Minuteman Press has created a winning formula based on a successful franchise model, in-depth training and the best technology available.
After more than 40 years in the global printing industry and more than 20 years in the local market, Minuteman Press can be considered something of an expert on printing solutions and techniques. It is for this reason that an endorsement from Minuteman Press carries real weight.
Xerox is one of two printing solutions suppliers in the local market to have received such an endorsement.
The Minuteman Press franchise model differs from other franchise systems around the world. Franchisees are given a choice in every aspect of the operation of their businesses. This ranges from an option on the equipment they use, to the staff they employ. However, they also receive assistance including selecting the best location for a branch through to feasibility studies before expanding the service option.
Frik van Niekerk, regional vice-president of Minuteman Press, says: “The Minuteman Press franchise model is designed to be as inclusive as possible for our franchise holders. They benefit from the knowledge and expertise of the group, while still remaining as autonomous as possible. We do not dictate anything but we give them all the support they could possibly need. Where our franchisees need to outsource work we give them a list of preferred service providers that they can select from.”
Internationally, Minuteman Press has almost 1000 franchises spread across the US, Canada, Australia, UK and South Africa. The service offering includes design, print and marketing aimed at giving customers a complete solution for their short-run print requirements.
In the colour space, Minuteman Press South Africa has stipulated the Versant 180 and the Versant 3100 colour production printers from Xerox, as well as high-end production devices from another manufacturer. There are currently over 50 branches of Minuteman Press around the country, of these approximately half have opted for printing solutions from Xerox.
Having state-of-the-art solutions is only part of the process, ensuring that those solutions are able to achieve optimum production capabilities relies on the people using them. It is for this reason that training is important. Training plays a major role in ensuring that the franchise is successful.
Van Niekerk adds: “We give our franchisees every possible advantage to ensure that they succeed. In addition to the support which we offer, our franchisees also have access to the technical support from Bytes Documents Solutions where we have full service level agreements for all the solutions supplied by BDS. They ensure that our branches are able to meet their clients’ needs even if technical issues do arise.”
The Versant 180 offers the ideal combination of print quality and productivity. With a maximum print speed of 80 A4 pages per minute with a range of substrate weights from 52 to 350gsm, it can also handle the longer sheet length of 330 x 660mm as standard. It features a maximum print quality of 2400 x 2400dpi which is rendered at 1200 x 1200 x 10-bit giving extremely sharp and vibrant colours.
“The Versant 180 is the ideal machine for our franchisees, many of whom are not printers,” Van Niekerk says. “It offers the best combination of ease-of-use, productivity and after-sales support from BDS. The team from BDS deals with each of our franchisees as an individual customer, giving them personal service and support.”
