TOSHIBA AMERICA BUSINESS SOLUTIONS BESTOWS DISTINGUISHED 2003 PROMASTERS AWARD TO TOP DEALERS FOR TECHNICAL SERVICE AND SUPPORT EXCELLENCE

Toshiba Dealers Honored at 2003 National Dealer Meeting For Raising Industry Standard in Technical Achievement and Customer Service

IRVINE , California ( Aug 14, 2003 ) :

Toshiba America Business Solutions (TABS) today announced it has awarded 73 of its national dealers with the prestigious, annual ProMasters Award for achieving technical service and customer support excellence. Dealers were recognized for their accomplishments at a ceremony conducted at Toshiba's 2003 National Dealer Meeting in Carlsbad, Calif., on July 13 - 16.

The ProMasters Program and Award were specifically developed by TABS to ensure the highest standard of technical expertise and service in the industry. Only dealers that have surpassed rigorous standards and evaluations and an ongoing qualification process, as well as continually demonstrate an unwavering commitment to providing exceptional customer service and knowledge in support of TABS copier, printer and facsimile products are eligible to receive the ProMasters designation.

Dealers must attain a score of 700 or better out of a possible 1,000 points in the evaluation process to receive a ProMasters Award. This year's award recipients included the following Toshiba dealers who were recognized as top achievers with the highest ProMasters scores overall of 850 or better in each of their respective regions:

Action Business Systems - Northeast Region
American Business Equipment - Western Region
James Office Equipment - Midwest Region
Stargel Office Systems - Southeast Region

The following TBS Network dealers (formerly TOPAC) also received Top Achievement Honors:

TBS, Colorado - Western Region
TBS, Kentucky - Midwest Region

"We are extremely pleased to honor all our ProMasters dealers and recognize them for their efforts and accomplishments in helping TABS set an unprecedented benchmark in the areas of technical and customer service and support," said George Colborn, vice president, Service, TABS. "The ProMasters Program is concrete evidence of Toshiba's uncompromising commitment to providing the highest level of reliability and satisfaction to its customers, and the ProMasters designation identifies those exceptional Toshiba dealers who have displayed a level of service and support that is second to none. The real test of a business relationship doesn't start the day a company sells you a product, but rather, the day after. When you deal with a ProMasters dealer, you're dealing with the very best Toshiba and the industry has to offer."

All TABS dealers nationwide are eligible to enter the ProMasters competition. However, qualifications for receiving the ProMasters Award include the fulfillment of specific and demanding requirements:

Toshiba Trained Technicians - ProMasters dealers must maintain a number of technicians with authorized training on each TABS copier, printer and facsimile model. These technicians must be certified through TABS' training and service development programs.
Field Service Operation - ProMasters dealers must manage a comprehensive field service operation and possess proper service tools and manuals, and technical bulletins to ensure timely onsite repair and maintenance of customers' products.
Ongoing Customer Relations Program - To ensure all TABS customers receive responsive customer support, ProMasters dealers must maintain an ongoing customer relations and satisfaction training program for all technicians and customer support personnel.
Pro-Active Preventative Maintenance Scheduling - ProMasters dealers must maintain a preventative maintenance scheduling program for all customers' equipment based on TABS' periodic inspection policies and procedures, ensuring reliability of TABS' products and eliminating unnecessary downtime and operating expenses.
Equipment Appraisal - To ensure all ProMasters dealers are maintaining TABS' products according to prescribed standards, all dealers are subjected to a random, semi-annual field equipment appraisal by TABS Regional Service specialists. These appraisals ensure customers' products are adequately maintained.
Dealer Computer System Capabilities - All ProMasters dealers are strongly encouraged to maintain an online computer system to incorporate spare parts inventory control, field technician dispatching, maintenance agreements, service record tracking and service billing, ensuring more responsive and efficient customer service support.

In addition, TABS dealers who meet these standards are then scored and evaluated by Toshiba's Regional Service Department in a number of service, competency, efficiency and customer satisfaction areas. Detailed, onsite evaluations of customer equipment also are performed with grading on equipment condition, performance and overall customer satisfaction. Only those dealers earning satisfactory scores receive the honor of a ProMasters designation.

For more information regarding the TABS ProMasters Award or to receive the complete list of the 2003 ProMasters Award dealers, please contact Sandi Greene at (949) 462-6801, or via e-mail at sandi.greene@tabs.toshiba.com.

About Toshiba America Business Solutions

Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. (TABS) manages product planning, marketing, sales, service support and distribution of copiers, facsimiles, multifunction printing products, network controllers and toner products throughout the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TABS comprises four divisions: the Electronic Imaging Division, Toner Products Division, Document Solutions Engineering Division and TBS, a subsidiary which operates a network of acquired office equipment dealers.

Named the most favored manufacturer in seven of the past eight years by the Business Technology Association (BTA), Toshiba's entire product line, customer support and marketing distribution policies are a marker for the industry. Among the many other awards garnered in recent years, Toshiba was named the "Copier Manufacturer of the Year" by the Marketing Research Consultants (MRC) in 1997, 1998, 2001 and 2002 and received the CIO Web Business award for its leading edge intranet site in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

TABS is an independent operating company of Toshiba Corporation, the sixth largest electronics/electrical equipment company and the world's 62nd largest company in terms of sales. Toshiba Corporation is a world leader in high technology products with more than 300 major subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. Fiscal year revenue in 2002 was approximately $47 billion.

For more information on Toshiba copier, facsimile, multifunction printing products, network controllers and toner products, or for a dealer in your area, call 1 800 GO TOSHIBA or visit the TABS Web site at www.copiers.toshiba.com.