Audio transcription

Interviewer:

Hello and welcome to the Kyocera Document Solutions podcast. Today we have with us Sylvester De Koning, Product Marketing Expert at Kyocera Documents Solutions Europe, who will share with us details of Kyocera's new launch of intelligent A3 multifunctional printer TASKalfa devices. With the challenges and pains facing organisations across all industries during this time of great disruption, Kyocera has risen to the occasion by unveiling two brand new A3 colour multifunctional printers, the TASKalfa3554ci and the TASKalfa2554ci.

So Sylvester, how are you doing today?

Sylvester De Koning:

I'm doing fine. Thank you for your time!

Interviewer:

Thanks to you too Sylvester! So, for our listeners who are unfamiliar with the new TASKalfa3554ci Series, can you give us a brief overview of these products, including the key features?

Sylvester De Koning:

Yes, of course. These two products are the latest addition to our already extensive A3 line-up, and they are a part of our flagship models, which will eventually replace our current best-selling models. The TASKalfa3554ci and the TASKalfa2554ci are A3 colour copier models with print speeds of 25 PPM and 35 PPM. They will meet the requirements of larger companies, and also fit perfectly into small-medium size workgroups. They have several significant improvements - not only in terms of security, productivity, user experience and environmental impact, but they are also our first models with artificial intelligence functions geared towards the office print environment.

Alongside these new features, the new series also benefits from the same long-life technology that has been one of Kyocera’s major strengths for many years. Our new user interface gives these products an improved user experience, and they have up-to-date and top-rated security among A3 multifunctional printers. We are also introducing a speed license upgrade system for easier stock management for dealers and partners. 

Interviewer:

Can you tell us a little more about the improvements that have been made on Kyocera’s existing devices?

Sylvester De Koning:

Yes, so basically the moment you turn on these updated devices, you will immediately notice the fresh, newly-designed user interface. The new UI mimics how we nowadays use mobile apps, and has homed in on usability that is simple, intuitive, and efficient. As with our current models, security is one of the focus areas, with many substantial improvements. With the last products we introduced TPM, runtime integrity check, secure boot, and the standard encryption and data overwrite functionality. With the new products we are introducing more up-to-date security features and functions which will be standard for our products. This includes on line Certificate Status Protocol, Automatic update certification, TLS 1.3, and SIEM - Security Information and Event Management- support. These improvements strengthen our overall device security, and we will continuously update and improve our products with the latest security technologies.

On top of this, we are also introducing two highly productive dual scan document processors, with a scan speed of up to 200ipm. And it’s high-end document processor also features a double-feed sensor and a staple detection sensor, which ensures that you never miss out on a valuable scan again. Furthermore, there is an impressive 320-sheet input capacity and several scanner improvements, which will boost customers' overall productivity.  

In terms of image quality, these products are equipped with new image processor technology, to give high image quality, with sharp and outstanding results, and print output has been hugely improved by adopting our new quad-core CPU of 1.6 gigahertz. This new processor also allows us to reduce energy consumption, resulting in a lower environmental impact.

As mentioned, these two products will be the first in our product range to use artificial intelligence technology. These new AI features are Super Resolution and Handwriting – two functions which improve productivity and efficiency. New functions can also be added after purchase and installation, so we can continue to develop new functions that utilise AI technology, even after we launch these models. This way we can keep on updating our MFPs and help customers to enjoy product improvements whenever available.

Interviewer:

Going back to the first strength and upgrade that you mentioned: usability. Can you tell us what changes have been made to ensure a smooth user experience?

Sylvester De Koning:

This new interface has improved almost every aspect of operating our devices. Taking into consideration how our customers interact with tablets and smartphones, this interface mimics today’s trends to create a real tablet-like experience. These models introduce a simple, intuitive and efficient user interface with a 10.1-inch system display, with a full colour touch panel for quick access to a wide range of functions. The number of hard keys has also been reduced and replaced with simple icons and graphics, and gesture-based transitions between screens.

Interviewer: 

What key features of these devices make A3 TASKalfa devices the perfect fit for the legal sector?

Sylvester De Koning:

The legal sector is known for having huge document volumes which need to be digitised, and the new A3 TASKalfa devices have high-speed document processors that can scan up to 200 IPM, which is a perfect fit for the legal sector. With these document processors, law firms can easily digitise the large amount of information they have without losing much time from their working day. The high-speed document processors can double-check to ensure that every single page has been scanned. This helps a legal department ensure that they never miss out on any potentially vital pages in their documents.

Interviewer: 

Apart from of some government and finance organisations, law firms generate more confidential information than any other industry, meaning security is fundamental. What security features can help them?

Sylvester De Koning:

At Kyocera, it is one of our key priorities to make sure that our customer's assets are being securely handled. And with the launch of these products, we are introducing several new functions like Security Information and Event Management Support (SIEM), meaning that an IT administrator can monitor how a device is being used, and can make sure that if somebody tries to operate the device in a malicious way, it is flagged to the IT manager who can examine reports on the use of the printer. This helps law firms understand where they might have security weaknesses and to make sure their data is not being compromised.

Interviewer:

Kyocera is renowned for its reliability. With one of the pains for the legal sector being high volume printing, can we consider that the reliability of these devices is as good as ever?

Sylvester De Koning:

Certainly. This is one of Kyocera’s great strengths. MFP reliability is one of the top concerns for businesses, because a reliable device helps minimise downtime, and improve productivity. Kyocera's A3 colour copiers have a track record of products with an excellent colour output, high speeds, and low upkeep costs. And without a doubt, outstanding reliability is one of the key features built into every single Kyocera device. This was recently recognised and awarded by BLI over the last couple of years. I'm confident that we continue to live up to our standards of creating exceptionally reliable products.

Interviewer:

Fantastic. These seem like impeccable devices. That's all we have time for today, Sylvester. Thank you very much for having this chat with me today.

Sylvester De Koning: 

It was a pleasure. Thank you for your time. I was happy to be here.

Interviewer:

Take care. Thank you.

For more information on the latest TASKalfa 3554ci series, visit KyoceraDocumentSolutions.eu. Thanks for listening.