Consumables Magazine by Jeff holbrook

Issue No.20 - Nov/Dec 2012

W O R R O

& Y A D TO

T S E Y

Y A D ER

M O T

Deepest

DARKEST AFRICA!

THE FUTURE of South African Business! INDUSTRY Personality Shannon Blankfield

Contents Nov/Dec 2012

economic news

business news

Street Wise

What of Inkjet Tomorrow? 6

Deepest Darkest Africa! 12

The Future of SA Business Why we should stay! 16

Consumables Magazine

topical news

industry personality

technical

Television Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow! 22

Shannon Blankfield 26

Remanufacturing the Brother HL 4150 Series Toner Cartridges TN-310/315 Color Toner Cartridges 28

Nov/Dec 2012 Page 2

Merry Christmas

To All Our Customersers

+27 (0) 31 766 1032 info@ocp-sa.co.za www.ocpinks.co.za

E d i t o r s Vo i c e Ye s t e r d a y, To d a y a n d To m o r r o w !

s 2012 draws to a conclusion, the annual reflection on yesterday’s happenings occur, while today’s events filter through, along with tomorrow’s uncertain business climate, making the year ahead top of our strategic agenda. The challenges become clear and the reality of the changes and their implications drive us all to think of what lies ahead for our industry. In a massively interconnected world, businesses need to prioritize improving customer relationships as never before as Globalization, combined with dramatic increases in the availability of information, has exponentially expanded customers’ options, resulting in the need to give a top quality product and added value. This will produce a sustainable differentiation and profitable growth. Moreover, the information explosion has resulted in an unprecedented opportunity to develop deeper customer insights, so preparing us to develop strategies from yesterday’s information, to maintain and increase our future standing in tomorrow’s market. To succeed in today’s environment businesses need to lead through increased quality, drive operational excellence and enable industry collaboration in order to strengthen a stretched market arena plagued by constant change. Developing a united industry would deliver value to everyone and enable transformation and gain efficiency in the sharing of information. The right market and customer strategy can help a SMME turn customers into

allies, infuse customer interactions with positive impressions of the industry, and help engender a feeling of loyalty across the customer base. This would help your organizations achieve their goals. Today’s energy—and climate— related issues should be at the top of all our strategic agenda as our products provide solutions that can help customers reduce costs and their carbon footprints. This has to be part of our strategy to develop markets for tomorrow, by working to make our existing products and processes more efficient for both the environment and for business. To succeed in tomorrow’s business environment, our industry needs to lead through the increasing awareness of how our products and services can add to sustainable energy growth in 2013. We’ve all faced similar issues in 2012, regardless of geography, and world trends in our industry have revealed a mirror image in core shortages and pricing, invasion by eastern generic imports, profit erosion and the volatile peaks and dips in monthly sales. Inspiring future trends show the developing of a new generation of high speed inkjet printers by branded companies to challenge the laser and digital printing markets. These printers will be able to print at over 400 meters per minute! This will bring the inkjet industry back into business arena by offering fast economical double sided printing currently only produced by the large run printing industry. These printers will be able to offer small

printing orders at viable pricing. The bonus is the high speed capabilities of this new generation of printer coupled with larger inkjet cartridges will directed at the business to business market. This will lower the overall cost per copy and unlock value by enabling the development of new and exciting business opportunities. Globally an upswing in business is predicted for our industry in 2013, so we need to learn to work together to develop a strong industry support base to take advantage of this. Altogether we all need to become more energy efficient, implement new ways to source, manufacture and distribute goods and services in a more sustainable manner, enable renewable energy sources and manage our resources at a macro level – this will transform entire industries. Consumables Magazine would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers and advertisers a peaceful and happy festive season and hope that 2013 will herald a successful year ahead. A grateful thanks to all our loyal advertisers and to all who have written, created, edited and contributed so much of their time during this difficult year.

Maureen Van Der Riet South African Editor Consumables Magazine

Editorial team Publisher Jose Bustamante Lopez

Editor Maureen Van Der Riet

Design and Layout Jeff Holbrook

Subeditor Duncan Bouwer duncan@duncanbouwer.com 0828254448 T: 082 601 6478

e: admin@consumablesmagazine.com sales@consumablesmagazine.com w: www. consumablesmagazine.com

0727888301

Journalists Matt Campaign-Scott Mandy Barrett

Published by: Ediciones Consumibles S.L. Spain CIF: ES B85340552

Kodak Yesterday

Lexmark Today What Of

INKJET

Tomorrow?

t’s a mistake to think Lexmark’s ditching of inkjet printers is some kind of portent for the inkjet and allied industries. Industrial inkjet technology is booming and its future uses are broadening. The year began with the announcement by Eastman Kodak that they would file for bankruptcy. Kodak which was synonymous with the world of photography had become a force in the printing market too. So it’s been a heads up for those in the industry to hear of Kodak’s cutbacks. Before filing for bankruptcy, Kodak had already started to close factories and photo labs. It has laid off employees, declaring an end to the production of video and digital cameras and photo frames. Kodak had planned to sell off 1,000 of its patents to raise funds but has postponed the sale indefinitely and may set up a new company which will license the technology to generate revenue. Kodak is now officially out of the inkjet printer market, however press releases state that it will continue to supply ink for its legacy inkjet customers. In the wake of this, came the news that Kentucky based Lexmark will stop making inkjet printers, focusing instead on laser printers, which are used predominantly in businesses. The decision will lead to a factory closure in the Philippines by the end

Consumables Magazine

by Matt Campaign-Scott

of 2015. Combined with other job cuts, Lexmark will get rid of 1,700 jobs worldwide according the Washington Post. Intriguingly shares of the company rose on the news, jumping over 15 per cent for a high of $22.75 on Wall Street as investors welcomed the news that the company would get out of what some have called a faltering consumer inkjet printer market. Lexmark’s division that included inkjet printers and supplies fell 35 per cent compared with the same period last year. This compared to 9 per cent decline for its laser and business inkjet division. Unlike Kodak Lexmark is still planning to stay in the printer business just not the inkjet business.

ow much of this has to do with a specific decline in the desktop inkjet printer market and how much is to do with big companies weakening at the knees in the current economic climate is uncertain. What is certain is that Kodak and Lexmark are sacrificing inkjets to save their business. In Kodak’s case, as part of jettisoning a bulk of its other business interests. Of some concern for consumers is the closure of Lexmark’s cartridge manufacturing facility in the Philippines by the end of 2015. All development work on inkjet printing is also to be ceased, with all equipment and stock

sold off. Conversely, in the short term, Lexmark’s exit from the inkjet market could spell savings for consumers: as the company sheds its stock, expect to see Lexmark-brand inkjet printers being sold at considerable discounts. While the closure of its official consumables plant could prove troublesome, compatible cartridges from third-party manufacturers should remain available for some time yet.

he Washington Post quoted from Paul Rooke, Lexmark chairman and chief executive officer, in a company statement that: “today’s announcement represents difficult decisions, which are necessary to drive improved profitability and significant savings, our investments are focused on higher value imaging and software solutions, and we believe the synergies between imaging and the emerging software elements of our business will continue to drive growth across the organization.” The decision to pull out of the consumer inkjet market may be symptomatic of an on-going change in this sector. Comments on the blogs reflect that, while we’re taking and sharing more photos than ever before, most of them never get printed. Smartphones and tablets are changing the market as people can now easily keep stored documents on hand, obviating the need to print.

Nov/Dec 2012 Page 6

Economic News

Also on the blogs are inkjet printers complaints about the cost of the ink – one often reads phrases like “a set of inks costs more than the printer” or “by volume, printer ink is more expensive than vintage champagne”. Of course there are reasons for this, however the fact remains that people are becoming resistant to paying for their printed photos among other things. Not that inkjets are just about photos. However despite having the ability to be a paperless society for decades, we insist on having hardcopy in our hands for far more than we would like to believe.

f course when one speaks of inkjet there’s a whole world out there besides desktop printers that most office workers would not be familiar with. The industirial inkjet printing market was valued at $33.4 billion in 2011 and forecast to grow to $67.3 billion by 2017, according to Smithers Pira, the worldwide authority on the packaging, print and paper supply chains. According to a study by the Smithers Pira see (http://www.smitherspira.com/ future-of-inkjet-printing-to-2017.aspx) inkjet is growing because it provides significant advantages across many supply chains. This inherent flexibility has attracted the attention of many leading print equipment suppliers and they have invested a great deal of money to develop new printing systems, much more than in any other printing technology.

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As one might expect, inkjet printing is used for printing on paper and card in a wide variety of scenarios, including printing product labels, packaging, and paper media, but inkjet technology is also applied to printing tasks that many are unaware of. To be precise Inkjet printing technology is the digitally controlled placement of small drops of liquid onto a surface, and it works just as well with dyes as inks. Inkjet printing on textiles is widely used in the fabrics industry. Inkjet printing is also frequently used for printing onto glass and ceramics to create decorative tiles and other interior decorating and architectural objects. A recent study from Smithers Pira reveals that with recent and coming advances in inkjet technology, the global market value for inkjet printing is expected to more than double in the next five years, and the proportion of printing tasks utilising inkjet printing as opposed to other methods is set to increase from 4 per cent to 7 per cent of the market value of the printing industry.

olar cells are an important part of building a sustainable energy infrastructure, and by using inkjet technology to lay down the components onto a substrate, photovoltaics can be produced more quickly and cheaply. Using inkjet printing techniques is significantly

more efficient than traditional methods, and reduces wastage of expensive and environmentallydamaging chemical components by 90 per cent.

uo vadis you may ask. What about tomorrow? Digital nanoprinting uses newly developed technology to produce droplets that are much tinier than ever before, tinier than bacteria. Using drops this small results in radically more precise and high-resolution images. Scent Printing: Since inkjet printing is basically just shooting fluids at a surface, there’s no reason they have to be inks or dyes. Japanese scientists have been working on printers that can print long-lasting scents onto documents. Soon the rose on your Valentine’s card really might smell as sweet. Pharmaceuticals: Many people have to take carefully-dosed regimens of multiple medications and precise times during the day. Imagine if instead they could take exact, personally-tailored combinations and doses printed onto one pill with inkjet technology. (Sources: InkSplash and InkTech.com) We’ve come a long way since the daisy wheels and dotmmatrix. We’re now in the world of speedy and precise memjet printing and the like. Richard Remano VP of Technology and Solutions for Netherlands based Oce says that his company has been a toner based firm up until now and they have switched to being an inkjet based firm to take on the future. (see Interview at http://whattheythink.com/ video/51850-oces-view-future-inkjet/) Inkjet’s future looks bright from here.

Nov/Dec 2012 Page 7

Press Release

3D printers make their mark on Mordor!

Weta employs 3D printers to produce props in forthcoming Hobbit trilogy. 3Dprinter.net has reported on Weta Workshop’s recent revelation that a number of props for the forthcoming film ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ will be produced using 3D printers. The special effects studio has used the technology to produce prop weapons, belt buckles and helmets. Sir Richard Taylor of Weta Workshop, commented: “We use 3D printing extensively. It allows us to take 2D models and turn them into three-dimensional physical objects.” Weta Workshop’s Rod Sheensy added that among advantages are a quick production time and low cost. 3D printing has been utilised for a number of high-profile films including Augsbergbased company Voxeljet producing three 1:3 scale models of the iconic Aston Martin DB5 as seen in the new James Bond film Skyfall.

Russia printer market predicted to grow

TechNavio analysis expects region to drive for business expansion.

nalysis firm TechNavio has issued a new report detailing predictions on the Russian printer market from 2011 to 2015 in which the firm predicts that the region is set to see developments leading to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.8 percent, reports SBWire. The report entitled The Printer Market in Russia 2011-2015 anticipates the growth, attributing the drive for business expansion as one of the key factors, as well as experiencing a proclivity towards printers featuring customised capabilities.

However, as with a majority of regions, TechNavio states that online developments may challenge developments in the market. The report is also stated to address a number of issues including the predicted market size in 2015, as well as calculating the growth rate; key market trends; strengths and weaknesses of key vendors; among others. Print industry growth was also predicted by InfoTrends in August, citing a predicted CAGR of 11.7 percent with Director Ralf Schlozer commenting: “To date, the market is relatively small, but growing rapidly as the gap to Western Europe is declining. There is rapidly increasing demand for digital print in many market segments and the retail value of print in Russia is expected to have an overall CAGR of 23.3 percent, reaching $1.8 billion (€1.46 billion) in 2016.”

KATUN Corporation names RAINER GROSS channels sales manager for GERMANY/AUSTRIA Katun Corporation, one of the world’s leading suppliers of OEM-compatible imaging supplies and parts, has announced the appointment of Rainer Gross to the position of Channels Sales Manager for Germany and Austria. Rainer comes to Katun with over ten years industry experience, as well as a solid background in channels management for IT/VAR’s, working with organizations such as Oki, Kyocera Mita and Samsung. In addition, over the last four years he held the position of Sales Manager for Samsung, where he was in charge of distribution reseller business-to-business within the IT-Solution Printing Business Unit in Germany. Rainer will be key in developing and managing Katun’s distribution channels’ focus on IT/VAR’s, office products and internet-based office supplies retailers. This appointment further reinforces Katun’s strong investment in exceptional personnel and ongoing commitment into its growing brands. Rainer’s knowledge, long-term experience and established industry contacts will help guide and reinforce Katun’s goal of further developing the Alternate Channel in Germany and Austria.

Remanufacturing industry veteran joins Static Control... Static Control Names Isabelle Natier Business Development Manager - Western Europe

founder and CEO of Static Control. “I was unaware that Static Control is a manufacturer of more than 10,000 products, which include all the key componentry needed to remanufacture cartridges successfully today,” Natier said. “This key factor combined with the company’s distribution capability goes a long way to explaining Static Control’s market leading position.”

sabelle Natier, a 13-year remanufacturing industry veteran, has joined Static Control as Business Development Manager – Western Europe. Natier was manager of Sales and Marketing for Europe, Africa and Latin America at HitecImaging (previously AEG). She joined AEG in 2007. Natier began her career in October 1999, when she managed Printerfas – previously Future Graphics France.

“Static Control is fully committed to this industry,” said Ken Lalley, Static Control’s European Vice President of Sales. “That commitment to providing high quality products, service and support to our customers also includes investment in industry professionals such as Isabelle to support our continuing business growth.”

“The continued expansion of our sales team further strengthens our ability to meet the needs of our customers. Isabelle Natier brings the experience and industry expertise which will further enhance our ability to meet those needs and support our continued growth.” said Ed Swartz,

Static Control Releases Complete Imaging System for Dell 5330, Samsung ML4551 and Xerox Phaser 3600 Cartridges

tatic Control has released toner, OPC drum, wiper blade, chips and other components for cartridges used in Dell® 5330, Samsung® ML4050/4550/4551/4555 and Xerox® Phaser® 3600 printers.

“Now customers can remanufacture highly profitable cartridges that deliver optimum performance consistently and produce prints that are virtually indistinguishable from those produced by OEM cartridges,” said Ed Swartz, founder and CEO of Static Control. “It was particularly difficult to develop a Dell® 5330 toner/OPC drum combination that produces acceptable print density throughout the cartridge cycle.” The component set includes a new developer roller sealing blade. Static Control testing has shown the original blade to be prone to vertical streaking, filming and toner dumping and should be replaced with each cartridge cycle.

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Nov/Dec 2012 Page 9

Static Control Appoints Daniela Salbego and Ovidio Marquez to Western European Sales

Itec aids Lexmark cartridge collection South African collection specialist speaks on its collaboration with the OEM to recycle printer cartridges.

outh Africa-based Itec has announced its participation in the Lexmark Cartridge Collection Programme, a national recycling project that will see used cartridges collected and stripped for parts, reports ITWeb.

tatic Control is delighted to announce the appointment of Daniela Salbego to the Western Europe Sales division. Salbego will join Tiziana Corbino in supporting customers in Italy as a Unit Business Manager. Salbego brings to the role over 10 years of experience in the industry, particularly within the Italian region, having previously been employed as a Sales Director for Europe and European Export Manager at S.E.A. Srl., and previously, as an International Sales and Marketing Manager for Baltea Srl. “Static Control is the aftermarket’s indisputable partner in engineering, manufacturing and distribution of all the parts needed to produce a cartridge of OEM-like quality,” said Salbego. “They are known for pursuing the highest standards in production, technical support and customer service, and for these reasons I am honoured to be a part of the team.” Static Control has also welcomed the addition of Ovidio Marquez as a Senior Sales Executive in New Business Development. Marquez joins the company from Goat Labs, having spent over 10 years with Oasis prior to that. “I chose Static Control because it is a company that shows it cares about the future of the remanufacturing industry - its continuous investment in new products and technologies is proof of that,” Marquez said.

Both individuals bring to the team a wealth of knowledge and experience of the industry and their respective territories, and Static Control is confident that they will make a significant contribution towards growing the business. Consumables Magazine

Itec has issued collection boxes to all of its dealers and will be accepting cartridges of every brand, and Itec Marketing Manager Kim Thompson claims that participating in the scheme will enhance the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability. Lexmark Country Manager Mark Hiller added: “We have a zero landfill policy so we want to get the cartridges returned to strip out the components

and make sure they are re-used or disposed of in a safe way. “The reverse logistics of getting the cartridges back is the challenge. Itec is one of our partners in taking our products to market, and as part of this programme, Itec will recycle cartridges from its customers by returning them to us. We expect to see a significant increase now that Itec is involved due to the number of printers within Itec’s client base, thereby expanding our catchment area.” The OEM has stated that it will donate cash to Cotlands, a communitydeveloped organisation for orphaned and vulnerable children, for every cartridge handed in.

Static Control Selects Lago Print, C.A. as Exclusive Distributor in Venezuela

tatic Control has appointed Lago Print, C.A. as exclusive distributor of Static ControlÕ s large line of imaging products in the Venezuelan market.

Ò We are very excited about this new partnership with Lago Print C.A.,Ó said Ed Swartz, founder and CEO of Static Control. Ò Cartridge remanufacturers in Venezuela now have a great opportunity to grow and to prosper because of the availability of local inventory, technical support, product information and all the unique products and value that only Static Control can offer. Lago Print, C.A., founded in 2006, is a leader in environmentally responsible recycling and reuse of printing supplies, with specialized services in printing technologies, managed print services (MPS) and distribution. The mission of Lago Print, C.A. is to continuously improve product value and services for total customer satisfaction. To contact the Venezuelan distributor: Lago Print, C.A. Calle 71 entre 14A y 15 Delicias Edificio LP #14A-21 Maracaibo, Estado Zulia, Venezuela Codigo Postal 4001 Contacts: Hector Parada +58-414-3689671, Dony Villalobos +58-414-6927084 lagoprintpsi@gmail.com Visit: www.lagoprint.com Tel: +58-261-7593378 Fax: +58-261-7982965

Nov/Dec 2012 Page 10

Static Control’s ZeroTwist Gear Technology Eliminates Risk of Infringing Canon OPC Gear Patents ZeroTwist Gear Technology Systems to be Available for more than 150 Cartridges

fter years of research, development and investment, Static Control is releasing imaging systems featuring its patented ZeroTwist gear technology for OPC drums that eliminate the risk of infringing OPC drum gear patents held by Canon. Canon this year sued 34 companies for patent infringement, putting enormous pressure on remanufacturers, distributors and resellers both large and small to avoid court action and crushing penalties. All of the companies named in complaints filed in both federal U.S. District Court and the International Trade Commission have settled the complaints, most with

conditions favourable to Canon. Industry analysts estimate that up to 70 percent of all remanufactured laser printer cartridges sold today use OPC drums with gears that feature a twist design that risks infringing Canon’s patents. Static Control’s gears do not slant or twist, and they have 90 degree angles. Go to www.scc-inc.com for more information on Static Control’s ZeroTwist gear technology. For details on Canon’s lawsuits and its patents, go to http://www.scc-inc.com/npu/md_ gear_se_2012/. Static Control was granted U.S. patent 7,813,676 B2 in October,

2010, and U.S. patent 8,073,364 B2 in December, 2011, for OPC drum drive gears whose design eliminates the risk of infringing Canon’s patent. “After an investment of thousands of legal and engineering hours and many millions of dollars in plastic injection moulding equipment, additional personnel and time devoted to system testing, we now have fully functional gear solutions that eliminate the risk of infringing Canon’s patents,” said Ed Swartz, Founder and CEO of Static Control. Static Control has released 24 ZeroTwist OPC drums for more than 150 cartridges used in more than 180 printer models.

UNINET Releases ABSOLUTE COLOR toner & components for use in KONICA MINOLTA MAGICOLOR 4750/4790/4795 UniNet proudly releases Absolute Color toner and components qualified for use in the Konica Minolta Magicolor 4750/4790/4795 color printer series.

This color laser printer is rated at 31 ppm, and features high resolution 4,800 x 600 dpi output as well as easily refillable toner cartridges. The toner cartridges are rated at 6,000 pages for all four colors. The drum imaging units also contain a smartchip, and are rated for 30,000 pages. These cartridges are categorized as “easy to remanufacture” since toner is easily refilled via the fill plug on the cartridge.

UNINET introduces ABSOLUTE BLACK toner & components for use in BROTHER HL-5140/5150/5170 (TN570/540/3030/3060) UniNet proudly introduces Absolute Black toner and components qualified for use in the Brother HL5140/5150/5170 (TN 570/ 540/3030/3060) printer series.

These printers have a separate toner and drum cartridge similar the other popular Brother monochrome printers. The toner cartridges come in 3,500 and 6,700 page versions, and the drum cartridge is rated at 20,000 pages. These cartridges are categorized as “easy to remanufacture” and indeed a good addition to any remanufacturer product line. UniNet offers a complete remanufacturing solution for these cartridges.

UNINET launches ABSOLUTE BLACK toner & components for use in XEROX PHASER 3320 and WORKCENTRE 3315/3325 UniNet proudly releases Absolute Black toner and components qualified for use in Xerox Phaser 3320 and Workcentre 3315/3325 monochrome printer series.

These printers/MFPs are based on the same print engine, and feature speeds up to 37 ppm. Toner cartridges are supplied in both 5,000 and 11,000 page versions, and are the typical all-in-one design. The cartridges are identical for both printer and multifunction versions; however, the chips are different. The low yield and high yield cartridges are identical (except for the chips), so remanufacturers can convert the low yield cartridges into high yield cartridges, adding additional value for the customer. UniNet offers a complete remanufacturing solution for these cartridges. For further information, please contact UniNet at + 1 (424) 675-3300 or visit www.uninetimaging.com

Dee Yesterday

e’ve heard the phrases: deepest darkest Africa or the Dark Continent or whatever euphemism that may be used today, the world hasn’t been kind to Africa. Africa has seen years of exploitation, oppression and divide-and-rule by its colonial masters. The spectre of greed and corruption by the post liberation African governments has had its turn too. The Cold War saw the propping up of illegitimate regimes by the USSR China and the West. Tribalism, civil wars and “re-colonisation” of African resources by the European, US and Chinese powerhouses have all led to a pretty bad deal for the average African. Even as recently as May 2000 the prestigious and respected business periodical The Economist’s front page ran with the words “the hopeless continent” above an image of an anonymous black man holding a weapon cropped in the shape of African map. The magazine’s articles were devoted to the irredeemable shape Africa was in, so they thought.

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Today More than a decade later, the December 3rd issue of the Economist magazine has a front cover page titled “Africa rising”. The periodical discusses the achievements of many of Africa’s economies in the past 10 years. It talks about Ethiopia, for example, getting its economic development right despite becoming politically noxious and autocratic. Ethiopia is expected to grow by 7.5% this year, without a drop of oil to export. Once a byword for famine, it is now the world’s tenthlargest producer of livestock. In an article in the Economist’s December issue titled: Africa’s hopeful economies:” The sun shines bright”, the magazine notes how Nigerian cement billionaire Aliko Dangote has overtaken Oprah Winfrey as the richest black person in the world. The article also describes how countries such as Ghana, Ethiopia and Mozambique are now among the fastest growing economies in the world and that a “genuine middle class is emerging”. An end to numerous military conflicts, the availability of abundant natural

resources and economic reforms have promoted a better business climate and helped propel Africa’s economic growth. Greater political stability is greasing the continent’s economic engine. The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has specifically linked democracy to economic growth. Africa’s trade with the rest of the globe has skyrocketed by more than 200% and annual inflation has averaged only 8%. Foreign debt has dropped by 25% and foreign direct investment (FDI) grew by 27% in 2011 alone. Despite projections for growth in 2012 being revised downward due to the socalled Arab Spring, Africa’s economy is expected to expand by 4.2%, according to a UN report earlier in the year. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expecting Sub-Saharan African economies to increase at above 5%. Added to that, there are currently more than half a billion mobile phone users in Africa, while improving skills and increasing literacy are attributed to a 3% growth in productivity. According to a UN report the think tank, McKinsey Global Institute writes, “The rate of return on foreign investment is higher in Africa than in any other developing region.” The International Monetary Fund Nov/Dec 2012 Page 12

epest Darkest Deepest

by Matt Campaign-Scott

AFRICA

anticipates emerging economies in general and Africa in particular will expand by 4.5% this year and 4.8% in 2013. An interesting indicator has been residential property values, which, on average, rose by 8% in 2011. (AFDB Statistics) Economic growth is expected to continue despite recessionary trends in some parts of the world. Sadly for South Africans foreign direct investment has dropped substantially since mid-year many blaming the poor publicity of strike action and service delivery protests. Many foreigners are playing wait-and-see for the aftermath of the ANC’s Mangaung conference. South Africa though has weathered the world financial crisis exceedingly well. Despite this the country seems to be lagging behind the rest of the continent as far as growth is concerned. Ironically, though perhaps astutely many of South Africa’s corporates have discerned that they ignore Africa at their peril and are scrambling to play a role in the continent.

Tomorrow On the property front, the Financial Mail reports that SA’s Resilient Property Income Fund Ltd plans to spend more than 1 billion Rand building 10 shopping malls in Nigeria. The malls, 10,000 square meters and 15,000 square meters in size, will be

built over the next three years in the capital, Abuja, and the city of Lagos respectively, the main commercial hubs. Shoprite, Africa’s largest food retailer, will be the major tenant. Bloomberg reports that Standard Bank Group Ltd, Africa’s biggest lender, and construction company Group Five Ltd. (GRF) are also partners in the deal. Looking at retail, Massmart (recently acquired by Wal-Mart) last month said it would invest in African growth and hoped to grow its food retail business from about R7bn to about R20bn over the next five years. But it’s South African food retailers Shoprite and Pick n’ Pay’s whose sites are firmly set on Africa. Pick n Pay has increased its African growth, using R1, 4bn from the sale of Franklins in Australia. Shoprite, which has only about 123 stores in Africa compared to about 1730 locally, says another 174 stores will be added in Africa next year. Pick n’ Pay on the other hand is aiming to expand into Malawi and the DRC within the year. The food retailer has over 93 stores in Africa North of South Africa. Zambia and Zimbabwe are on the cards for expansion. Woolworth, not to be outdone has opened 14 stores through its Enterprise Development Programme in Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, Mauritius, Tanzania and Mozambique. Woolworths currently has a presence in 12 countries with nearly 60 stores across Africa, excluding South Africa. The South African government is not exempt from taking an active role in

the scramble for Africa either. The Public Investment Corporation (PIC), which manages over a trillion rand on behalf of civil servants, which accounts for 10% of SA’s JSE market capitalisation, is looking for potential private equity partners. 10% of the portfolio is to be invested outside South Africa, R50 billion is reserved for African investment. 60% of that, about R30 billion, will go to private equity according to PIC CEO Elias Masilela in an interview with Reuters. The PIC is likely to be a player in infrastructure investments as countries on the continent build and revamp their roads, dams, hospitals and power stations, he said. Acquiring a 47% share in Habesha Cement Share Company (HCSCo) of Ethiopia, South Africa’s Pretoria Portland Cement Company (PPC), joined hands with South Africa’s Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) in a deal worth US$21million. PPC’s $12m cash injection secured 27% equity in HCSCo, whereas IDC’s $9m secured a 20% equity stake. And there are many more deals going down SA’s top four banks and have started moving into Africa too. Africa is not an island and is subject to the ebbs and flows of the world economy and its whims and fancies. Nevertheless for whatever reasons Africa is emerging as the next big thing in world investment and economic growth. But is the time right while the world is reeling from financial crisis upon financial crisis. Time will tell if those who were brave enough were foolish or wise.

Katun Corporation Introduces Katun Performance Monochrome Toner for use in Sharp MX-M 283/363/453/503-series Digital Copier/Printers This new, cost-competitive toner provides excellent print quality designed to meet or exceed customer expectations.

atun Corporation, one of the world’s leading alternative suppliers to the office equipment industry, is pleased to introduce Katun Performance monochrome toner for use in Sharp MX-M 283/363/453/503-series digital copier/ printers. The addition of this new toner reaffirms Katun’s commitment to providing a comprehensive product offering for Sharp dealers – helping them improve bottom-line profitability on their most actively placed machines, now and in the future. This Katun Performance toner has been developed and rigorously tested to match OEM toner performance across all essential performance categories. Customers benefit from cost savings without sacrificing print performance, as well as the convenience of ordering an entire suite of parts and supplies from one trusted supplier. As with all Katun Performance toners, this toner has been thoroughly tested to ensure complete forward and reverse compatibility with the OEM toners. Endusers can easily install this toner cartridge before, alongside and/or after OEM toner has been used, without degradation of print/copy quality. Katun Performance products, including this monochrome toner, may be ordered by phone, fax or email, or via the Katun Online Catalogue – Katun’s one-stop Internet resource that allows registered customers to locate and order thousands of Katun products while accessing realtime information about their orders and accounts. Customers can access the Katun Online Catalogue, or find Katun customer service contact information, at www.katun.com.

Organisers Set 2013 Dates for World’s Largest Consumables Event! HIGHLIGHTS: 16-19 October 2013 at the Airshow Center in Zhuhai, China. • 4 day event: • 1 day conference • 3 day expo. CIFEX|RemaxAsia Expo— the world’s largest computer printing industry trade event since 2010. The digital print show, iPrint (China) Expo 2013, will run, at the same time and at the same venue. One thousand hotel room nights have been booked by CIFEX organizers, to be offered free of charge to international visitors who have never attended before. Following visitor and exhibitor acclaim over the 2012 CIFEX|RemaxAsia Expo—the world’s largest trade show for the computer printing industry— organizers have announced the 7th annual event to be held again in Zhuhai, China on 16-19 October 2012. The conference will be held on the first day October 16th, and the trade show will follow over the next 3 days. Despite the imaging industry facing tough times with the poor global economy, the 2012 CIFEX—the annual international trade show for the computer printing industry— broke many records. There were 425 exhibits covering 30,000 square meters. There was a larger presence by HP, Xerox, Lexmark, Canon and other original printer manufacturers, with some speaking during the conference sessions to visitors. The Zhuhai event attracted more than 9,035 visitors from 75 countries around the globe at the massive Zhuhai Airshow Centre. The oneday Conference@2012 attracted 192 delegates, including representatives from the major original equipment makers (OEMs). It succeeded in giving voice to concerns of interest to both sides of the replacement cartridge industry. The 2013 CIFEX|RemaxAsia Expo is scheduled to run at the same time as other important shows such as the China Sourcing Fair, the Hong Kong Electronic Fair, and the Canton Fair, saving international buyers time and costs while visiting several show close together.

2013 Organisers already expect there will be 400 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors attending the CIFEX|RemaxAsia Expo 2013, requiring the exhibition floor space to increase to 30,000 sqm. At the same time iPrint (China) Expo 2013 will be held at the Zhuhai Airshow center attracting even more visitors. One thousand hotel room nights have been booked by the organizers who will offer these free of charge to international visitors who have never attended CIFEX|RemaxAsia Expo before. A global promotion of the 2013 event through trade associations, industry media and websites, and 10 industry trade shows globally will see awareness of the event increase further. Anna Liang, sales manager of Recycling Times Media Corporation, commented: “The sale of booths for 2013 CIFEX|RemaxAsia Expo is already very popular. Almost all exhibitors in 2012 will attend the 2013 show again. They are very keen to contact us and book their space.” More information is available at the organiser’s new website: www. iRecyclingTimes.com.

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Street Wise

frica has a unique set of challenges, as anyone living and working here will know. We face constant political uncertainty, crime, corruption and fluctuating service levels. However, we also have an exceptional set of circumstances that make Africa and South Africa a wonderful land of opportunity for ALL levels of business, and most importantly for the printing industry.

treatment and better education, but they also becoming increasingly exposed to the world-wide media. As more people learn to read, and watch television, more are purchasing their own home office equipment and becoming computer literate. The drive to earn more money has begun, as this is the only way to fill the need to follow the American model of having it all.

Why would Africa, with its sandy, dry spaces, and flooding, poverty stricken land be filled with such potential? You may also be pondering how small the “upper class” has become, how few viable purchasing hands there may actually be, how hard running a business has become. Well the GOOD news is that soon, in the next 40 years or so, we will see an amazing transformation in the way Africa runs. It may take some changes in the way you approach business and advertise, but, success is only a few African summers away!

he growth of the middle class in Africa can be seen clearly on this graph, sourced from the Brookings Institution. The model of the Asian middle class growth patterns has ensured economic growth for those countries, and economic forecasters use the Asian ideal as a predictive tool for Africa. North Africa’s middle class has increased by around 50% in the last 8 years. Africa is growing, bulging and waiting to explode. Pregnant with possibilities, one could say.

Africa’s middle class is growing at a rapid rate. Not only are people getting better housing, better medical Consumables Magazine

The population in Africa is starting to make up more and more of the worlds’ population, and this new, enthusiastic middle class is ready to buy and buy. Fast moving consumer goods and

banking are most likely to be among the fastest growers. The banking sector is rubbing its hands in glee at the sight of thousands, nay, millions of earners without banking accounts, just waiting, eagerly, to share a portion of their earnings for the status and convenience of a shiny new debit or credit card.

The need for large screen TV’s, computers, Smart phones, better clothing and more “toys” is set to grow every year. This need for technological “stuff” includes printers and the peripherals that come along with them – including cartridges and ink.

n addition to the growth of the middle class, we are also seeing a huge increase in entrepreneurial growth – this will in turn lead to a demand for various computers and printers for small office and home use, and of course, ink, ink and more ink. SPEND is increasing! Simply put – people in Africa are getting richer and the amount of people that are getting Nov/Dec 2012 Page 16

THE FUTURE OF SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS

WHYWESHOULD Article by Mandy Barrett

richer is increasing exponentially. Worldwide, the sale of ink and ink related items dropped in 2009, but in the Middle East and Africa, a whopping increase of just over 20% was noted during that period.

hile South Africa’s GDP growth is heading upwards, later life expectancy is dropping. Although this may seem like a bad omen, a country with fewer needy, older citizens is actually more likely to have lively economic growth, as the younger earners are not burdened with looking after their aging parents. A younger population is also more able and willing to spend. The frugal nature learnt by the older generation is likely to be forgotten, as was seen in the western world some time after the great wars. The new generation will spend. And replace. And want the newest and best. Brutal - but economically positive for investors.

printer purchase and then ink –good news again! South Africa is sure to follow this trend. In our country, the interest in technology, connectivity and being “in touch” is clearly evident - just look at the cell phone and television industries. TV ownership increased by 20 % in 2011, according to the latest census.

With more educated people around, more computers and home PC’s will be sold and used. With the use of these comes, of course, the use of printers! (We just need to hope that the educational system will include more education on AIDS and the prevention thereof, before the population becomes completely defunct!)

Estimated growth of PC sales worldwide is forever looking positive with huge leaps forward and growth almost doubling year on year. Most PC purchases are followed by a

“Starting in the third quarter of 2011, the printing ink market increased, and especially so in Asia,” ....” India and

ased on studies of the Asian market, ink manufacturers enjoyed growth 2011, and 2012 is doing looking good. Kotaro Morita, managing director, Sakata INX Corp, noted:

Vietnam are particularly strong for the second consecutive year. Printing ink sales in Asia increased nearly 4% compared to 2010.” All of this, with the added benefit of the rising levels of eco-awareness, driving Africans to recycle and reuse, shines a very positive light on the South African printing sector, and business in South Africa as a whole.

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THE

urely many of you will remember fiddling with messy toner cartridge powder, and painfully aligning continuous dot matrix page ends to the printer? Technology has shot onwards, producing better and more efficient printers. These days, almost every home has a nifty desk jet photo printer and the ink costs more than the printer itself, and the days where printing presses were massive metal machines, requiring strength to even operate, are long forgotten! Looking back over our history, it is clear that man has always had a penchant for sharing a physical “picture” of his thoughts, stories and dreams. Ancient cave paintings all over the world bear an artistic testament to this fact. The Egyptians and Mayans, as well as other cultures, carved out important messages and stories in stone. As man progressed, the need to repeat the same message to many became more and more important and the logistics of carrying around huge stone tablets, laughable. And so, various types of mass printing ideas began to form. Although Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz, Germany is largely credited with inventing the printing press in the 1400’s, he was by no means alone,

Consumables Magazine

with many others all over Europe claiming the invention rights. We can however, thank Mr Gutenberg for much development of the printing presses of that time. Earlier, a Chinese man named Bi Sheng is thought to have invented a form of printing with movable type in China, sometime between 1041 to 1048, and the Chinese were using wood cut-outs for letter press type printing in the third century AD.

he Romans used stencil printing, the precursor to modern day silk screening to print posters for gladiator events, and one would imagine, orgies and all the enjoyable and wild games that they played. Some texts credit a Hollander, Laurens Janszoon Coster with the invention of movable type sometime around 1420. Lithography was invented by Aolis Senefelder, a German actor and playwright, in 1796. In 1867 Lord Kelvin patented a device which recorded telegraph signals as a continuous trace on paper using an ink jet nozzle deflected by a magnetic coil. The first commercial devices (medical strip chart recorders) were introduced in 1951 by Siemens. By the 1980’s, technology had started

to move forward in massive leaps, and the concept of what is called 3D printing was invented by Charles Hull in 1984. This fascinating form of “printing” or “Direct Digital Manufacturing” is set to change our lives forever. The way this works is on its own fascinating. The use of this technology commercially has resulted in shoes being “printed”, car parts being designed and tried out, and even body parts being “made”. There are a few ways that these printers work. Stereo lithographic 3D printers (known as SLAs or stereo lithography apparatus) position a perforated platform just below the surface of a vat of liquid photo curable polymer. A UV laser beam then traces the first slice of an object on the surface of this liquid, causing a very thin layer of photopolymer to harden.

he perforated platform is then lowered very slightly and another slice is traced out and hardened by the laser. Another slice is then created, and then another, until a complete object has been printed. Next is fused deposition modelling (FDM). Here a semi-liquid material is used to produce articles, the liquids used being of the same thermoplastic materials used in current injection moulding processes. FDM printers

Nov/Dec 2012 Page 20

OF PRINTING

have also been developed that can output other semi-liquid materials, and this can include food items, like chocolate, and concrete.

company called Objet has developed a process called Polyjet Matrix. Basically, this uses two liquid photo curable polymers and each layer is cured by a UV light immediately it has been printed. One of the key benefits of this process is that is allows printing to take place in multiple materials. Another 3D printing technology is selective laser sintering (SLS). This uses powder solidified with lasers. These printers can output objects using a wide range of powdered materials including wax, polystyrene, nylon, and glass. Some exciting developments in the 3D printing world include the manufacture of a one of a kind motorcycle, with some of the parts being |printed”. A company called Freedom of Creation has printed furniture, bags and even jewellery. Two companies playing on the edge of reason and design Make Eyewear and Protos Eyewear are manufacturing“printed” designer sunglasses, and even a car called “Urbee” has been designed and printed.

Consumables Magazine

Article by Mandy Barrett

But the most exciting and daring foray into this new and somewhat daunting world is, by far, the printing of body parts. “You can print a tissue dot by dot,” says bioengineer Gordana VunjakNovakovic at Columbia University’s Laboratory for Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering. “Bioprinting is a very clever technology which actually brought a completely new use to something very old that we all have at home, which is the inkjet printer.” Old inkjet printers are preferred because they have a larger droplet size, making it easier for cells to pass through undamaged. Using a programmable printer with laser-guided printing nozzles, cell mixtures are extruded. Each drop of “living ink” (manufactured from stem cells) is a solution containing 10,000 to 30,000 cells.

ecently Dr. Delphine Dean and researchers Clemson University discovered that inkjet bioprinting disrupts the membranes of the cells being printed, leaving them open to having proteins inserted ... and opening up new avenues of research in the field.

he printer was modified by removing the paper feed mechanism and adding a 3D stage with which to move the slides on which cellular patterns are to be printed. The ink was replaced with a cell solution and the cells printed in linear strips directly on to the slides. By moving the slides back and forth and in height, 3D bioprinting is made possible. Dr. Dean’s group only recently discovered that the stress of droplet ejection and impact disrupts cell walls creates temporary holes in the membranes of live cells. These pores allow researchers to put molecules inside of cells that wouldn’t otherwise fit, and study how the cells react. It seems that there is no end to the uses that humans will find for printers! It is in our nature to want to display pictures and words describing our human existence, and soon, perhaps we will be able to print our thoughts and maybe even copies of our very selves.

(Source: www.explaingthefuture.com)

Nov/Dec 2012 Page 21

To p i c a l N e w s

TELEVISION YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW by Jeff Holbrook

elevision has been around for 75 years; however the concepts of television, in the form of electro mechanical television, was created by Willoughby Smith in 1873 when he discovered the photo-conductivity of the element selenium and then further experiments through Paul Gottlieb Nipkow and his invention of the scanning disk in 1884. John Logie Baird demonstrated televised moving images in 1926 and in 1927 Philo Farnsworth created the image dissector. Paul Nipkow was 20 years old when he patented the first electro-mechanical television system in 1884, however he never built a working model. Discovery and invention were the hallmarks of the early 20th century with the dawn of the Industrial Age and in 1907 Lee DeForest and Arthur Korn developed the amplification tube into a practical use technology. Various forms and models were introduced as certain technologies made it possible and by 1923, Vladimir Zworykin, while working for Westinghouse Electric Corporation had produced what was called an electronic camera tube. During a patent controversy RCA acquired the Westinghouse patent in 1925 and by 1931 RCA had introduced an improved camera tube that stored electrical charges and was called the iconoscope. Around 1941 the United States implemented the 525-line television which provided better clarity, but the world’s first 625-line television

Consumables Magazine

system was designed in the Soviet U n i o n in 1944 and by 1946 had become a national standard system. The first broadcast (625-line standard) occurred in 1948 in Moscow. Soon the 625-line standard was implemented across Europe as the CCIR standard. Early television was crude in today’s standards, but those who could afford television sets enjoyed the new technology. The first national television broadcast in the United States occurred on September 4th, 1951 when President Harry Truman gave a speech during the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco, California.

n the 1940s and 1950s, televisions worked by using a main picture tube and several smaller tubes in order to get reception and have a clear TV screen. The smaller tubes would burn out once in a while, so one had to go down to the local store that had the tube tester and replacement tubes. The tube tester was to test which tube had burned out, or ensure that one had the tube that was bad to replace. In the 1960s colour television became available to the public and after that television and its industry began to change immensely. And then there were Satellites! With technology growing at an alarming rate, TV as we know it today will soon be outdated

and America is at the forefront of that change! Slowly but surely, TV sets are getting discarded. Who needs a TV box in the living-room if there are computers, tablets, or smartphones at hand? “Marathon TV”, also known as “Binge TV”, is the glorious opportunity to watch what you want, when you want, and for as long as you want. Network wars and TV commercial spots will soon be a thing of the past. A whole host of alternative venue distributors such as Hulu Plus, Aereo, Al Jazeera English, or NBC News have taken over what used to be the purview of Network TV. Movies on HBO, Netflix, or Amazon Instant Video are examples of more flexible television. No longer do you have to rely on bootleg YouTube videos or pirated Vimeo; the networks have wised up! ABC Family created hulu.com in order to make their serials available for an ever-present demand: when you miss a premiere or special issue you can go back and see it anytime you like without losing the episode. Hulu.com has taken it one step further and replaced the commercial spots with public service announcements. In other words: corporate America pays premium ad rates for the network time slot, while charities and non-profits receive the

Nov/Dec 2012 Page 22

discounted rate for the aftermarket on hulu.com.

arathon TV is the next step in consuming media. The customer has the choice and they can indulge in having the media work around their schedule instead of being tied to a network schedule. Therefore, broadcast licensing will be changing and channel value will no longer hold the premium it did in the past. More Flexibility for a Changing World. In fact, there is a new distributor of local TV in New York City, Aereo, who offers live TV on your computer. The ability to gain access without having to own a bulky box is the future of TV. Complete with online tools it allows you to skip tedious commercials, record your favorite shows, and tune in

any time you like, from anywhere, for a subscription price of $12 a month. Thanks to the internet we can country hop our viewing pleasure as well. Our Televisions have grown from primitive looking old shoe box type devices to flat, streamline, touch screen marvels and soon the image of entire walls visually stimulating our senses will be

a common occurrance in our homes! Throw virtual reality, 3D and mobile head-sets into the mix and one could argue whether or not we will be able to determine reality from fiction at all! Perhaps the sceptics were right all those years ago! Too much Television can seriously rot your brain!

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Environmental News

Talk from the

greenOffice

Past Populations That Collapsed: Will We Learn From Their Mistakes?

t happened to the Mayans, Mycenaean Greeks, Easter Islanders and many other booming societies. The many questions surrounding these collapses largely remained unanswered, but there is overwhelming evidence that many of these societies suffered selfinflicted environmental collapses. These collapses were a result of human impacts on their environment, causing similar environmental problems that humans face today. Current environmental problems include freshwater scarcity, deforestation, overfishing, soil erosion, global climate change, non-renewable energy reserves and the ever-increasing human population. Many of those factors are the factors that destroyed these past societies, and these factors still remain our biggest threat to the whole human society of today. The study of history is often justified on the grounds that it gives us the opportunity to learn from human errors in the past. But are we learning about how to avoid the environmental predicament in which human societies are finding themselves in today?

aster Island, one of the most remote places on earth, is found about 3000 kilometres (km) off the west coast of South America. At its peak, the population was only about ten to fifteen thousand people, and yet despite this superficial insignificance, the history of Easter Island is a grim warming to the world. Easter Island was colonized by an estimated 30 Polynesians in the 5th Century AD. The island with volcanic origin was densely wooded with several species of vegetation and animals and freshwater sources. When European sailors ‘discovered’ Easter Island in 1722 they found roughly two thousand people left with the evidence of a once-flourishing society now living in warfare and practicing cannibalism in a desperate attempt to survive. So

what happened to this declining island population to get them to this point of no return? The Polynesians once settled on the island, began to clear the forest for their crops, for building canoes for fishing and burning wood for fuel. As the population grew, stress was placed on the animals and plants of the island as these species’ numbers were beginning to dwindle. The Polynesians biggest downfall however, is what they are most famous for, the giant stone statues, called Moai, which were erected all over the island. These statues were extremely large in size weighing up to 80 tons and five-stories high. These statues were transported and erected all over the island by way of felling trees to act as rollers and levers.

he deforestation and overexploitation of their food resources continued until there was not one tree left on the island, and many of their food sources were extinct. This had disastrous consequences for the people of the island and the collapse of this society had entered its next phase. Conflict over the last remaining resources increased immensely, and cannibalism became second nature as people had no other food sources, reducing their population to just 2000 people. At this stage, there was no possibility of rebuilding this society and the population collapsed. Easter Island is a striking example of the dependence of human societies on their environment and of the consequences of irreversibly damaging that environment. The Polynesians failed to recognize their impact on their environment and did nothing to curb their behaviour and thus were destined to failure. This is a perfect metaphor for our situation today on planet Earth. Will we recognize the world’s natural limits and adjust our lifestyles accordingly, or will we proceed to expand our ecological footprint until it is too late to turn back?

y t i l a n o s r n e o P n n y a r h t S s u

d n I

THE WORLD IS HIS OYSTER. Shannon Blankfield is a man on a mission. What’s your life motto? “If it was easy to do well everybody would be doing it.” It’s clear that he’s one of those who are able to do it,and do it well. Since 1998, when his dad saw a gap in the market and started Tonerman, 2001 when Shannon started Laser Trend, refilling empties to complement what his dad was doing, closed that business and started ITL in 2007, he has moved from strength to strength. Now they run a toner factory in town (Johannesburg) and have another inkjet factory in Midrand, from where they supply all the Inkyshops all over the country, as well as other resellers and wholesale dealers. Furthermore the ink is hardly dry on the agreements between ITL and Samsung, making them this giant’s authorized dealer of Samsung office automation equipment. Shannon informed me that the day before this interview they had actually sold their first piece of Samsung equipment.

When we set up this interview this wasn’t a done deal yet. How does it make you feel to have pulled it off? “There was a lot of work that happened behind the scenes. It didn’t just happen overnight and out of nowhere. Of course I’m chuffed as all heck!”

Consumables Magazine

I hear you’re a runner. Is there any parallel between your business and your professional life? “Yes. You need a solid foundation in both fields. You need strength and fitness to be a runner. For that you need preparation and effort. You see the results in your performance. I ran the Comrades this year and next year I want to do Iron man and Comrades and a half marathon. For business the same applies. You have to make sure that your systems and infrastructure can support good customer care, so your suppliers and staff must be able to handle the load.”

What are your ambitions? “I would like our company to be the leading after-market compatibles provider in the industry.”

How will you do that? “Develop a business that is not based solely on price and volume but also on long-term relationships with our customers. I would also like to be instrumental in building a better consumables after-market as a whole. There has been a lot of damage done by some of the back alley generic remanufacturers. There is a space in the market for professionals.”

So you have some criticism of the industry? “Not criticism as such. I think we can find a happy medium. We are at a crossroads. There is space for diversification. We need a clear-cut distinction between the traditional remanufacturers and more new age cartridge importers and distributors, who can take the OEMs on. Rather

than sell against each other, and weaken the industry as a whole, we need to see each has a niche that can strengthen everybody if we work together. The end result should be a stronger after market that is genuine competition for the OEMs.”

Is the industry anywhere near fulfilling its potential? “I think a good thumb-suck of what part of our potential we are tapping, when you look at Europe and the US, is about 1/5th. That’s not scientific, but probably a fairly accurate guestimate.”

The Samsung thing is big. Do you have any more big announcements in the pipeline? “Yes, but I can’t talk about that now. But take into consideration that yearon-year we have grown upwards of 30% for the last 3 years. We aim to carry on like that and even improve. Watch this space!” Taking down the thoughts of Shannon Blankfield when I did this telephonic interview was a real challenge. He is inspired and enthusiastic without being bombastic and larger than life. His passion is clear but grounded. Watch this space indeed! itl Technology Tel: +27 11 805 8609 Fax: +27 11 085 8258 www.itltechnology.co.za info@itltechnology.co.za sales@itltechnology.co.za Shop 1,The Pond Centre Old Pretoria Road Midrand, South Africa

Nov/Dec 2012 Page 26

d l e fi k n a By D

n unca

wer

Bou

Te c h n i c a l Remanufacturing the Brother HL 4150 Series Toner Cartridges TN-310/315 Color Toner Cartridge By Mike Josiah and the Technical Staff at Uninet Imaging

he Brother HL-4150 printer engine is based on a new 2530 ppm black and color, 2400 x 600 DPI color LED engine. The machines come standard with 128Mb expandable to 384Mb of memory, and all run off a 400 MHz processor. All models come standard with duplex built in and some have wireless interfaces. With print speeds of up to 30ppm and street pricing starting at $289.00, these machines have become very popular. The toner cartridges do not have a reset chip on them, but do have a reset gear that must be positioned properly for the machine to accept it as a new cartridge. The proper reset position of the gear will be covered later in this instruction. The gears themselves can be a bit confusing as there are different configurations worldwide. Basically it comes down to this. For High yield cartridges (3.5 or 4K) color or black use a Grey reset gear. For Extra high Yield cartridges (6k) color or black use a Black reset gear. Starter cartridges are considered to be a Standard yield and do not come with a reset gear. Any starter cartridge can be converted

Consumables Magazine

to a HY or EHY cartridge. In different areas of the world different yields are available so there is not a separate color reset gear nor a separate black reset gear. Below is a chart of which cartridges are used in what location, the part numbers and yield. The gear that should be used for each is indicated by the yield. North, South, Central, America Region (USA Brother.com) SY = TN310 C / Y / M (1,500pages) SY = TN310 BK (2,500 pages) HY = TN315 C / Y / M (3,500 pages) EHY = TN315BK (6,000 pages) European Region (Germany Brother.com) SY = TN320BK (2,500 pages) SY = TN320C / Y / M (1,500pages) HY = TN325BK (4,000 pages) HY = TN325C / Y / M (3,500 pages) EHY = TN328 BK / C / Y / M (6,000 pages) Asia, Oceania Region (HK Brother. com) SY = TN340 BK (2,500 pages) HY = TN345 C / Y / M (3,500 pages) EHY = TN348 BK / C / Y / M (6,000 pages)

Asia, Oceania Region (Australia Brother.com) SY = TN340 BK (2,500 pages) SY = TN340 C / Y / M (1,500 pages) EHY = TN348 BK / C / Y / M (6,000 pages) Japan Region (Japan Brother.com) SY = TN390BK (2,500 pages) SY = TN390C / Y / M (1,500pages) HY = TN395BK (4,000 pages) HY = TN395C / Y / M (3,500 pages) Middle East (United Arab Brother. com) SY = TN340 BK (2,500 pages) SY = TN340 C / Y / M (1,500 pages) HY = TN345 C / Y / M (3,500 pages) EHY = TN348 BK / C / Y / M (6,000 pages) When the printer senses a new toner cartridge, the bias voltage is set to a high voltage. As the cartridge is used, the bias voltage is reduced gradually down to a lower voltage. This process is necessary because according to Brother, a new toner cartridge has a tendency to print light. As the cartridge is used, the density increases (Lower voltage = higher density). To keep the

Nov/Dec 2012 Page 28

Te c h n i c a l

density level even throughout its life, the density bias voltage is reduced accordingly. Each time a new cartridge is installed, the reset gear engages the gear train. The rib on the reset gear pushes down on the new toner sensor. The bias voltage is then reset, and the cartridge page count is reset to zero. HY cartridges have different stages set for the bias voltage than an Extra high yields cartridge does. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why there are two different gears While the cartridge yield is stated in pages printed, it actually is based on the revolutions of the developer roller. The larger the run, the better the yield. There are roller cycles for every print job and automatic ones too. There is the warm-up cycle, color registration cycle, developer bias cycle etc. As these cycles are normally run once

per job, the bigger the print job, the better the yield. There are multiple revolutions for each cycle and some will run upon turning the printer on or opening the front cover. They can range from 35 rotations to as much as 262 rotations for each function so you can see how they can add up quickly. Brother has charts that cover different sized print jobs and how they relate to the total effective yield. Current machines released so far are: HL-4140CN HL-4150CDN HL-4570CDW HL-4570CDWT MFP-9460CDN MFP-9560CDW MFP-9970CDW

Figure 1

Figure 2

Other consumables used in these machines are the: DR-310CL pages BU-300CL pages WT-300CL 50,000 pages

Drum Unit 25,000 Belt unit 50,000 Waste toner box

Figures 1 & 2 show a broad overview of the printing process and the different component locations. As you can see these machines use a single pass type system.

How to run test pages and cartridge trouble shooting will be covered at the end of this article.

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Required Tools

Required Supplies

1) Toner approved vacuum 2) A small jewelers type common screwdriver 3) A Phillips head screwdriver

Brother HL-4150 Toner: Choose the correct color and gram weight for your cartridge Reset gear for the starter cartridge Lint free cotton cloths

1 2

1) Vacuum the exterior of the cartridge. Be careful not to damage the developer roller as it is exposed.

Remove the fill plug from the toner cartridge. Dump the remaining toner and vacuum/blow out the cartridge. There will probably be a label over the fill plug. It comes off with a little alcohol and a lint free cloth or cotton swab.

Remove the three screws on the left (gear side) end cap.

3 Remove the end cap.

4 Pry off the white developer roller bushing.

5 Remove the E-ring.

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Remove the reset gear and spring.

7 Remove the three remaining small white gears.

10 11

Move the white plastic locking tab on the right side of the developer roller to the up position.

Gently pry off the black bushing on the opposite side of the developer roller. Be careful not to lose the spring!

Remove the screw and contact side end cap for the developer roller.

Carefully remove the copper contact.

12 Remove the developer roller.

13 14

Carefully vacuum/blow the cartridge clean. Note the tape on the middle of the blade to keep it flat. Use only low pressure air! (High pressure air can cause leaks in the seals). Be sure to rotate the foam feed roller so it is fully cleaned.

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17 18

Vacuum/blow the doctor blade. We do not recommend that the doctor blade be removed as the developer roller felt seals will be disturbed. Once a new blade is available, great care will have to be taken not to tear the seals causing a leak. The doctor blade can be easily cleaned by blowing the excess toner off, and wiping down with a lint free cloth. Be very careful not to leave any lint behind and do not use any chemicals to clean it!

Inspect the developer roller felts. If they are compressed, (shiny) gently rough them up with a small screwdriver.

Clean the developer roller with a lint free cloth. Do not use any chemicals to clean the roller. A dry, clean, lint free cloth will work fine.

Re-install the developer roller keyed end to the gear side, and white lock pointing up. Make sure the white lock fits into the groove. Turn the lock towards the doctor blade until it locks in place.

Install the copper contact.

19 Install the end cap and screw.

Install the spring and bushing. Make sure the bushing moves freely.

Clean the gears, making sure that they have no toner on them. This is a good time to also check the gear shafts to make sure there is enough grease. If the shafts appear dry, or the grease is contaminated with toner, clean the shaft and inside of the gear. Replace the grease with white lithium grease. Install the three small gears as shown.

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Install the developer roller gear and the drive gear. Install the E-ring.

Turn the white magnetic roller lock down so the tab locks into the hole.

Set the reset gear and spring as shown. The tail of the spring fits into a notch at the base of the gear. Starter cartridges do not come with this gear, but it can be added and the starter cartridge use as a HY or EHY cartridge. Figures A & B show the reset gear for an EHY (Black) reset gear. Figures C & D show a HY (Grey) reset gear.

Install the developer roller bushing.

27 Install the gear cover plate, and three screws.

Fill the cartridge with the appropriate color and amount of Brother HL-4150 Toner.

Replace the fill plug.

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Wipe the cartridge down to remove any remaining toner dust.

Install the developer roller cover. This is important as the developer roller is exposed and is easily damaged or contaminated.

Printing Test Pages Printer Setting pages: Press the OK button 3 times while the printer is in the READY state. The printer will show “Print Settings/printing” on the LCD. Some machines will run 3 pages, some will run 4. Machine Trouble shooting The machine error codes are in plain English so there is no need to go into them here. Resetting the toner cartridge. If for some reason a machine will not reset using a reset gear, the machine can be reset through the menu. This procedure should never be given to a user though as it entails going into the service menu and if they go into the wrong menu and press the wrong buttons, damage to the machine can and will happen. This should only be performed by qualified technicians and only if the reset gear on the cartridge does not work. 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)

Open the front cover Press the SECURE and CANCEL buttons at the same time “Reset Menu” should appear on the display Press the up or down arrows to select the cartridge you want to reset the count on. Press the OK button Once “up arrow Reset down arrow Exit” appears on the display, press the up arrow button The developer roller counter is reset Close the front cover

NOTE: If there is no operation for 30seconds or more, the printer automatically returns to step 1. Here is a list of the cartridges that can be reset and how they appear in the listing. K.TNR-STD K.TNR-HC K.TNR-S.HC C.TNR-STD C.TNR-HC C.TNR-S.HC M.TNR-STD M.TNR-HC M.TNR-S.HC Y.TNR-STD Y.TNR-HC Y.TNR-S.HC

Starter/standard Black developer roller reset High Yield Black developer roller reset Extra High Yield Black developer roller reset Starter/standard Cyan developer roller reset High Yield Cyan developer roller reset Extra High Yield Cyan developer roller reset Starter/standard Magenta developer roller reset High Yield Magenta developer roller reset Extra High Yield Magenta developer roller reset Starter/standard Yellow developer roller reset High Yield Yellow developer roller reset Extra High Yield Yellow developer roller reset

Repetitive defect chart: Developer roller OPC Drum Upper fuser roller Lower Pressure roller

30.0mm 94.0mm 78.5mm 78.5mm

by Matt Campaign-Scott

emember those old printer’s trays that young girls, mostly, now a little older, used to put on their bedroom walls filled with the most hideous useless junk. I think the trays then moved to more sumptuous parts of the home and became centre pieces for more ornate and tasteful knick-knacks as the girls grew up. If you have printers trays in the house you now know what to buy for Christmas this year and if you are the recipient of some irksome little trinkets this Christmas, you know where you can put them now. Well, as a pre-Christmas chore I find myself chipping and scouring away the layers of paint, especially from the corners, from my daughter’s printers trays that she inherited from my wife, that she had as a teenager back in the, never-mind. Clearly instead of their beautiful virgin wood, paint was applied with whimsy and little skill to the trays as often as a new fashionable colour got their attention. Alas the burden of restoration is a heavy one. If you find yourself being asked if you think the current colour of the printer’s trays is suitable, whatever you do gush madly at its beauty in order to avoid hard labour.

Consumables Magazine

This got me thinking about when I was a library prefect at King Edward VII School. I had an unorthodox and engaging library master called Mr Sandom. He encouraged us to read all manner of works from the classics to the then, recently in vogue, fantasy literature. Just before the Christmas holidays Mr Sandom took us library geeks, as we would be called today I suspect, to the then arty-farty suburb of Melville where we visited a house with a yeolde genuine printing press, cabinets with draws similar to the printer’s trays that people used to put up on their walls in the 80’s. They were full of letters, numbers, punctuation, and many other characters, as well as space blocks.

e all got into the spirit of the occasion and learned from the Mr Sandom how to create a page that we would print and place into our hardcover books that we had manufactured out of old maps as Christmas gifts the previous week. I distinctly remember that I had Iceland on the back and Nyasaland on the front. We didn’t just learn the rudimentaries of what it took to create a page of text the manual way we came

away with a sense of achievement that a print out from our state-of-the art dotmatrix couldn’t do for us.

hich causes one to reflect, wither are we bound? Elsewhere in this magazine you will have read that inkjet technology exists that can produce droplets smaller than bacteria. Talk about sending the ‘flu a message. Then some Japanese guy had the bright idea while putting on his deodorant one morning: “if inkjet printing is just firing liquid at a surface why not spay stuff with perfume and other smells.” So maybe you’ll receive Christmas card smelling of roast turkey. And to think we got all excited in the 80’s about scratch-n-smell. Whether it was yesterday, today or tomorrow, in the printing world higher and higher resolution seems to be that holy grail or fleeting horizon, reaching ever further, to working harder to produce clearer and better images and text, faster and faster, with less and less, in narrower and smaller spaces, cheaper and cheaper, with fewer and fewer people, using the fewer calories and lower wages, during reduced hours and…okay I’ll stops now.

Nov/Dec 2012 Page 35

Back Chat

am not an overly nostalgic person but while pondering the theme for this issue of Consumables Magazine, I could not help but ponder the road our country has taken and think about the ups and downs our beautiful land has experienced. Having been born in 1977 has allowed me to witness a decent amount of both societal progress and retrogression. High on the list of things made better in our society are the great gains in civil liberties and economic opportunities, especially for racial minorities and women. People who are now deemed poor have a level of material wealth that would have been a pipe dream to yesteryear’s poor.

ears ago, spending beyond one’s means was considered a character defect. Today not only do people spend beyond their means but also there are companies that advertise on radio and TV to eliminate or reduce your credit card and mortgage debt. Students saddled with college loans have called for student loan forgiveness. Yesterday’s South African’s would have viewed it as morally corrupt and reprehensible to accumulate debt and then seek to avoid paying it. It’s nothing less than theft. What’s worse is there’s little condemnation of it by the rest of us. This made me think about our energy situation in South Africa and our latest IPP approvals and their overall

Consumables Magazine

History | N

impact on the country’s energy mix and moreover the levelised cost of electricity for the person physically paying the bills, you and I. My company is in the energy generation space but my intention when I began this crusade was to solve a plethora of problems but ultimately be a cheaper generator of power than our coal friends and thereby assist in reducing the price of electricity that way. “Well how dumb were you!!” would be a good thought right now; but sadly this is what I dreamt of doing, especially with my decentralized gasification plants which could theoretically use the waste from say, Soweto, to produce power for Soweto and perhaps not take them off-grid but contribute significantly in reducing their overall embedded cost of living.

o in 2010 I started looking seriously at the independent power producers (IPP) situation in our country and even presented at the COFIT hearings at NERSA in Pretoria but the prices that were being spoken of back then were a concern to me and now I’ve found out some of the rates these latest approvals are being paid; which in some cases is slightly more than double, I feel as though we’ve gone forward in time to a place that is spoken of in Revelation in the Holy Bible.

We, as electricity consumers are obviously going to have to dig deeper into our pockets for the clean energy that Eskom will be buying from IPPs. The tariffs IPPs will receive are nearly five times the 61c/kWh that Eskom is now charging its customers. The contracted tariffs for renewable energy in the new build programme are already double Eskom’s projected price five years from now

n some cases, the approved tariffs are R2.78.kWh and the beneficiaries of this tariff will earn them R500million per annum for the project’s life which is normally on a PE of around 8.5% with 12-15 years being the entire project life. Plus many of these consortiums that have bid for these projects are in fact majority owned from outside of our borders, including from bankrupt countries such as Italy and Spain. Not only is this lunacy to think that we will all pay for the R500million and the operating expenses to run the project over the course of the projects life; but this specific example is for a wind project which cannot even be classed as base-load power but rather intermittent or sporadic power at best, even in the best wind conditions. Surely, if we are the retail investors (sorry tax payers) we should be able to decide which projects get our funds. Back at the COFIT hearing I was looking at a rate of between R0.95c/

Nov/Dec 2012 Page 36

Now | Hope By Gary W. Reilly Vice President Clean Globe Energy Corporation

kWh and R1.20kWh for 29MW’s or 696MWh of base-load power, permanently employing 150 people and scientifically-processing fresh garbage and landfill material into electricity. Again, “how dumb were you?” could be your retort and rightly so, because I could rather have: Charged double than what I had costed out and not worried about being competitive in the market. Produced less power for more money and saved on the associated CAPEX/OPEX costs to run a fullscale energy generation plant. Employed a few technical engineers and some security guards Used a resource that is God given and not man-made.

o to aspiring businessman out there, do not follow the old-fashioned way of doing business, just make sure your consortium and your negotiation skills are some of the best in the World and you can get and do whatever you want. I’d like to finish off by saying, that I have said a lot in this article to spark thoughts, shift paradigms and perhaps even open eyes that till now had been closed to all that surrounds this issue. But none of us should have to worry about these things if the people who

have been hired (sorry voted) to do this job for us had done their jobs correctly.

o I go back to the title of this article and suggest to you that history may now in fact be our only hope. In going back to some of our previous ways of tendering, awarding of tenders, authorising of State funds and the reason for doing things being for the benefit of ALL people in our beautiful country not just a few outsiders and a minority of insiders; is what needs to brought to the fore again. We have millions of people in desperate need of basic services and they will never see or benefit from these so called power

producing independents until they do finally get their services one day and they will then only know of the IPPs from the exorbitant bills they will have to pay to honour the agreements their Treasury signed on their behalf.

o what is history now, can only but provide hope for better to come and I hope the second and third IPP windows will be more honest, fair and transparent than the first window which seems to have been left open for the elements to do with it, what they wish.