TOSHIBA BUSINESS SOLUTIONS ESTABLISHES DIRECT PRESENCE IN OHIO THROUGH NEW DEALER ACQUISITION
Newly Acquired Company Provides Toshiba Strategic Entrance Into Key Akron and Cleveland Markets
IRVINE , California ( Dec 12, 2007 ) :
Continuing with its strategy of growing market share through expansion into previously untapped markets, Toshiba Business Solutions (TBS) today announced the acquisition of Copier Sales MBM Inc. and ImagePro Ltd., based in Akron, Ohio and Cleveland respectively. The two companies were both authorized Toshiba dealers prior to the acquisition and merged earlier this year. This acquisition marks the 52nd dealer acquisition for TBS since the inception of the company’s business expansion plan. The company will transition to the name TBS Ohio and become the 16th core company for TBS.
“Toshiba’s relationship with Copier Sales goes back more than two decades, so it is especially thrilling to have them become an official member of the Toshiba family through this acquisition,” said Wayne Wilkinson, vice president/general manager, TBS. “Copier Sales and ImagePro both are exceptional dealerships with a strong reputation for outstanding customer service and support, so when we considered expanding our direct channel into the key metropolitan markets of Akron and Cleveland, there was no better choice. We look forward to significant growth in this key strategic market.”
Demonstrating Copier Sales’ outstanding customer service, the dealership has earned the coveted Toshiba ProMasters Award, recognizing technical service and customer support excellence, for nine consecutive years. Previous co-owners Scott Baldwin and Bill Salm now serve as president and vice president of Sales, respectively. Gary Miller, Copier Sales founder, recently retired.
“Both Copier Sales and ImagePro have attained great market success through our partnership with Toshiba over the years,” said Baldwin. “Through this acquisition, we’ve married the best of technology and personal service to continue to provide our customers with the most comprehensive level of service in Northeast Ohio.”
About Copier Sales MBM Inc. and ImagePro Ltd.
Copier Sales was founded in 1971 by Gary Miller and has sold and serviced Toshiba and Océ office equipment from its Akron, Ohio headquarters since that time. ImagePro Ltd. was founded in 1999 by Gary Miller and Bill Salm, Jr. as an expansion of Copier Sales. The company is headquartered in Cleveland, and was originally established to offer both Océ and Sharp manufactured technology to complement the company’s long-standing Toshiba relationship.
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, Brazil, 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 eight 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 “Manufacturer of the Year” seven times by 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 seventh largest electronics/electrical equipment company and the world's 91st largest company in terms of sales. Ranked by Fortune magazine as the 10th 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 2006 was approximately $60 billion.
For more information on Toshiba copier, facsimile, multifunction printing products, network controllers or toner products, or for a dealer in your area, call (800)-GO-TOSHIBA or visit the TABS Web site at www.copiers.toshiba.com.