OKI’s Dot Matrix Printer Range Comes of Age
15th December 2009
OKI Printing Solutions is celebrating the 21st birthday of its ML320 serial impact dot matrix (SIDM) printer. The longevity of the ML320 is testament to its dependability, durability and robustness - all qualities reflected in the OKI brand.
The printing solutions vendor began making the product at its facility in Cumbernauld, Scotland in 1988. A version of this same printer is still in production today, 21 years on, along with a broad range of other SIDM solutions, which OKI has since added to its portfolio.
Graham Lowes, marketing director, OKI Printing Solutions says: “In today’s disposable society, where new IT systems are ‘out-of-date’ less than a year from launch, it is refreshing to find a product that bucks the trend and has stood the test of time as a commercial proposition.”
- The ML320 was quickly followed by the ML321, ML390 and ML391 ranges, all part of OKI’s ML300 Series range, which rapidly established a reputation for being solidly built and delivering high-speed and high-quality printing;
- In 1992, OKI introduced the ML500 Series, which featured intelligent print-heads. The new product was designed to improve media compatibility and print reliably onto different types of print media;
- In 1995, OKI decided to ship the ML3300 series, designed as a faster and lower cost successor to the ML300 Series.
- Since then, the market for OKI’s SIDM solutions has remained loyal and solidly robust in its main target markets.
SIDM printers remain particularly popular in rugged industrial environments such as warehousing, distribution and logistics. Other key markets include healthcare, the airline industry and financial institutions.
OKI’s SIDM customer base includes British Airways, with around 1,000 devices, IT solutions provider, the SITA Group, building products supplier, The Wolseley Group, and builders’ merchants, Jewson and Travis Perkins.
According to Gary Phillips, communications manager, Travis Perkins, “Dot matrix printers are ideally suited to our branches. And by opting for OKI devices, we know that we will obtain the robustness and reliability we need, together with high levels of flexibility and cost-effectiveness.”
As OKI’s Lowes concludes: “Ultimately, the success of the ML320 and all the other OKI dot matrix solutions comes down to ongoing demand. Our SIDM printers continue to attract a loyal and passionate following from users."
For these businesses, alternative products will simply not meet their needs. And from our perspective, as long as we have customers who demand SIDM solutions, we will continue to recommend these devices for them.
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