TOSHIBA AMERICA BUSINESS SOLUTIONS INC. FINDS MUCH TO CELEBRATE AT 2006 NATIONAL DEALER MEETING
Event Abounds with Announcements of Company Milestones, Innovative New Products, and Customer-Focused Programs and Services
IRVINE , California ( Jul 19, 2006 ) :
Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. (TABS) today announced the successful completion of its 2006 National Dealer Meeting. Held at the St. Regis Resort in Monarch Beach, Calif. from May 22 to May 25, the annual meeting featured a theme of “Celebrate the Customer” with nearly 600 people in attendance. Excitement levels were high as company executives detailed TABS’ impressive growth and financial performance, unveiled numerous products slated for introduction in the second half of 2006, and shared future initiatives.
“Our National Dealer Meetings are an important resource for demonstrating to our dealers how much we appreciate them, and an opportunity to share and receive valuable feedback on our upcoming plans to ensure their continued success,” said Mark Mathews, vice president / general manager for TABS. “This year, as our theme suggests, we maintained a strong focus on our customers – both our end user customers and our dealer customers – reinforcing the notion that our success, both at the corporate and dealer level, depends on our ability to understand and meet all our customers’ needs. The products and programs showcased throughout the four-day event were developed with that end goal in mind.”
Toshiba Demonstrates Exceptional Performance with Numerous Sales Records
President and CEO Rick Taylor set the tone for the week’s celebrations by opening the meeting with details of TABS’ outstanding growth and financial performance in fiscal year 2005. The company set all time sales records for total sales revenue, dealer sales revenue, Toshiba Business Solutions (TBS) sales revenue, major account sales revenue and international sales revenue. Taylor also noted that TABS set an all time record for unit sales, with a growth of 6.5 percent over the previous year, an especially significant accomplishment in an otherwise flat market. Additionally, TABS grew its total revenue by 11.8 percent.
Toshiba Unveils Expansive New Product Lineup
Delivering on its promise to offer a product for every customer’s needs, TABS launched five new products the week of the meeting, as well as previewed 14 additional products scheduled for introduction later in 2006. This included five new color MFPs, delivering industry-leading image quality and extremely easy serviceability to lower user costs while increasing profitability. Other products showcased included a facsimile; new high-speed, color printers; cost-effective, monochrome MFPs; and several new solutions designed to improve document workflow.
Customer Service Takes Center Stage
In further support of its “Celebrate the Customer” theme, TABS disclosed a new customer support initiative, designed to measure customer satisfaction with the quality of Toshiba products, the efficiency of service and customer perception of the value received from Toshiba. As part of the new program, customers will receive an e-mail survey on the same day they receive a service visit. TABS announced plans to survey more than 5,000 customers over the next six months alone, and will be analyzing and acting upon this data to continuously improve its overall value to the customer.
Additionally, TABS will be making available a customer support e-mail address to help ensure that TABS is delivering upon its commitments to its customers. All inquiries sent to the address will be reviewed directly by Taylor, ensuring TABS’ customers have a direct line of communication at the highest possible level.
Global Services Portal for Improved Fleet Management
TABS also introduced a new online tool designed to provide the company’s end user customers with a customized Web portal to manage their fleet of office equipment, as well as obtain Toshiba support services. The new site, called the Global Services Portal, launches this month and replaces TABS’ existing GEMConnect portal. With the addition of new, more robust capabilities, and increased usability and flexibility, customers will be able to make online purchases, manage assets, and view detailed reports with information on service, usage, population and total cost of ownership data, among other customizable features. Users can access the site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, ensuring direct, single source access to a full spectrum of online services and real-time information.
About Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc.
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, Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TABS has four divisions: the Electronic Imaging Division; the Toner Products Division; the Document Solutions Engineering Division; and TOPAC U.S.A., Inc., dba Toshiba Business Solutions (TBS), a wholly-owned subsidiary corporation of TABS, that operates a network of wholly owned office equipment dealers throughout the United States.
Named the most favored manufacturer seven times by the Business Technology Association (BTA), Toshiba’s entire product line, customer support and marketing distribution policies are markers for the industry. Among the many other awards garnered in recent years, Toshiba was named the “Copier Manufacturer of the Year” six times by the Marketing Research Consultants (MRC), and has twice been named to the CIO 100 for being among the top 100 “bold” (2005) and “agile” (2004) companies in the world.
TABS is an independent operating company of Toshiba Corporation, the sixth largest electronics/electrical equipment company and the world's 72nd largest company in terms of sales. Ranked by Fortune magazine as the 9th Most Admired Electronics Company in the World, Toshiba Corporation is a world leader in high technology products with more than 300 major subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. Fiscal year revenue in 2004 was approximately $55 billion.
For more information on Toshiba copier, facsimile, multifunction printing products, network controllers or 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.