Kyocera in bid to nab dot-matrix resellers

Hard-pressed laser printer company Kyocera made a bid last week to increase its market share by biting into the dot-matrix market.

The company, which has made determined attempts to win market share from Hewlett Packard over the past five years, has hit on a cunning scheme to recruit up to 20 dot-matrix Vars. it plans to steal the resellers from Star and other dot-matrix firms which offer a multipart form printing solution.

Neville Rawlings, marketing director at Kyocera, said the firm's Multicard option will enable dealers to tailor the solution to customers' requirements. Multicard is installed as an additional printer emulation, without software. It uses Kyocera Ecosys options.

The manufacturer wants the Vars to advise on consultancy, and if they are dot-matrix dealers, so much the better, said Rawlings. 'We're attacking anyone who has got dot-matrix,' he said.

'This will let resellers sell higher margin page printer technology rather than outmoded dot-matrix products.'