Exhibits 2.12-2.19
Each year, we ask dealers to rate their primary A3 MFP suppliers as “Excellent,” “Very Good,” “Good,” “Fair,” or “Poor.” We then awarded five points for “Excellent,” four points for “Very Good,” three points for “Good,” two points for “Fair,” and one point for “Poor.” We then divided the total by the number of dealers participating from that manufacturer.
Dealers’ view of their manufacturers remains consistent with the previous two Surveys with the Big Six averaging 4.4 out of a possible score of 5.0. The previous two years, the ratings were 4.4 and 4.36, respectively. Only one of the Big Six received a “Poor” rating from their dealers, and that was Canon in 2018. This year, Canon received a single “Poor” rating, an improvement over 2018 when it received four “Poor” ratings. As a result, Canon’s overall rating in this year’s Survey was 4.3, up from 3.9 last year.
As for the rest of the Big Six OEMs, we saw modest fluctuations in the ratings, pretty much what we’ve been seeing throughout the history of the Survey. This year, Sharp scored the highest rating at 4.7, up from 4.4 in 2018. Historically, Toshiba has garnered favorable ratings from dealers and this year’s Survey was no exception as its average 4.6 rating matched last year’s. Rounding out the Big Six, Ricoh was rated 4.4, down from 4.5 last year; Kyocera was rated 4.3, down from 4.5 last year; and Konica Minolta was 4.1, down from 4.3 last year.
Last year, we shared some of the representative comments provided by dealers to explain their ratings and we are continuing that exercise this year. Due to space limitations, we are sharing five representative dealer comments per OEM.
Canon
Rating: Excellent – “Best products, best support, best customer feedback, best image.”
Rating: Very Good – “Great product, but marketing programs are complex and not enough pricing help in the aftermarket area.”
Rating: Very Good – “Solid, reliable equipment with brand recognition; understanding of dealer costs and how to help us maintain them.”
Rating: Good – “Great company, great technology, but not always connected and supportive.”
Rating: Poor – “Poor dealer attention and support.”
Konica Minolta
Rating: Excellent – “The Konica Minolta equipment is very reliable and the company is easy to work with.”
Rating: Very Good – “Equipment arrives fast and we have very few issues in the field. They run very well!”
Rating: Very Good – “Solid product line. Fair to the dealer channel and does a good job of keeping ahead of the marketplace changes.”
Rating: Good – “Excellent production print hardware, very good office hardware, however, drum yields have dropped significantly on the latest A3 office machines. Firmware glitches still cause occasional issues.”
Rating: Fair – “We are very happy with Konica Minolta products, but they are very difficult to deal with, they do not treat us well.”
Kyocera
Rating: Excellent – “Products are great, company is easy to deal with. Parts warranty is terrific, products are reliable.”
Rating: Very Good – “Would normally say excellent, but some questionable changes have been happening. Not sure what to make of them just yet.”
Rating: Very Good – “I would have rated them excellent, but recently I and others are very concerned with where Kyocera is going from a pricing standpoint.”
Rating: Good – “Aggressive, but it feels pricing is increasing, which isn’t good.”
Rating: Fair – “They don’t offer pricing on par with the direct or larger dealerships.”
Ricoh
Rating: Excellent – “Their support and communication is the best! The products have a lifecycle that exceeds anything else we see from the competition.”
Rating: Very Good – “Ricoh has done a great job of bringing good products to the market and supporting them.”
Rating: Very Good – “Solid in most every category. Significant concern about the age of their management teams…. They don’t seem like a desirable place for anyone to work.”
Rating: Good – “Poor response to dealer questions and concerns.”
Rating: Fair – “They do not react fast enough to dealer needs and requests at the corporate level. The DSM level is good.”
Sharp
Rating: Excellent – “Sharp has been a great partner to work with, and delivers quality products and support in all areas.”
Rating: Excellent – “They have the lowest cost, very reliable, excellent featured equipment on the planet!”
Rating: Very Good – “Understands our business and provides us with up-to-date information, allowing us to make informed business decisions.”
Rating: Very Good – “Always put out a quality product that is competitive cost-wise.”
Rating: Good – “The copier products is good, but the dealer relationship to Tech Data, the distributor, is AWFUL!!!!!”
Toshiba
Rating: Excellent – “They are very in touch with the dealer channel.”
Rating: Excellent – “Toshiba is by far the easiest to work with. The leadership at the top gets it.”
Rating: Very Good – “Responsive, fair pricing, good product line, good support.”
Rating: Very Good – “They do what’s needed, nothing more.”
Rating: Very Good – “Great on Product and overall support, have fallen a bit on marketing and advertising in my opinion.”
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