The Workplace Of The Future Vision
Ramsey, NJ – September 10, 2018 – Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta) a leading office & IT solutions provider, and Swiss innovation service provider Zühlke, have announced their partnership to support the development of new products for Konica Minolta’s Workplace of the Future™ vision. As part of the technology giant’s corporate strategy to become a platform-led, data-centric business, Konica Minolta will look to Zühlke to play a key part in advising how to utilise digital technologies to provide sustainable customer solutions across the workplace.
Zühlke, founded in Switzerland in 1968, and with headquarters in Zurich, is a business solution provider and technology innovator serving a wide field of industries including, machinery and plant engineering, medical technology and the financial sector.
With an R&D strategy focused on providing holistic solutions to the challenges that come with digitalisation, Konica Minolta is actively partnering with leading pioneers. Such collaborations ensure that Konica Minolta continues to create concepts that reflect the Japanese company’s strong heritage of innovation, alongside accurately fulfilling customers’ future needs and wants. Gerald Brose, Director of Business Development at Zühlke, comments, “For us, Konica Minolta is a very exciting business as its driving innovation. The speed with which they initiate and realise development is hugely impressive. It’s a perfect fit with our philosophy and our way of doing things.”
Ranging from the generation and evaluation of new product ideas and business models, to consultation on technical implementation and operations, the partnership with Zühlke is a natural progression of a close working relationship between the two companies. “We have drawn on Zühlke’s expertise on many occasions, not only through supporting our innovation team in the technical development of prototypes, but also receiving valuable input regarding business models and feasibility concepts,” explains Jérôme-Etienne Zastrow, portfolio extension manager, Digital Workplace R&D at Konica Minolta.
One project Zühlke has already supported Konica Minolta with is the collaboration around a proposed multi-functional workplace tool, currently referred to as ‘Spoke,’ as part of the disruptive Workplace Hub portfolio. Zastrow explains: “With the ‘Spoke’ concept we are looking at creating an all-in-one IT platform for the business traveller, exploring and blurring the traditional boundaries for those working outside the traditional physical office. Thus, we required a visionary partner for the technical implementation of this product and Zühlke was invaluable with their support.” Looking to the future, Konica Minolta and Zühlke are already working on new ideas for untouched areas.
About Konica Minolta, Inc
Konica Minolta, Inc. is a global technology company which provides innovative solutions to support the development of businesses and society. With its strengths in the combination of its core technologies in advanced imaging, optics, sensing, materials and nano-processing, Konica Minolta is committed to creating new values that help customers address challenges in their business operations and work processes. With advanced expertise in digital technologies, the company has transformed itself into a provider of end-to-end digital solutions: One Konica Minolta in the era of the Internet of Things (IoT). Konica Minolta is also active in open innovation through various partnerships and alliances with academic, industrial and business partners.
Headquartered in Tokyo, Konica Minolta Group employs more than 43,000 people in 50 countries and offers products and services in more than 150 countries around the world.
About Zühlke
Zühlke is a service provider for innovation projects. By combining both business and technology expertise, the company creates solutions that satisfy its customers. Zühlke develops financially successful products, services and business models for today’s digital world – from coming up with the initial idea – through implementation and operation. This is achieved by drawing on the experience of over 1,000 in-house experts and of more than 10,000 successful projects.
The Zühlke Group has local teams in Austria, Germany, Hong Kong, Serbia, Switzerland, Singapore and the United Kingdom. In 2017, Zühlke generated CHF 154 million (DE: EUR 138 million UK: £121 million) in revenue.
About Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future™ (www.reshapework.com) with its expansive smart office product portfolio from IT Services (All Covered), ECM, Managed Print Services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for 11 consecutive years, and is proud to be ranked on the Forbes 2017 America’s Best Employers list. The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for six consecutive years. It partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and work to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit: www.CountOnKonicaMinolta.com and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
Konica Minolta Contacts
Becca Cross
Marketing Communications Specialist – Workplace Hub, UK
Becca.cross@konicaminolta.co.uk
Stacey Sujeebun,
Director, Marketing Communications, US
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.
+1 201-236-4272
PR@kmbs.konicaminolta.us
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Workplace of the Future is a trademark of Konica Minolta, Inc.
