Basildon, 22 February 2007
Konica Minolta is at the forefront of the printing and document imaging industry today by means of a new partnership with the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). Konica Minolta is one of the cornerstone members to fund this certification program designed to create a worldwide standard for the technology skills of service staff members.

The programme being developed will certify professional skills for printing and document imaging. It will help to build a vender-neutral certification of technical skills for printing, document imaging products and solutions technicians. It will address all technical skills related to printers, multi functional peripherals (MFPs), scanners, faxes, copiers, networking, connectivity and colour theory.

“By building this training programme we aim to provide our technicians with the most comprehensive range of skills and expertise,” said Thorsten Heitman, E-Learning Manager of Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe and Member of the Cornerstone Advisory Committee. “Now that our MFPs have become more sophisticated so have the requirements of our service staff. It is a testament to our innovation that our devices now need to be serviced by trained IT professionals. We are proud to be one of the cornerstone members able to certify our technicians and provide the best possible service to our customers.”

John Venator, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA said, “By establishing a standard method of measuring technical competencies, manufacturers can realise reduced costs for activities such as training, recruiting and hiring. A uniform standard of performance for printing and document imaging technicians results in greater productivity; higher first time fix-rates; and, ultimately, better results for the customer.”

Target candidates for CompTIA PDI+ certification are expected to be entry- to mid-level technicians with six to twelve months of experience in the installation, connectivity, maintenance and repair and support of devices in the printing and document imaging industry. This includes service technicians, support technicians and help desk staff.

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About CompTIA

For 25 years, the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) has served as the voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. Today, the Association represents the business interests of more than 20,000 member companies worldwide. CompTIA is committed to advancing the long-term success and growth of the IT industry; helping organizations maximize the benefits they receive from their investments in technology; and assisting individuals to obtain the skills and credentials they need for productive careers in IT. For more information, please visit: www.comptia.org.


About Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH is a leading provider of image information products with subsidiaries and distributors in more than 50 countries in the EMEA region. The company places major emphasis on the document management and solution business in the office and production environment, especially in the field of colour output as well as related supplies. Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is a subsidiary of Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. With a total workforce of 19,800 employees world wide, Konica Minolta Business Technologies gained a net sales of over 4.42 billion Euros in fiscal 2005/2006. Building on its strong core of optical technologies developed over many years as a printer and camera manufacturer, Konica Minolta Business Technologies aims to be a corporation offering products and services that are essential to all areas of digital imaging.
www.konicaminolta.eu


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Product images are available at www.konicaminolta-images.com


Contact:

For further information contact:
John Howard
Head of Marketing
Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) Ltd
Tel: 01908 200400
Fax: 08701 321751
E-mail: John.Howard@bs.konicaminolta.co.uk
Web: www.konicaminolta.co.uk

Editorial enquiries:
Glyn Pritchard
Vox Communications
Tel: 01892 825043
Fax: 0870 162 3983
E-mail: voxcomm@btinternet.com