Turbon USA has been a worldwide leader in the manufacture and distribution of imaging supplies for more than 40 years. Over the years Turbon USA and its parent, Turbon AG, have operated under various names, but no matter what name, the same focus on quality and customer satisfaction have been hallmarks of the company.
With Turbon AG’s acquisition of International Laser Group (ILG) late last year, resellers now have access to an even broader range of inventory across the country through five distribution points. For Turbon USA’s larger stocking dealers who do not require a greater level of distribution services, Turbon’s main distribution points in Pennsylvania and Southern California meet those needs. From any ILG distribution point, resellers can count on same day shipping with two-day ground coverage.
History Lesson
A long, rich history and experience in manufacturing imaging supplies is why resellers continue to depend on Turbon USA for high quality remanufactured monochrome and color laser toner cartridges.
Turbon originally began as an injection molding company and was the primary parts supplier to most of the world’s impact printing technology manufacturers. In the early 1990’s it entered the finished goods market in the USA with the acquisition of Curtis Young Corporation, a company originally founded in 1953. The company operated as Curtis Young under the Turbon Group umbrella until the early 2000s when it began operating as Turbon USA.
Although most resellers are familiar with Turbon USA and have done business with them for years, Charlie Antell, Managing Director, North America, acknowledges that some smaller and newer distributors and dealers may still be discovering the value of doing business with Turbon USA for the first time. For those who are familiar, Antell says, “We’re known for our consistent high quality and our competitive prices.”
A Strategic Business Partner
What separates Turbon USA from other suppliers is that they prefer to work with the right partners. “We’re careful in who we sell to,” explains Antell. “We’re not trying to be all things to all customers. We stick to our business model and our core competency, which is high-volume manufacturing and custom production.” In addition to providing custom packaging, Turbon USA offers three brands, dependent on a customer’s needs, including the IBM branded offering.
Who makes a good partner for Turbon USA?
“A company with good controls over their forecasting and pipeline,” responds Antell. “We want to produce high volumes for those customers and provide them with the best possible product. We depend on our strategic customers to provide us with that information, and in return they receive quality products at competitive prices.”
No wonder many of those customers are high-volume and stocking resellers. For those who require a stockless model or higher level of distribution, ILG handles that model.
Dealers and distributors who end up partnering with Turbon USA keep coming back for more because of the great service and their knack for proactively taking the initiative to work closely with their customers. “We work closely with our customers’ planning teams and we spend a lot of time working with our customers in the field helping them grow their business,” says Antell. “That’s an advantage of having fewer, more strategic customers. Turbon and our business partners listen to our customers and we respond to their needs.”
For those dealers and distributors who are a good fit for Turbon USA, Antell believes it’s important they understand the various distribution capabilities available to them because for many years Turbon Group focused on mid to large-size dealers that were also stocking dealers. “Turbon probably wasn’t known as a company that provided the services a small to midsize dealer would need,” states Antell. “That’s not the case anymore, particularly with our partnership with ILG.”
Turbon USA has ramped up its sales support in the field, ensuring that those individuals are accessible to their dealer and reseller partners. “More than half of our sales force’s time in the field is spent working with our reseller’s sales people closing business opportunities,” states Antell. “We support our own brands as well as our customers’ private label brands.”
Another asset of working with Turbon USA is they’re a vertically integrated company. “We don’t depend on outside companies as a source for empties,” emphasizes Antell. “Our R2 certification allows us to be a downstream partner for empty toner cartridge collectors in all channels.”
Cumulatively, those elements add up to a 40+ year history of excellence. And, Antell doesn’t want resellers to lose sight of the fact that the company continues to produce what he describes as the best quality color product in the market.
A Cut Above
With manufacturing facilities on three continents, Turbon is uniquely positioned to meet the demands of its distribution and reseller channel partners around the world. With the acquisition of ILG, Turbon now has manufacturing in Tijuana, Mexico.
In order to maintain its industry leadership position, Turbon is committed to the following operating principles:
- Quality Manufacturing
- Engineering Innovation
- Environmental Stewardship
- Financial Stability
- Exceed Customer Expectations
All manufacturing and distribution facilities have coordinated product development, enabling them to produce consistent, top-quality products. With production facilities on three continents, the company can take advantage of both low cost and close to market remanufacturing to ensure a constant flow of product.
Environmental Responsibility
Over the years, Turbon USA has been recognized for its commitment to manufacturing environmentally responsible products. The company purchases a wide variety of empty toner cartridges in order to re-manufacture them and create the highest-quality aftermarket imaging supplies available. Even those cores that cannot be completely re-manufactured may have reusable components or broken down and recycled in an environmentally friendly manner. That’s another reason for Turbon’s long history of excellence.
The company is also one of the few R2 certified companies in the industry. “We are zero waste, zero landfill,” says Antell. “Equally importantly, our toner cartridge offering is only comprised of remanufactured products.”
In an effort to ensure a steady supply of product to create its compatibles, Turbon USA has made it easy for distribution and reseller partners to sell their empty cartridges back to them. “We have solutions and tools for our resellers and our reseller end users to return product directly to us,” notes Antell. We provide all the reporting to our resellers so they know who is participating in the program.”
Plus they also offer free shipping. Customers can make arrangements for this online, print out prepaid UPS shipping labels and send those empty cartridges back to Turbon. Or clients can request a truck to pick up their cartridges. Clients receive payment for all qualifying cartridges approximately 30 days from the date received. To learn more about the recycling program, e-mail Turbon USA at recycle@turbongroup.com or call (800) 282-6650 x110.
Trend Setting
Supplying an industry that’s often affected by the latest market and technology trends can be a challenge and an opportunity. One of those trends that is both a challenge and an opportunity is consolidation. “There are fewer choices today, which is a good thing for us,” states Antell. “In the U.S. marketplace there are only a few companies remaining who are true remanufacturers. That has been an opportunity for us because the independent dealer wants choices and we’re finding consolidation elsewhere is driving opportunities our way.”
The emergence and maturation of MPS presents another challenge and opportunity. “Just like our overall market strategy we’re particular in who we work with on MPS because there’s obviously an involvement on many levels, particularly with partners,” notes Antell. “If the reseller has the right partners involved we will provide support. What I mean by that is, if they have the local service, the IT capabilities, and a commitment to the business, we will engage and support.”
A Good Time for Turbon USA
This is a great time for Turbon USA as a supplier to the office imaging reseller and Antell sees a bright future ahead. “It’s an exciting time because as a result of the consolidation in the marketplace we certainly see more opportunities.”
Those opportunities also extend to Turbon’s dealer and reseller partners across the U.S. who know that they will continue to have a reliable source of high quality remanufactured supplies. u
Contact Information
Turbon USA
4350 Haddonfield Rd., Suite 300
Pennsauken, NJ 08109
Phone: (800) 282-6650
www.turbongroup.com
