OKI Europe’s celebrates 30 years
OKI Europe Ltd is celebrating three decades of innovation in the EMEA printer market, including the ground-breaking launch of Europe’s first LED printer in 1989 and several more ‘industry firsts’. Looking to the future, the company has pledged to continue their strategy of customer-led innovation, driven by a strong network of European staff and channel partners.
Today, the global operates in 60 countries within EMEA and has offices in 23 European countries. The first office in the region was established in Dusseldorf, Germany in 1984. OKI Europe went on to pioneer many industry firsts, building a strong reputation for quality and market changing technology.
This significant anniversary was celebrated by OKI employees from across the EMEA region who came together in Athens Greece to mark this historic occasion. Staff had the opportunity to relive the past 30 years of technology innovations from OKI’s first printers to the latest launches.
Tributes were paid to employees who have worked for the organisation since it was established in Europe 30 years ago. OKI’s partner in Greece, CPI, was also honoured for their dedication and 25-year-long partnership.
“We are incredibly proud of OKI’s significant contribution to the EMEA printer market over the last 30 years and the major product breakthroughs we have achieved,” said Terry Kawashima, managing director, OKI Europe Ltd. “Our continued roadmap of innovation and strong European partner links have been fundamental to our success and will doubtless help us to accomplish our vision for future growth.”
By the late 1980s, serial impact dot matrix (SIDM) printers remained the most commonly used and popular print technology. However, there was also clearly a growing need for fast, quiet, high-quality printers for a new generation of office PC users. This need was met by OKI in 1989 with the launch of the first LED desktop office printers – the OL400 and OL800 – to the European market.
In 1990, the acquisition of Technitron – one of the biggest European multi-national distributors – proved to be a defining moment for the EMEA organisation, creating a network of sales offices in Europe, driving business growth in the region and building the foundations of OKI Europe today.
Through this acquisition, the OKI Europe group expanded its geographical coverage to include Technitron’s sales subsidiaries in seven countries – the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Italy alongside Germany, tripling printer sales in the region.
Other significant milestones in OKI Europe’s 30-year history include:
