TOSHIBA AMERICA BUSINESS SOLUTIONS REINFORCES STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN WITH ACQUISITION OF HAWAII BUSINESS EQUIPMENT
Leading Hawaii Office Equipment Dealer To Strengthen the Toshiba Business Solutions Network
IRVINE , California ( Sep 19, 2003 ) :
Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. (TABS) today announced it has acquired Hawaii Business Equipment, Inc., a leading independent office equipment dealer serving the entire state of Hawaii with four locations throughout the islands of Oahu, Maui and The Big Island of Hawaii.
Hawaii Business Equipment, which at the time of the acquisition did not sell Toshiba products and services, will become part of the TABS Toshiba Business Solutions (TBS) division (formerly known as TOPAC), a network of acquired Toshiba office equipment dealers. In business for more than 26 years, Hawaii Business Equipment (formerly known as the Office Products Division of Webco Hawaii, Inc.) is the 19th acquisition by TABS since the TBS division was formed nine years ago. Former Hawaii Business Equipment owner and president, Renee Gomes, will remain with the company continuing her role as president to oversee the company’s business, marketing and day-to-day operations.
The acquisition of Hawaii Business Equipment marks Toshiba’s fourth acquisition in 2003, since creating its aggressive business expansion plan. The plan is part of TABS’ overall objective to bolster the TBS operation by targeting large independent dealers in the top U.S. markets. TABS also recently acquired Moody Business Associate (MBA) of Hayward, Calif., Hotz Business Solutions, Inc. (HBS) of Kansas City, Mo. and Office Communications Systems (OCS) of San Antonio, Texas.
"We are thrilled to add a company with the great history that HBE has, to the Toshiba Business Solutions Family. We are confident they will continue their successes along with our other subsidiaries who have shown constant growth, despite one of the worst economic downturns in a decade," said Rick Taylor, senior vice president, Sales, Marketing and Business Operations, TABS. "We will continue to build solid partnerships with leading companies like Hawaii Business Equipment to drive the continued success of the TBS network and strengthen our market leadership position. Hawaii Business Equipment has achieved extraordinary growth within its local area through outstanding customer service and industry knowledge, and we are pleased to be associated with a company of this caliber."
"With the sophistication required to properly support the networking of our equipment, along with the consolidation of our industry, we felt it was important to align ourselves with a corporation that could provide the expertise and commitment we needed to achieve our projected growth objectives," said Renee Gomes, president, Hawaii Business Equipment. "We saw no other choice than Toshiba as that partner."
About Hawaii Business Equipment
Formerly known as the Office Products Division of Webco Hawaii, Inc., Hawaii Business Equipment has been in operation for more than 26 years. Specializing in the sales, service and networking of copiers, printers and facsimile products associated with document solutions, Hawaii Business Equipment is the leading independent dealer in the state of Hawaii. Hawaii Business Equipment currently has full-time employees on the islands of Oahu, Maui and The Big Island of Hawaii. While offices are only located on those three islands, Hawaii Business Equipment also services Kauai, Molokai and Lanai.
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.