Today’s production print environment is no longer defined solely by engine speed or output resolution. In an increasingly competitive market, success is determined by the efficiency of the entire workflow, from the first pixel to the final packaged product. Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa (KDZA) is currently leading a quiet revolution in this space by shifting the focus away from standalone hardware and towards a comprehensive ecosystem of peripherals. This direction is rooted in ongoing feedback from the production print market and the realities local print businesses face.
Heidie-Mari Middel, Production Print Team Lead at Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa, explained that this attentiveness is what defines the brand’s unique position. ‘At Kyocera, we listen to the requirements of the market across regions, including South Africa,’ she said. ‘This willingness to adapt is the foundation upon which our latest peripheral offering is built.’
This market-centric approach ensures that every development in Kyocera’s roadmap is feasible and genuinely useful for the end user. Middel emphasised that the company is eager to collaborate with the industry to shape solutions that reflect what production floors actually need. ‘We want to understand what’s required, and then develop solutions that address those needs ,’ she noted.
This philosophy has moved the brand beyond the traditional inkjet space and into the realm of complete, holistic solutions. It is a process involving rigorous testing and feedback loops to ensure that a product is ready for the demands of a high-volume production floor before being made available to the market.
To reinforce this commitment to providing a holistic solution, KDZA has strategically brought in specialised expertise to guide its clients through the complexities of the finishing process. Vanessa Richardson, an offline finishing specialist with extensive packaging and automation expertise, has joined the team as Production Sales Specialist to elevate consultative support. Kyocera is positioning itself as more than a hardware provider, with a stronger focus on helping customers optimise end-to-end production.
Richardson herself views the offering as a total support package that goes far beyond the initial sale of a print engine. One of the most persistent bottlenecks in production has been the transition from printing to finishing. Many print service providers have traditionally kept finishing offline, concerned that inline accessories could reduce engine speed or disrupt throughput. This often led to a fragmented workflow that required more floor space, more manual labour with greater waste and higher overheads, including electricity costs.
Richardson pointed out that the new generation of Kyocera peripherals is designed to reduce that trade-off. ‘With the inline finishers that are now being provided by Kyocera, we are keeping your print speed of 150ppm while allowing you to finish inline at the same speed,’ she noted.
This integration means that businesses can maximise throughput without the need for a secondary process. ‘Now it isn't an extended production process. You can run jobs at the same speed while reducing staff requirements, print and overhead costs, floor space and electricity requirements – all while maintaining full control of the inline production process.’
Financially, the move towards modular peripherals offers a much more sustainable path to growth for many South African businesses. The capital investment required for high-end continuous feed systems can be staggering, often reaching into the tens of millions of Rands. Middel noted that the current economic climate makes such investments difficult to justify for many.
‘It's difficult to get finance for equipment as it is. By adding high-performance peripherals to a stable engine like the TASKalfa Pro 15000c, businesses can achieve comparable results at a fraction of the cost. This allows them to enter markets that were once the sole domain of the largest print houses. ‘To justify that capital investment, businesses are able to recuperate that cost and become profitable far more quickly,’ she noted.
One of the most significant game changers in this regard is the Tecnau roll-fed to cut-sheet device. Paper remains one of the largest ongoing costs in production, and the premium paid for pre-cut sheets can quickly squeeze margins. By moving to a roll-fed system, printers can realise substantial savings on their raw materials. This development is particularly relevant for high-volume applications such as transactional security and NCR printing. The ability to purchase paper in rolls, which can be up to thirty percent cheaper than sheets, transforms the financial viability of long-run projects.
The technical versatility of these peripherals is further demonstrated by the integration of the Kyocera Sheet Inserter and the GBC StreamPunchPlus. The Kyocera IS-9100 system enables the smooth insertion of coated covers, back covers and interleaves, significantly reducing the burden of post processing tasks.
Middel explained that this enables multiple technologies to be combined within a single job. ‘You can have pre-printed covers that were printed on toner equipment or even on litho, with the inners being printed on our TASKalfa Pro 15000c, and then the Kyocera IS-9100 inserts the cover or whatever is required,’ she said. This level of automation ensures that complex booklets and reports can be produced with minimal manual intervention, reducing the risk of human error and increasing the speed of delivery to the client - with the capability of producing a book of one.
The GBC StreamPunchPlus adds a layer of professional finishing that is essential for a wide range of commercial applications. By offering interchangeable die sets, it can handle punching, perforation and creasing in a single pass. This is an invaluable tool for businesses that produce ring-bound manuals, retail coupons or perforated tickets.
The ability to crease paper inline is also a significant benefit for marketers and designers who require high-quality brochures and invitations without the unsightly cracking often associated with digital print. Together, these finishing options help print operations offer premium services in-house, without the cost and time impact of outsourcing.
Richardson emphasised that these advancements are intended to strengthen a business rather than replace its existing infrastructure. She believes that the best way to grow is to add capabilities that complement the current production line. ‘Our devices have never been created to replace the existing; they are always there to complement,’ she said.
This philosophy allows businesses to expand their service offering and take on higher volumes, such as book work or short-run NCR projects that may previously have been declined. ‘If you're adding a new line that complements increased turnover, you will achieve a faster return on investment because shorter production lead times support greater efficiency,’ Richardson elaborated. By making these complex jobs easier to manage, printers can keep more revenue in-house.
The ease of handling variable data is another area where Kyocera’s integrated software and hardware solutions shine. Richardson noted that many businesses walked away from NCR work because it was too labour intensive at times. ‘Now you can do it with ease. You can have it pre-collated at the time of print, which saves you the post-collation process,’ she noted. When this is combined with inline perforation, the final product comes out of the machine ready for binding, making even short runs of thirty or fifty books financially viable. This enables quick turnaround on jobs that might otherwise drain resources.
Middel agreed that this is a vital revenue stream. ‘Companies won’t lose revenue by outsourcing work or turning customers away because it doesn’t make sense to run it on litho or a digital toner press,’ she said.
Looking toward the future, Kyocera is already preparing to bring these peripheral innovations to its next generation of engines, including the TASKalfa Pro 55000c. The TASKalfa Pro 15000c has served as a successful pilot for these developments, proving that the engine is stable enough to handle millions of prints a month.
Some TASKalfa Pro 15000c devices have already surpassed one hundred million prints, which is well beyond their expected engine life. This long-term vision ensures that Kyocera clients are always at the forefront of sustainable, innovative inkjet technology.
Ultimately, the drive behind these innovations is a shared passion for production print. Both Middel and Richardson spent years working hands-on in the industry and they bring that experience to every client interaction. They understand the pressure of the production floor and the need for equipment that just works.
‘We were once in our customers’ shoes, where we needed to succeed, make sure each job is set up properly and operate without disruption,’ Middel said. This lived experience is why the team are so dedicated and passionate to provide a total experience rather than just a piece of hardware. For them, every component of the production line must work in harmony.
‘All the elements must come together seamlessly. It’s like a symphony and through our combination of end to end support and cutting edge technology, we ensure every note hits the right chord,’ she concluded.