In a closed-door session that took place at Brother’s Chatham House offices in Makati, HWZ was treated to an advanced peek at Brother’s new releases in the multi-function printing arena. While Brother’s products have primarily been designed to appeal more to corporate buyers, the company has compiled (and shown to us) some interesting studies of local printing trends, especially the direction the business is taking and where their new launch of the 7000 series fits in all of the projections, as well as explaining their bullish attitude and mentality towards their target market and their competitors, respectively.

                                              Toshiaki Isakawa-san, General Manager for Brother International, Philippines, sat down with us for an informal discussion of market trends and Brother's position in it.

First up are the products – the Mono Laser 7000 Series is meant to give the customer more functionality and performance, but at a lower unit and consumables price. Both aspects of pricing has been adjusted for the best value for money for the customer, which is one of the driving forces for Brother’s relentless expansion in the local market.

                                             The DCP-7030 (top) and the MFC-7840N bookends the new 7000 series product line from Brother.

Starting with the 3-in-1 DCP-7030, which has Print, Copy and Scan functions in a super-compact package, up to the top-of-the-line MFC-7840N with PC-Fax and Network capabilities, prices have been adjusted in such a way as to tempt traditionally single-function printer buyers and inkjet users to upgrade to a Brother multi-function device. More importantly, the price of consumables have been adjusted to match, with Brother offering two options for buyers – the high yield (2600 pages) TN-2150 toner cartridge, and the 1500 page TN-2130. These cartridges replace the older model TN-2025, which maxed out at 2500 pages yet cost the same as the TN-2150. A more drastic cut was done for the drum consumable, with a price cut from P4190 for the DR-2025 to an amazing P2990 for the new DR-2125. Both the drum and the cartridges are compatible with all of the new product entries but will not work with older models.

                                             These slides lays out Brother's plan of attack based on total cost of ownership - note that the P1490 price is in the region of inferior "refill" products available in the market.

Brother intends to cover all bases by anchoring their products with value for money as well as having the right device for each type of requirement. A total of 5 new devices were launched, with capabilities starting from the aforementioned DCP-7030, with additional features such as an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) defining the next model up, the DCP-7040. This trend of modular expansion is a boon for the consumer, as their requirements immediately defines their unit purchase, without having to pay for any additional capabilities that they may not need. This trend is continued with the MFC-7340 and 7450, which are both 5-in-1 devices with Fax and PC Fax functionality. The 7450 adds a high-speed G3 Fax to the mix, while the top-end 7840N has all of the above capabilities, plus the ability to connect to an office network.

                                             Glenn Hocson, Assistant GM, was very specific positioning these new models in the market - especially for the DCP-7030.

                                             These slides shows the transition from single function to MFCs and the growth of demand for these printers.

All of the different models have baseline performance of 20+ ppm, copying, color scanning and separate toner and drum assemblies using the above-mentioned consumables. In the same way that this modular approach to the model line benefits the customer, it also makes it easier for Brother to build the machines, making for a more streamlined production line and in turn resulting in more affordable products. These moves were done on the basis of a market that’s steadily moving towards adoption of more mono laser printers over inkjet, more multi-function printers over single-function printers, and the lowering cost for production of both. With a target customer base steadily realizing the advantages and cost savings of mono-laser and multi-function printers, Brother’s 7000 series has come at the right time to address a burgeoning market more cost-conscious and more demanding than ever.