It was only about a week after Xerox acquired Global Imaging Systems that Ricoh severed its existing relationship with Global for distribution of equipment. But now Xerox subsidiary Global has a new purchasing contract with Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America, Mahwah, N.J.

Xerox recently completed buying Global Imaging Systems, Tampa, Fla., for about $1.5 billion. The conglomerate of over 80 companies that became Global Imaging was formed in 1994 by CEO Tom Johnson and since then, acquired more than 80 businesses and 4,500 employees.

But Ricoh, which now calls itself Ricoh Americas, states Global companies will no longer be a Ricoh authorized dealers nor dealer for subsidiaries Savin and Gestetner, but Ricoh, with USA headquarters in West Caldwell, N.J., will resell Global supplies three years to honor an existing contract.

The contract between Sharp and Global is through March 2008 and former Global dealers can supply their customers with Sharp MFPs, printers and other machines and supplies. Global also had an existing contract with Konica Minolta, Ramsey, N.J.

Apparently Global will continue its relationship with Konica Minolta. In mid-May, Konica Minolta named at least one Global Imaging distributor, Paramount Imaging, Cypress, California, as an authorized national distributor of Konica Minolta machines.

Sharp has been on the move with acquisitions of its own to expand the company's direct regional sales operation. Sharp is establishing 20 Sharp Business Systems branches to enhance its independent dealer channel.

Sharp recently acquired Sharp Business Systems, San Diego, California, which was formerly known as Aztec Imaging. Also acquired by Sharp: Miami Lakes-based M.O.S. Imaging Systems, now Sharp Business Systems in southern Florida and Indianapolis-based Indy Office Solutions as Sharp Business Systems for the Indianapolis area and central Indiana.

Footnote: Ricoh Americas garners most copier market share for 2006. Ricoh Americas and its subsidiaries Savin and Lanier have captured most market share from Gartner's U.S. Market Report for 2006. Ricoh won in both monochrome and color copier placements, with 23.1 percent of the market share for black and white copiers and 28.1 percent for color. This is the fifth year Ricoh has most market share in monochrome and the fourth year in color.

Read the second of three 2007 Copier Careers Salary Surveys about the copier industry. Here are the links and the time schedule:

Copier Careers Technician Salary Survey Web site (Published in April):
http://www.copiercareers.com/salary_survey/cc07_salary_survey_tech_f.pdf

Copier Careers Sales Managers' Salary Survey Web site (Published this month):
http://www.copiercareers.com/salary_survey/salary_survey_salesmgr_cc_f.pdf

Copier Careers Service Managers' Salary Survey Web site (Published in June):
http://www.copiercareers.com/salary_survey/cc_salary_survey_svcmgt_f.pdf

Please visit the following link to participate in the 2008 Copier Careers survey:
http://www.copiercareers.com/salary_survey/salarysurveys_form.shtml

- Toshiba launches e-STUDI 167/207/237 MFP series. Toshiba launched the e-STUDIO 167/207/237 MFP series, with copies at 16, 20 and 23 pages-per-minute and suggested prices at $2,695, $3,095 and $3,695.

- Konica Minolta Merges Business Units. Konica Minolta Printing Solutions USA will be merged into one organization with Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA and Jun Haraguchi will continue to serve as president and CEO of Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA, Ramsey, N.J.

- Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy recognized in Hall of Fame. Mulcahy was inducted into the CRN Industry Hall of Fame May 22 in Las Vegas along with two other technology leaders.

- Ricoh Honored by Industry Leaders at IT ChannelVision Spring 2007. At the IT ChannelVision Spring 2007 conference May 6-9, the Printing Solutions Division at Ricoh Americas Corporation, won two "Best of IT ChannelVision" Awards.

- Staples launches recycling program. Staples, Framingham, Mass., is offering everyday computer and office technology recycling. Any USA Staples store will take used computers, monitors, laptops, printers, faxes and MFPs that are to be recycled according to environmental laws.

- OfficeMax, Canon U.S.A. helping small businesses print big. OfficeMax, Naperville, Ill., and Canon U.S.A., Lake Success, N.Y. extended their relationship to offer color, large-format printing at OfficeMax ImPress using Canon imagePROGRAF large-format printers.

- Fast color with Konica Minolta multifunctional. The bizhub C451 multifunction imaging system, no price disclosed, can print or copy in colour and black and white at 45 pages per minute because of low-temperature fusing.

Electronic gadgetry can make it easier to cross the etiquette boundary because of being impersonal. But anything can be made a little warmer when you use the right approach to voice mail, faxes, cell phones or e-mail. Here are some tips:

Fax - Faxes are visual and still a good form of communication in an electronic age, as most salespeople know. It's "hard copy" and you can verify it got there. In many situations, you should call to make sure it's OK to fax information.

e-mail - Print out your e-mail as a draft on a word-processing program. Check for spelling errors. Check addresses twice to make sure they're the person you wish to contact, as the automatic e-mail insertion can be a path to embarrassment, too. And with Blackberry's and portable devices abounding, please resist the temptation to check e-mail during meetings, as some people do.

Voice mail - Use the person's name frequently. Keep your voice distinct, your message to the point. Give some detail about why you are calling, but don't drone on and on. Remember to leave instructions on when you're available and a phone number where you can be reached. Also, return your own messages promptly when you are called.

Cell phone - Cell phones allow interruption no matter what the person is doing or where they are. But there's an "off" switch on all cellular phones. Shut off the phone when you go into meetings or other times it would be improper to receive calls. Answer courteously. If otherwise occupied, say so and ask to call the person back. Be considerate of other listeners - don't chat away while in a doctor's office or a library.

DTEKS Business Systems, Port Washington, N.Y., is an independent authorized Canon and Kyocera dealer serving the business community for the past decade.

DTEKS sells, leases, services and supports office equipment that includes copiers from basic to fully integrated MFPs, fax machines, scanners and other machines, plus a full range of supplies from the large office and warehouse in Port Washington.

DTEKS Business Systems evolved from a one-man business startup in a garage in 1994 by Dae Chung, the owner. The company was called "D. Copier and Laser Tech" years ago. Now the company revenue is growing at 25-30 percent annually. There are nine employees.

The main mission is customer satisfaction of the company, and Chung and all the employees try to achieve that goal and to assure the customer gets the right product and support.

Hard disk drives used to be cumbersome eight-inch "washing machines" in the early 1980s, evolving into smaller devices courtesy of companies like Seagate and Apple.

Now the hard drive, very common on modern multifunction office machines, may evolve again. Flash-memory solid-state disks are now becoming popular at technology shows. The SSD doesn't use as much power, weighs less, makes less noise and is a little more immune from the occasional tumble than its plattered predecessor.

The SSD has been around for awhile, but companies like SanDisk, Milpitas, Calif., with chips at about $1.40 per gigabyte, and prices are sure to drop more soon. Now there are models as high as 64 gigabytes.

SanDisk is only one vendor for the devices and laptop computer manufacturers are looking at the SSD option. Some predict that most laptops will have the devices as early as 2009.

Windows Vista for the equivalent of $2? Such a price is common in China, where software piracy is still at over 80 percent, according to a study by the IDC for the Business Software Alliance headquartered in Washington, D.C. Those studying China trends say software piracy has dropped steadily the last several years (10 percent according to IDC).

Statements by the Chinese government have indicted that it was working to curb patent violations and piracy. But the Bush administration recently filed two complaints against China with the World Trade Organization that brought a protest from China's government.

The price of piracy for Microsoft is over and above the loss of profit. Microsoft's cost to combat it was over $1 billion. It apparently paid off.

Part of the credit has to go to the Lenovo Group Ltd., which has a market share of over a third of PCs in China and provides licensed Microsoft software in its PCs. Lenovo was IBM's PC-manufacturing arm before it was sold and headquarters formerly in Beijing are now in Purchase, N.Y.

The USA, IDC figures show, has one of the lowest rates of software piracy in the world at about 20 percent.

Technician - Montana and the Mountains of Colorado

Selling Sales Manager - NYC/Long Island

Sales Representative - South East Florida/b>

Sales Manager - West Palm Beach

In-house Technician - Southern Georgia

Selling Sales Manager - Conneticut

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