4 minute read
NEWS AND VIEWS
THE MONTH THAT WAS
Konica Minolta has much to celebrate!
Konica Minolta has been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series for 19 consecutive years; in addition, it has also been named to all of the five responsible investment (RI) indexes adopted by Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF).
These five indexes are the FTSE Blossom Japan Index, the FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index, the MSCI Japan ESG Select Leaders Index, the MSCI Japan Empowering Women Index and the S&P/JPX Carbon Efficient Index. This is the sixth consecutive year for Konica Minolta to be listed on all of these ESG indexes since the GPIF first adopted them.
In its long-term management vision statement for 2030, Imaging to the People, Konica Minolta declares its determination to help attain a sustainable society and remains committed to developing innovations that can promote both the creation of new value for the global environment and human society and the growth of its business. In the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the company considered how it could contribute to the fight against the pandemic, and has been providing various support and solutions, leveraging the strengths it has developed in the healthcare business and a wide range of other areas.
Through these efforts, Konica Minolta is striving to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, while facilitating the evolution of the business community and human society.
Office Power bolsters leadership team
Dealer software and services company Office Power has announced that it has added to its executive team with the appointment of Mark Heath as its new MD.
Mark has a proven track record of successfully scaling traditional dealer businesses having founded and spent twenty years at the helm of Bluefish Office Products; he is perfectly positioned to oversee Office Power’s next chapter of growth.
“I am really excited to be joining Office Power in September, and to having a key role in enabling them to further their offering for business supplies dealers, and take the business to a new level,” Mark said. “I am looking forward to collaborating with the team on launching new technology features, enhancing service offerings, diversifying product ranges and developing new operating models.”
Beaverswood appoints a new marketing manager
Lizzie Allen joins Beaverswood as a senior executive to oversee its brand development and product marketing.
Lizzie brings more than six years of experience to the senior management team, joining as marketing manager.
Key responsibilities include marketing planning, new product launches, and integrated digital communications for the company’s range of safety, visual communication, and waste management solutions for industrial and office workspace environments.
Lizzie said, “I am very excited about the future potential of the business and look forward to developing ambitious marketing plans and initiatives to raise the company’s profile and further strengthen its position in the market.”
Spicers returns to wholesale supplies market with key senior hire
Strategic business supplies specialist OT Group has announced the return of the Spicers brand to the wholesale office supplies market and the recruitment of a new group operations director
Since Paragon acquired OT Group and Spicers Ireland in May 2020, a seven-figure sum has been invested into the group and the evolution of its dealer provision, in anticipation of the reintroduction of the 200-year-old Spicers name to the market.
OT Group CEO, Andrew Jones, commented: “We’ve taken a 200-year-old brand and made it fit-for-purpose in a constantlyevolving wholesale market.
“As such, our new model provides a cost-effective, digital-first solution for dealers. As we continue on our journey to become ‘best-in-class’, we pride ourselves on being customer-focused – something which sits at the core of Spicers as we seek to deliver the right products, at the right price, and at the right time”.
Lamination film specialists Zulu Packaging Limited has been acquired by Premier Paper Group. Zulu Packaging provides products for a wide range of lamination and packaging film requirements, including flexible packaging films for direct food contact, lamination films for carton producers and a stock range of lamination films for commercial print.
Zulu Packaging will now become a specialist division of the Premier group and will be known as Premier Lamination Films. “I am delighted to welcome Zulu Packaging to Premier,” said Michael Beever, MD. “Lamination films are sold very successfully in many countries across the wider JPP group and we have used this experience and expertise to identify opportunities to further expand our product offer to existing and new customers”.
Premier acquires lamination film specialists
Kyocera partners with fitness wear brand Keep Attacking
Kyocera Document Solutions UK have announced a new sponsorship initiative with fitness wear brand Keep Attacking. The new partnership aims to promote healthy lifestyles, athletic achievement and mental support.
Keep Attacking motivates everybody to reach their fitness goals. The company was founded by former soldier Brian Wood MC, inspired by the adversity he has overcome in his military career and later life. In addition to offering fitness apparel, its mission is to provide a wide range of styles that look good, fit well, perform well and are durable.
Keep Attacking also prides itself in being more than just a fitness clothing brand; it hosts a range of intense, off-road, running events, drawing in fitness enthusiasts and adventure-lovers with a passion for pushing boundaries.
“With Keep Attacking, we have found a partner with values, ethos, and goals that perfectly align with Kyocera’s,” said Rod Tonna-Barthet, president and CEO at Kyocera Document Solutions UK. “Fitness apparel is just one aspect of Keep Attacking - it’s an attitude and a lifestyle, underpinned by Brian Wood’s story of perseverance and will to succeed.”