Minolta has been placed among the leading copier distributors in South Africa with a 17% share of the total market in the 12 months to end 2001, according to the results of the recent InfoSource Spring 2002 survey.

According to Minolta copier division product manager, Paul Symonds, Minolta commands 20% of the market in analog copier sales and 13% market share in monochrome digital copier sales. "Industry trends indicate that digital copier sales are on the rise, with a 25% increase in sales from 2000 to 2001.

"Government is our largest user of analog copiers but we anticipate that the sophistication and increasingly cheaper prices of digital copiers will lure these organisations away from analog copiers," says Symonds. Symonds adds that Minolta's strongest focus will be on growing its digital copier sales, particularly in the 20-39 copies-per-minute (cpm) segment. "We believe this sector presents the best opportunity for growth and, with our machines becoming true multifunctional devices with scanning, faxing and printing options, we intend to grow our digital market share to at least 17%," he says.

For more information contact Paul Symonds, Minolta South Africa, 011 249 4000, pauls@minolco.co.za, www.minolta.co.za