing, faxing, scanning, eMailing, sharing information]. In accordance to this targeted positioning also the hand motif is chosen. The two hands are a synonym for the machine which can arrange, sort and secure many different communications streams here shown as strings simultaneously like a real versatility virtuoso. Of course this positioning is underlined by unique machine features: PC Network Fax Multiple interface support (parallel, USB, Ethernet, TokenRing*, Wireless*) Real multitasking 64-Bit processor technology Mail-bin finisher Crease folding Notice board function (Scan-to-HDD, Print-to-HDD) IP Scan LDAP / ABU support Fax gateway function iFax PageScope Light PageScope Cabinet 2.0
... in today s challenging economic climate no business can afford to be inefficient in its paper- based communication processes printing, copying, scanning or faxing. Because time is money,
6 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) improvements in the productivity of such processes bring clear bottom-line benefits. And higher productivity is precisely what you can look forward to from Minolta s monochrome communication centres, the DiALTA Di3010 (30 ppm) and the DiALTA Di3510 (35 ppm)... [sales brochure Di3010 & Di3510]. As pointed out the Di3010/3510 are meant to be used especially for larger copy or print jobs which have to be produced on demand and finished in time. Also in that case the hand can be seen as a synonym for the machine which has powerful features the leverage effect of the wrench for copying even heavy requests. So its a real power tool. Of course also in that case machines unique features emphasis the message: 17 seconds warm-up time Max. 2,520 sheets copy memory Up to 70 scans a minute 20ppm A3 print / copy speed 150-sheet bypass Up to 210 g/m paper weight Real multitasking 64-Bit processor technology Up to 100% duplex productivity Transmit once - Print many RIP once - Print many RIP while Print Envelope feeding PageScope Net Care
7 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) 1.2 Market Trend The office communications industry has been transitioning in recent years, from handling paper oriented documents to electronic data management. Under these circumstances, the volume of photocopies has experienced a significant decline in 2001. In 2002 it appears that the sales situation is more stable again as the sales figures of 2001 could be at least kept. Even so since last year there are significant shifts of sales from one segment to another. Shrinking the last years continuously segment 1 gained importance again in 2002. Due to economical reasons many companies have been forced to postpone bigger investments [segment 2 and higher] and decided to cope any actual need with low budget machines [segment 1]. Nevertheless, as soon as the economical turnaround is made higher sales in the higher segments can be expected again. How important it is for Minolta to be successful with Di2510, Di3010 and Di3510 can be easily understood by analysing Minoltas market position in the digital b&w copier business. Of course at a time some other competitors could offer already a more or less complete digital product line-up and Minolta could not our market position was understandable weak. But astonishingly we could never catch up completely since then as we are still just number 7 in the digital market. On main reason for this weak picture is the poor sales performance in segment 2 [20-39ppm] in which companies like NRG sell double as many machines.
8 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) 1.3 Attachment Ratios The underneath shown illustration displays the expected attachment ratios of all main machine accessories. The figures base on the long-lasting sales experience with Di250/251/350/351:
Two out of those product accessories are of particular importance: the finisher FN-117 and the interface card NC-4. The FN-117 is important as there is no other finisher available so whenever the customer would like to staple, punch, fold, mail-bin-sort or shift-sort either the FN-117 or the FN-117 plus any other finishing accessory is required. Besides the finisher also the interface card is of multiple use. In case the user would like to print in the network, scan, fax directly from a PC or iFax an interface card is required. With other words as soon as the customer opts for SU-2, SU-3, Pi3505e, Pi3505e/PS or HDD-6 also a NC-4 has to be ordered. Regarding the attachment ratios also two figures have to maybe further explained. The total connectivity ratio of the print keys is planned to be 50%. Based on an average ratio of 36% with Di251/351 this looks pretty high. Anyhow, due to the innovative controller board technology and its very aggressive pricing a minimum achievement ratio of 45% should be possible. Finally, one might wonder about the low plan figure for SU-3. Even if SU-3 compared to SU-2 offers excellent features like PC fax or IP Scanning we do not believe in high sales quantities as its pricing is rather high.
100% 50%
9 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f)
1.4 First Shipment The first lot of sample machines will be send to you end of calendar week 33. These machines are meant to be for internal evaluation and launch preparations. The second lot of sample machines will arrive in your local warehouse probably in calendar week 37. These machines can then for example be used for sales and service training. Based on the current plan the first customer shipment will be sent out by ME end of September. This might be change if the sell-out of Di251/351 does not proceed like planned. As shown in the table below basically all accessories will be available right from the beginning except Pi3505e/PS, HDD-6 and parallel port which will be launched one month later. Also in November a new firmware will be available supporting LDAP In January 2004 pull scanning via TWAIN drivers will be available. In fact pull scanning is already possible right from the beginning as users can download scans from the data drive (HDD-6) to their PC via PageScope Light. But in January 2004 TWAIN drivers will be released making pull scanning directly into any scan application [e.g. archiving software, graphic program) possible. The last addition to the feature set will be made in July 2004. At that time the feature user authentication will be introduced. With this feature the menu settings [e.g. default screen, standard scan resolution] can be personalised means after the entry of a personal ID number these individual settings will be shown automatically.
10 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) 2 2 Feature Set 2.1 Improvement Overview In the table below key specifications of Di351/Pi3502 are compared with those of Di3510/Pi3505e: Di251/351 Di2510/3510 Warm up Time 70 sec. 17 sec. 1 st Copy Speed 5.8 sec. / 4.6 sec. 5.3 sec. / 4.8 sec. Copier HDD No Yes (16GB shared) Multi Bypass No Yes (150 sheets) Std. / Max. Paper Capacity 750 / 3.250 sheets 1.150 / 3.650 sheets Paper Weight 60 160 g/m 56 210 g/m Monthly Page Volume (Average / Max) 11 k / 48 k Drum Lifetime 67 k / 72 k 80 k / 100 k Machine Life 760 k / 1.100 k MCBV 26.9 k / 35.3 k 25 k / 35 k MCBF (System) 37.5 k / 51.9k 48.5 k / 68 k Pi3502 Pi3505e PDL PCL5e / PCL6 / PS3 Interface Parallel / Ethernet (RJ45) Parallel / Ethernet (RJ45) / USB (1.1) CPU IBM Power PC 603e (32Bit / 100MHz) PMC Sierra 5231A (64Bit / 233MHz) RIP Once Print Many / RIP While Print No / No Yes / Yes Printer Memory (Std. / Max) 16 / 144 MB 96 MB / 288 MB Printer HDD 10 GB (only PostScript fonts) 16 GB (shared) Scan-to-eMail Yes Scan-to-FTP Yes (incl. URL notification) Scan-to-HDD No Yes (incl. URL notification) LDAP No Yes TWAIN Scan No Yes Keyboard Layout ABC QWERTY
11 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) 2.2 Technical Improvements Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) Central Imaging Platform The most important highlight of the machines is the Central Imaging Platform (CIP). A 64 Bit 233MHz MIPS CPU is working as a shared CPU means printing, copying, scanning and faxing are being processed on a common platform. This CPU is capable of processing twice the number of tasks than common 32 Bit RISC processors and the real time OS of the Di2510/3010/3510 is also fully supported. This common processing offers enormous advantages like that print and scan functionality is already incorporated into the digital system which can be activated by a key chip. Moreover, the hardware (CPU, memory and HDD) is shared by all functions which drastically reduces the price of the entire system. The installation time necessary to use the Print and Scan function is very short (5 minutes).
FN-117 (Finisher) The embedded finisher FN-117 is another highlight of the machine. As the finisher can be embedded into the system and as hole punching and stapling functions are performed in the horizontal section, it only needs little space to be set up. Besides there are not several finishers available but one which can be modularly upgraded with hole punching, booklet function stapling / center fold and a mail-bin sorting.
FR-19 (Document Feeder) The feeder is also a completely new development which is extremely swift installed as no feeder kit necessarily has to be mounted. Also advantageous is the new slit type feeder means less noise and higher reliability in feeding in comparison to the old belt type. A mylar has been added to the scanners slit glass in order to reduce the contact between the original and the glass - resulting in less wear and tear of the glass (avoiding black lines on copies) and a reduced frequency of paper jams. The exchange of the paper separation rollers and the paper feed rollers has been simplified as well. In order to release them one simply has to press two clips and remove them.
12 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) Paper Feed / Paper Transport A known source for malfunctions of Di251/351 is the paper take up. A spring is used in order to build up tension for the paper feed rollers / take up rollers in the universal cassettes. If the customer decided to use a different type of paper, the pressure given by the paper feed and take up rollers is either too low or too high, which leads frequently to paper jams. In the new model, special paper lifting motors are used to control the pressure for the paper take up, which eliminates this source of error almost completely. The paper feed rollers and paper separation rollers of Di2510/3010/3510 consist of a new, harder material which is designed to achieve a longer lifetime (300.000 pages) leading to the replacement of less PM Parts! The sensors now controlling the paper transport are optical instead of mechanical sensors like in Di251/351. Such optical sensors are the better solution because the risk of damaging a sensor when careless removing jammed paper is eliminated. Moreover, expensive electromagnetic clutches, instead of conventional spring clutches are now used. Altogether, the integration of the new sensors and clutches is on the one hand more expensive, but on the other hand a lot more reliable [lower service costs !]. Fusing Unit As far as this area is concerned, the achievement of a high paper path reliability was the main criterion for improvements. When opening the vertical unit, the pressure of the heating rollers is released immediately in order to make it easy to remove jammed paper. Should paper get stuck in the unit completely and it is impossible to simply pull out the sheets then the separation area can now be opened by 80. The fusing unit now contains a second heater lamp and thinner material for the upper fusing roller. Both factors lead to a remarkably short warm-up time of only 17 seconds. Other measures were also taken in order to avoid paper curl. Consumables As already in Di650/551, the toner for Di2510/3010/3510 is to be replenished from the front using a slide mechanism. This makes toner replenishment very simple and can now even be performed while copying or printing. In order to keep the running service costs low, the well proven separation of consumables like the drum, developer and developing unit has been continued. This means that each of these materials
13 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) can be renewed independently from the others. Also a warning message can be given in order to inform the customer that the relevant consumable should be replaced!
Firmware update Only flash ROM is used in this machine. The firmware itself is stored on a CompactFlash Card which makes it possible to simply overwrite old firmware. A notebook (incl. PCMCIA Slot) and a CompactFlash adapter card are the necessary technical equipment for this process. Of course, the cards can be transported when they are already programmed. This makes it easy to upgrade the firmware of these machines, since no Notebook is required then onsite. As there is now just one board being shared by all main functions just one upgrade and one firmware is necessary for both machine and print function.
An additional Dealer Fact File is issued which can be utilized for promoting the changes in front of dealers or even customers.
14 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) 2.3 New Features 2.3.1 Scan Function Also regarding its scan functionality Di2510/3010/3510 is well ahead of their competitors. The combination of scan-to-eMail/FTP/HDD and Network TWAIN as well as Scan-to-PC cannot be found at any other competitor machine.
Scan to-eMail It is now possible to name the file attachment and use different subject headings for a scanned document. Moreover, a reply address can be sent as well, so that a recipient of such a document can immediately reply with an e-mail to the sender. In order to communicate with the MS active directories the LDAP protocol is implemented for easily browsing eMail addresses on customers eMail server, without registering scan-to-eMail destinations manually at the machine.
Scan-to-FTP/HDD In case of Scan-to-FTP 5 server addresses with 5 different subdirectories can be stored. So in total there are 25 different FTP storage slots available. As far as Scan-to-HDD is concerned, 115 private mailboxes in which documents can be stored, can be set up by everyone. Additionally, there is the possibility to scan data to a public folder which is then available for public use as a kind of notice board. Scan-to-FTP and also scan-to-HDD can be flagged with a Notification (URL) eMail in order to be able to find the storage location more quickly. In a later stage we will introduce the Network TWAIN driver, which basically pull those document which have been stored on the HDD directly into an application. This feature can be compared with the Fiery Scan2 feature.
IP Scanner With the SU-3, the Di2510/3010/3510 scanned documents can be stored directly into a specific folder, determined by the user. The bundled software for controlling this process is necessary. The communication is established from the PC, no other configuration is required on the system itself.
15 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) 2.3.2 PageScope Cabinet 2.0 At the same time while launching Di2510/3010/3510 a new version of PageScope Cabinet will be introduced. This new version has many always demanded features. The biggest improvements of the version 2.0 have been listed below:
Image enhancement This is an image enhancement software developed by Minolta and now available as a new function within PageScope Cabinet. This software provides fully automatic image such as de-sewed or de-sparkle (required to perform OCR), but also brightness and contrast can be managed without involving any additional application.
FTP server function PageScope Cabinet can function as an FTP server. Therefore, it can receive document files directly from devices connected through the network and data from Minolta multifunctional products. The PageScope Cabinet FTP server function cannot be used if another FTP server is installed on the computer, for example, if the Internet Information Server program package for Windows 2000 includes an FTP server.
Import from a mail server PageScope Cabinet can be set to periodically check the mail server for incoming eMail messages. If new eMail messages are on a mail server, the eMail message text or the attached file can be imported into a specified folder. In addition, the text from the eMail message can be saved as a text file, and the message text followed by the attached file can be saved as a combined file.
Import from a monitored folder PageScope Cabinet can be set to periodically monitor a specified folder. When files are added to the folder, the file is automatically transferred to another maybe personal folder.
16 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) PageScope Cabinet plus In addition to the free of charge version of PageScope Cabinet we will be able to offer the chargeable version PageScope Cabinet plus. This package basically will contain the PageScope Cabinet 2.0 + PDF converter tool + ABBYs FineReader OCR software for a very aggressive price! So in addition of all the functionality which is provided in the free of charge bundled version, for those users which has needs for generating PDF files or convert scanned images with the award winning ABYY FineReader 6.0 OCR software. This professional OCR provides unsurpassed accuracy of recognition, excellent layout retention, unmatched productivity. FineReader has been elected the winner in over 70 tests world wide.
2.3.3 Fax The DI2510f/3510f offers completely new possibilities as far as fax handling is concerned. Eight different Terminal Sender IDs (TSI) can be assigned which make it possible to customise the system within a workgroup. There is also the option to block unwanted stations (junk fax feature) means a fax reception from these stations will be refused.
Fax Gateway The Di2510f/3510f deserves its name Communication Center due to its manifold possibilities to archive and distribute documents. A received Fax/iFax for example, can be printed out immediately, forwarded to another fax machine or be stored on a FTP server or its own HDD. Such Fax/iFax documents can even be sent as PDF or TIF via eMail. If desired, all these combinations can be selected at the same time. As far as the iFax functionality is concerned, no dedicated Fax version is necessary.
Network PC-Fax If Di2510f/3510f is equipped with a SU-3, it will be possible for the user to send them as network fax. This function can be used by any number of users.
2.3.4 Print The reference printer for the Pi3505e or 3505e/PS is the HP LaserJet 8150. The Di2510/3010/3510 are capable of switching between simplex and duplex operation within a PCL5e print job from different trays with different copy numbers. The Pi3505e also supports both RIP Once Print Many as well as RIP While Print and not only Transmit Once Print Many.
17 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) One additional new feature is reprint. It allows a swift reprint of already transmitted print jobs as no transmission and spooling is necessary again ! As soon as the hard disc is installed it can be also used a kind of notice board: form sheets, newsletters, announcements etc. can be printed directly to the HDD and can be printed on demand !
2.3.5 Page Scope Light In contrast to our competitors, PageScope Light offers different access levels. The software aims at users who want to manage and/or delete their print/scan jobs and who want to obtain information about the consumable status of their system. It also aims at the administrator level where network settings or even the configuration of the entire machine can be changed. All copier, fax and printer settings can be made with PageScope Light without being personally in front of the machine.
18 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f)
3 3 Pricing 3.1 Hardware Pricing Taking a typical configuration for a office environment [machine, feeder, finisher, large capacity cassette, printer controller, NIC] the Di2510 is approx. 23% lower priced than Di251. Below you find a list of items with further most significant price reductions: Machine -23% Duplex Feeder -26% Cassette cabinets -16% Finisher -28% Controller (incl. NIC) -17% Scan - 24% The Di2510 does not just look attractive in an internal price comparison but also in competition with key competitor machines like Canon iR2200, Ricoh Aficio 2022 and Konica 7022. Comparing those competitors with Di2510 in above mentioned configuration Ricohs Aficio 2022, Canons iR2200 and Konicas 7022 are by far the most expensive devices in this speed range. The sound cost advantage gets even more strong considering that those competitors are only 22ppm models, which means less productivity for a higher price !
19 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) 3.2 Running Costs In todays challenging economic climate no business can afford to be inefficient in its paper-based communication processes printing, copying, scanning or faxing. Because time is money, improvements in the productivity of such processes bring clear bottom-line benefits. The illustration at the left side shows the different TCOs and their trend in dependence to the monthly page volume based on a 60 months leasing contract. In between 6k to 26k all three models have basically the same running costs.
3.3 Click-per-x Below it is shown that the calls related to prints have to be rated lower than those related to copies as neither the feeder nor the scanning section is involved in printing. This leads to a higher MCBV and lower running service costs. Moreover, print jobs usually are larger than copy jobs which leads to a higher paper path reliability on the one hand and to a longer lifetime of the drum and starter on the other. It was often requested in the past to integrate a scan counter to the copy / print counter in order to be able to charge the different functions individually. The illustration clearly shows which sections demand which service effort. Especially scanning requires rather high service efforts especially for cleaning and changing PM parts. Using the Di2510/3010/3510 (and succeeding products), it will be possible to charge these costs directly.
20 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) In order to meet your requirements fully we extended the CPP Tool by a new reporting area: Click- per-x. With this new input interface it is possible to calculate different volumes for the individual functions independently from each other. This puts the service organisation into the position of creating new business fields and to generate additional service turnover. Please refer to chapter 4.2 CPP Tool for further details.
21 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) 4 4 Service 4.1 Service Strategy We have lost a lot of dealers and their trust with the Di250/350 due to technical problems. Even with the introduction of the Di251/351, this circumstance could not be changed. Using a completely new design, a new naming (4 digits instead of 3), and a completely new engine concept we have to overcome our weak sales figures in segments 2 and 3 absolutely. The design of Di2510/3010/3510 is almost completely based on a Service Free concept. There are basically two ways to develop a new engine concept: The first one is to take cheaper parts and materials and to put more effort on replacing cycles during preventive maintenance. The second one is to take highly reliable parts and let them run the whole engine life (with some cleaning actions). The designers of Di2510/3010/3510 decided to go for the second way: A very sturdy design (lots of metal instead of plastic), user friendly and more expensive (but more reliable) parts and materials in order to reduce the total number of PM parts and ensure a high uptime. On the other hand, this concept requires more attention and skills during the set-up/installation because more adjustments are necessary to ensure an accurate working. It will not be possible to carry out the installation procedure by low skilled people (e.g. logistic forwarding agencies).
4.1.1 Paper Jam Some options of the Di2510/3010/3510 need special attention during installation as far as adjustment is concerned. The feeder AFR-19 and finisher FN-117 are to be adjusted accurately in order to perform flawlessly. As paper jams are one of the most frequent reasons for service visits, an important source of error can be excluded here. An introduction on how to remove a paper jam is absolutely necessary for the customer. Minolta has recognised this problem and has extended the troubleshooting chapter in the operator manual. It starts at paper handling and ends with a troubleshooting procedure in which the customer can find an illustrated manual on how to help himself with specific problems.
22 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f)
As the illustration shows, about 70% of all service calls on the Di251/351 have been recognised as paper feeding problems (paper take up / fusing section and original miss- feeds). Especially this area was obviously improved and we can expect less calls for this kind of problems. New features have been applied to the system in order to cope more customer requirements. There's nothing a Service Engineer likes more than going out solving a service call for jammed paper by simply putting in out some fresh high quality paper, and also showing the operator proper care & handling of that copy paper. Easy Job but expensive !
4.1.2 User Education It is a fact that 80% of all paper jams occur either due to inferior paper quality, poor paper condition, or an operator related problem and have nothing to do with the performance of the machine itself. Regarding paper quality : paper quality is crucial to the copier for preventing paper jams and achieving good copy quality. Often, uneducated operators think that "paper is paper" and why spend more money per ream than necessary. User Education means cost avoidance !
4.1.3 Meter Reading Meter readings gain always more importance in the organisation since only the direct calculation of the actual paper volume can increase the cash flow. There are four ways to obtain readings from the counters: The first is directly from the LCD Panel of Di2510/3010/3510, separated into total, copies, prints and scans. The second possibility is PageScope Light. The third way is PageScope Netcare and the fourth is the Page Counter Utility. Using this small software tool it is easily possible to gather counter readings from all Minolta products (incl. Minolta QMS) as long as they are connected to the customers network. This
23 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) procedure would make it unnecessary for the customer to actually walk up to each individual system. The simple push of a button is enough to gather all counter readings and to either export the results into Excel or to send them as fax.
4.1.4 Page Volume: The attachment of a print controller by itself does not guarantee a high page volume. The main selling argument for a centralised system is the relief of local printers. Since the users do not easily turn away from their familiar local printers, an introduction to the system is necessary. In order to effectively increase the page volume the following steps should be followed when setting up a system at customer site:
Installation of the printer driver: Each client should have the Minolta printer driver installed as default in order to make sure that the customer is actually using this as default output device.
Introduction of printer driver: In order to make full use of the system with all its features, it is necessary to explain the customer the printer driver and the benefits for the different settings in detail.
Easy Set: Although the user interface offers a good overview about all features of the driver, some customers feel swamped over by the multitude of selections that can be made in the printer driver properties. In an interview with the customer, information on his most frequently used applications (booklet, duplex, punching, stapling) should be gathered and the corresponding settings can then be saved using the Easy Set function of the driver. Once completed, the user would then only have to select the desired function (as a pre-set) and all settings that are stored with this function would be automatically recalled Easy Set!
24 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) 4.2 CPP Tool Introduced at the time of launch for Di551 and Di850 the CPP tool is once again improved in order to ease the use for calculating the service running costs. The tool mainly is divided into 5 different spreadsheets which inform on one hand about the average running cost for the service organisation, but on the other hand it will enable you to calculate individual contracts very easily. Basic Conditions: At this worksheet all basic conditions should be filled in. By clicking on TAKE IT! you will get the recommendations of ME, based on our experience and/or data given from Japan regarding: contract conditions, toner coverage, reliability data, repair time and the labour cost. We newly added the possibility to enter a profit value (separately for spare parts and consumables) related to the service margin which should be achieved from each service organisations. However if dedicated prices should be handled individually, this can be done as well. Finally the toner consumption, based on coverage ratio, can be handled as well.
Detailed Conditions: In this sheet you will enter the attachment ration of each option. By clicking on TAKE IT! you will get the recommendations of ME based on the European forecast. If you would like to handle the consumable and spare parts prices individually you can click on the hyperlinks and adjust each dedicated article numbers item by item.
CPP Calculation: This sheet provides you with the overall prices related to labour cost, consumable cost and spare parts cost. On the upper area (Cost Price) you will find the cost per page based on internal labour cost without any spare part / consumable profit The lower area (List Price) indicates the CPP based on your local adaptations including: external labour cost, spare part profit and consumable profit. This time we separated a those cost into copier configuration and printer/copier configuration. For more details, please see chapter 3.3 Click-per-x
Service Reporting: On this page you will find the total service cost which you spent, the service turnover and the service profit which will be generated. If your local data differs from the original ones you will get an indication here. The tool will give the overall win / lost situation. This worksheet should be used for the review stage of reliability data working time etc. We would like to ask you to
25 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f)
regularly check this situation locally in order to prevent any loss on service profit without any recognition.
Click-per-x Reporting: This spreadsheet will provide you with the information of charging individual functions such as print, copy and scan. By changing the monthly volume and the print ratio you will get individual prices for individual functions. Finally you can compare the contract service turnover by charging the CPP in a standard contract, versus by working on the 'Click-per-x' contract.
4.3 Training Minolta Europe offered class room trainings on this new machine. The initial trainings took place at CW 27/29/32 2003 and took 3 days. In addition to this, a WBT (Web Based Training) will be offered in order to enable your local staff to support and train this new engine concept. The Di2510/3010/3510 is very similar to the Di251/351 as far as the structure of the service menu is concerned (90% identical). Therefore, those technicians who already have field experience with the Di251/351, only need an update for the new service settings which can be accomplished using a 1,5 day class room training and the WBT for the Di2510/3010/3510.
4.4 Reliability Test & Quality Check From a customer satisfaction viewpoint, infant mortalities are unacceptable. They are caused by defects designed into or built into a product. Therefore, to avoid infant mortalities, the product manufacturer must determine methods to eliminate the defects. Appropriate specifications, adequate design tolerance and sufficient component derating can help, and should always be used, but even the best design intent can fail to cover all possible interactions of components in operation. In addition to the best design approaches, stress testing should be started at the earliest development phases and be used to evaluate design weaknesses and uncover specific assembly and materials problems. The failures should be investigated and design improvements should be made to improve product robustness. Such an approach can help to eliminate design and material defects that would otherwise show up as product failures in the field. That is why Minolta Europe will very much focus onto the initial stage of Di2510/3010/3510 and carry out several actions to ensure a proper product quality. For a dedicated number of machines (based on MIL STD 105e) we will start a quality check (so called Spot Check) at Bremen warehouse as soon as the first shipment has arrived.
26 Launch Guide Di2510(f)/3010/3510(f) In addition to that, the already known tool FIRs (Field Information Reporting DB) should be utilised for 6 months from sales start. Within this database we will collect each problem description at the installation and after, as well as isolated potential problems in order to provide suggestions or solutions for non-solved problems. In parallel we will initiate a reliability test for a couple of units. Purpose: Finding the Serious Quality Problem and giving the feedback on this to Engineering Div. & Quality Control Div./MO in order to solve the problem promptly, already during the production process to avoid modifications later on in the field.