Konica Minolta released their annual earnings and there were some nice highlights from the printer group. Overall, revenue was up about 3% for the fiscal year ending in 2015, building on the 7% increase they had last year.

Here are some of the parts of their earnings report that are relevant to the world of print. Information was obtained word for word from the full report, posted HERE.

• Commercial and industrial printing – In production print, sales of the top‐of‐the‐line “bizhub PRESS C1100” digital color printing system grew primarily in the US and Europe.
• MFPs (Multi‐functional peripherals) – Amid intensifying competition in the US and Europe, the Group stuck to its sales policy of prioritizing profits and worked to expand sales, primarily of mid‐range and higher segment models. Even sales volumes of monochrome models exceeded prior‐year levels.
• Sales of high‐end color models for commercial printing rose.
• The “KM‐1” Sheet‐fed UV inkjet press co‐developed with KOMORI Corporation (headquartered in Tokyo) has been prepared for launch and sales will begin in earnest in fiscal 2016.
• In the commercial and industrial printing field, we expect demand for digital printers to rise.