![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/KM-Exec-Exchange.jpg\")
Like a catcher, Errigo\u2014the president and CEO of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta)\u2014leverages that bird\u2019s-eye perspective to interpret what\u2019s going on and determine the needed adjustments. He\u2019s had to use his share of \u201cmound visits\u201d in the past year, particularly in dealing with tariffs. As Konica Minolta kicks off fiscal year 2026 this month, tariffs are joined by DRAM chip shortages caused by the capacity needs of AI as another pothole in the business road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, the OEM and top exec have taken their share of punches since COVID and are battle-tested. Fortunately, there\u2019s ample reason to be bullish heading into the new fiscal year. Errigo and Laura Blackmer, president of dealer sales, shared how REV\u2019D UP 2.0 is already yielding solid results with sales acceleration and back-office efficiency for reseller partners. Turning the High Velocity Summit from a mass partner affair to a series of dealer gatherings has provided more granular and meaningful interactions. When you add in the surging IIM BlueIrisIQ and a burgeoning industrial print portfolio that continues to make Konica Minolta a more formidable player in the discipline, there\u2019s ample cause for the Ramsey, New Jersey-based firm to take on the aforementioned headwinds with confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How did Konica Minolta perform during the first half of the current fiscal year? How did expectations compare with results?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n ERRIGO: <\/span><\/strong>From a company-wide standpoint, we actually came in a little better than expectations, which was encouraging. A lot of the work we\u2019ve done around financial stability and tightening up SG&A has really taken hold. We just wrapped up our Q3 results, which are now public, and overall, we\u2019re right on track. Revenue was a little lighter than we had forecast, but margins held up well, even with the economic pressure from tariffs\u2014most of that driven by forex. The benefit we picked up there helped stabilize the U.S. business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the dealer side, the channel is right on plan and had a very strong first half. Even with the tariff headwinds, we\u2019re gaining market share. The programs we\u2019ve put in place have really helped strengthen the dealer channel and keep us aligned. Laura came in at 99.97% of her forecast. I joked to her she couldn\u2019t find that extra number [to reach 100%], but honestly, I\u2019m very pleased with how the dealer channel is performing and how strategically we\u2019re engaging to grow our footprint in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What stands out as some of the watershed moments for the company over the past 12 months? What resonated the most with you?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n ERRIGO<\/span><\/strong><\/strong>: <\/strong><\/span>For us, the year started April 1, and I said this was the shortest-lived budget I\u2019ve had in 15 years. It lasted exactly one day. On April 2, the tariffs were announced, and that created chaos across the business. The impact on our U.S. operations was significant. Managing tariffs, working through price increases\u2014none of that is fun, but it was necessary for us to survive. That\u2019s really been the struggle of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BLACKMER:<\/span><\/strong> The thing that struck me was how unpredictable it all was. I remember walking into this year thinking, \u201cOkay, finally\u2014post-COVID, post-supply chain. We\u2019re going to have a normal year.\u201d And then two days in, tariffs hit. For me, the watershed moment was the reaction from the dealers. We hadn\u2019t raised prices in years, and yet their response was basically, \u201cWe get it. We\u2019re on it. We\u2019re still going after net-new business.\u201d Their resiliency brought me back to a place of optimism. I\u2019ve said this a few times\u2014my glass is very full with the dealers right now. They\u2019re focused, they\u2019re growing and they\u2019re aligned with us. It wasn\u2019t what I predicted, but I\u2019m very happy I was wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What were you looking to accomplish strategy-wise with January\u2019s High Velocity Summit, and what\u2019s been the feedback you\u2019ve received?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n ERRIGO:<\/strong> <\/span>One of the big changes we made as a team was moving away from the large, grand events we used to host. They were well attended, but when you bring in 1,000 people, it\u2019s hard to have meaningful conversations in two days. So we shifted to smaller, regional summits and top-25 meetings. The feedback has been incredible. These settings give me time\u2014real time\u2014to sit with dealers over breakfast, lunch, dinner, in groups of five or eight, and talk about their businesses, their markets and what they\u2019re facing. As long as I\u2019m CEO, we\u2019re not going back to the big 1,000-person events. These smaller summits are far more beneficial for us and for the dealer community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BLACKMER:<\/span><\/strong> When I came into the industry 13 years ago, everything was product-driven. Big shows were about revealing the next machine or feature set. What we\u2019ve done with these summits is shift the conversation to the business itself\u2014how dealers grow, how they drive net-new, how they improve profitability. We spend a lot of time on sales acceleration and prospecting, and incorporating AI into those efforts. And we spend just as much time on back-office operations, especially service. We\u2019ve invested a huge amount of intellectual property and resources into helping dealers optimize their service engines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s interesting is that the conversations now are so much deeper. It\u2019s not \u201cLook at this new feature.\u201d It\u2019s \u201cHow do we help you run your business better?\u201d Dealers expect these summits to be hands-on\u2014pen and paper, real discussions. And we\u2019re also bringing in the best third-party experts\u2014Kate Kingston, BlitzMasters, West McDonald on AI, and Nexera on service. We\u2019re saying, \u201cWe\u2019ll vet the best and bring them to you.\u201d Dealers have really embraced that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How has REV\u2019D UP 2.0 been received by dealers? What product\/service areas do you feel will benefit the most from this update?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n BLACKMER: <\/span><\/strong>When we first launched REV\u2019D UP, the idea was to recognize that not every dealer is the same. Each has its own go-to-market strategy and areas of specialization. Over time, the program grew more complex because there were so many things we wanted to do with it. With REV\u2019D UP 2.0, we took a step back and simplified it. We focused on two critical areas: sales acceleration\u2014because dealers need to grow, especially net-new\u2014and back-office efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n REV\u2019D UP 2.0 brings together our own tools and the best third-party resources to help dealers in those two areas. The work we\u2019re doing with vCare on the service side is unique in the industry, and dealers are embracing it. Adoption has risen dramatically. I\u2019ve had more conversations about net-new business this year than ever before. The program is clean, simple and really aligned with what dealers need right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s been nearly a year since the launch of Konica Minolta\u2019s IIM division BlueIrisIQ. How has it performed thus far, and what are your expectations moving forward?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n ERRIGO:<\/span><\/strong> We\u2019re very pleased with what the BlueIrisIQ team has accomplished. One of our core beliefs is that our go-to-market strategy has to be clear, and our product portfolio has to meet both current and future needs. So we pared down the offering to ensure focus and expertise. Today, we support Square 9, Hyland, Tungsten and Salesforce. We\u2019re working closely with Salesforce on several large government projects\u2014multi-million-dollar engagements for which they need our expertise to migrate data and document content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We also stood up a new 100,000-square-foot facility for scanning and professional services. We secured two major customers\u2014the IRS and the Department of Family Services. These are six- to seven-year projects. The warehouse isn\u2019t full yet, but we already have around 60,000 pallets in the facility, and we\u2019re adding services on top of that content. The BlueIrisIQ team has done a great job building brand recognition and delivering for the future. We\u2019re expecting double-digit growth heading into FY26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BLACKMER:<\/span><\/strong> Making BlueIrisIQ its own business was a big step. Dealers now see it as a distinct offering, and that\u2019s helped with traction. I would have liked a little more dealer-driven business, but the engagements we did have were strong. Sometimes going too fast creates challenges, so I\u2019m actually comfortable with the pace. I think this coming year will be pivotal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier this year, KM announced Kent Wolford\u2019s addition to help bolster digital print and embellishment finishing solutions for packaging and labels. What are your goals for this product area and IP in general?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n ERRIGO:<\/strong><\/span> Industrial print is a hyper-growth area for us. We have an aggressive plan for next year. This year started slow because tariffs hit that segment hard in Q1. I won\u2019t say everything stopped, but it came close. Q2 improved, Q3 was strong and December was solid. We\u2019re expecting a good Q4 and a strong start to FY26. Both the AccurioJet 30000 and our embellishment and label segments are targeted for double-digit growth. The AccurioJet 30000 is the benchmark in the industry, and we\u2019re taking share with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BLACKMER:<\/span><\/strong> From the dealer side, we have the largest pipeline we\u2019ve ever had. We\u2019ve been very selective about which dealers we work with\u2014they need a certain level of expertise. Frank [Mallozzi, IPP president] has brought openness and rigor to those engagements, and the momentum is real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even with the Supreme Court ruling that struck down the manner of its application, tariffs are still a fluid situation. What\u2019s been your strategy for planning and consulting with dealer partners?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n ERRIGO:<\/span><\/strong> We took a very deliberate approach. Some manufacturers came out early with 5% or 7% increases without much data. We paused in Q1 to assess the situation and gave dealers time to plan. You can\u2019t just raise prices overnight\u2014dealers have quotes out, and they need time to adjust. We gave 60 days\u2019 notice and didn\u2019t implement our first increase until June. We held regular calls, walked them through each decision gate and provided updates based on what the administration was signaling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We did two staggered increases\u2014June and September. Even with the ruling, the increases we passed along are still below the tariff costs we\u2019re absorbing. We\u2019re trying to be a good partner. Everyone needs to make money, but we wanted to give dealers time and clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BLACKMER:<\/span><\/strong> The ruling was more symbolic than impactful. We\u2019re still navigating what the final numbers will be. Our focus has been helping dealers communicate with their customers. Many had never dealt with something like this. We shared our own contract language, our communications and spent a lot of time on calls and in meetings helping them bring it to market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What other headwinds are you facing?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n ERRIGO:<\/span><\/strong> There\u2019s a DRAM chip shortage coming that\u2019s going to be severe. Prices are going up 5\u20136X for chips. If you didn\u2019t place orders six to eight months ago, you\u2019re going to run out. Manufacturing capacity is full, and experts say this won\u2019t be resolved until 2027. AI engines require massive processing power, and they\u2019re consuming a huge portion of global supply. A few companies have bought up half the world\u2019s capacity. This will touch every industry. It\u2019s as significant as tariffs, and we\u2019re preparing for some disruption in the first half and an even more difficult second half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of AI adoption, are you incorporating it into any of your new products or using it internally? Where do you see it potentially making the greatest impact going forward?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n ERRIGO:<\/span><\/strong> Externally, we\u2019re working on leveraging the power inside the machines and eventually at the component level\u2014building systems that are predictive and self-healing. It\u2019s using AI to troubleshoot instead of using human resources. We\u2019ll preview some of this in April at our next top-25 meeting, and I\u2019m hoping to announce strategic partnerships that will change the service landscape. That\u2019s where the money is long-term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Internally, we\u2019re using AI across multiple areas. Our finance team just won four awards from HighRadius for our AI-driven processes. These are major companies we\u2019re competing with\u2014Chevron, Red Bull\u2014so it\u2019s a big deal. We\u2019ve standardized on Salesforce and Microsoft to keep everything consistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BLACKMER:<\/span><\/strong> It\u2019s not about replacing employees. It\u2019s about upskilling them so they can work symbiotically with agentic AI. If people don\u2019t keep their skills up, they\u2019ll struggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ERRIGO:<\/span><\/strong> Exactly. We\u2019re moving away from \u201cdata pushers.\u201d AI can run reports. We need people who can interpret the data and tell us what it means. Headcount will shrink, with moderate payroll changes as we\u2019ll be paying for higher skill sets. We\u2019ll be more nimble with better tools and better insight. We have to do this to stay competitive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What will a successful 2026 look like in your estimation? What are some of your goals?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n ERRIGO:<\/span><\/strong> Year-over-year growth is the big metric. Our infrastructure and SG&A are in good shape. Now it\u2019s about market share. I\u2019ve set the objective for Konica Minolta to be number one in market share and number one in service\u2014dealer and direct combined. We\u2019ve moved from fourth to third in the office equipment space, and we\u2019re number one in production print in our key categories. We\u2019re expanding our direct sales organization and aligning closely with our largest dealers\u2014and with dealers where we\u2019re number three or four [line]\u2014to move up in market share. We\u2019re ending this year with positive growth in both office and production units, which is against the industry trend. We need to keep that momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BLACKMER:<\/span><\/strong> For the dealer side, success isn\u2019t just our numbers. It\u2019s whether we helped dealers hit their goals\u2014net-new, service efficiency, profitability. If we can say we hit our numbers and enabled theirs, that\u2019s a win. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The walls in Sam Errigo\u2019s office are adorned with large, framed displays that include the jerseys of Yogi Berra, Carlton Fisk, Johnny Bench and Thurman Munson. It\u2019s only appropriate; these catchers (except Berra) were the toast of Major League Baseball in the 1970s. So what makes these images in Errigo\u2019s office different from the sports-themed d\u00e9cor on the walls and shelves of any top executive in major corporations across the country? The catcher is considered the field general in baseball, and the position provides those brave souls a complete, panoramic view of the entire field and teammates. Like a catcher, Errigo\u2014the president and CEO of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta)\u2014leverages that bird\u2019s-eye perspective to interpret what\u2019s going on and determine the needed adjustments. He\u2019s had to use his share of \u201cmound visits\u201d in the past year, particularly in dealing with tariffs. As Konica Minolta kicks off fiscal year 2026 this month, tariffs are joined by DRAM chip shortages caused by the capacity needs of AI as another pothole in the business road. Still, the OEM and top exec have taken their share of punches since COVID and are battle-tested. Fortunately, there\u2019s ample reason to be bullish heading into the new fiscal year. Errigo and Laura Blackmer, president of dealer sales, shared how REV\u2019D UP 2.0 is already yielding solid results with sales acceleration and back-office efficiency for reseller partners. Turning the High Velocity Summit from a mass partner affair to a series of dealer gatherings has provided more granular and meaningful interactions. When you add in the surging IIM BlueIrisIQ and a burgeoning industrial print portfolio that continues to make Konica Minolta a more formidable player in the discipline, there\u2019s ample cause for the Ramsey, New Jersey-based firm to take on the aforementioned headwinds with confidence. How did Konica Minolta perform during the first half of the current fiscal year? How did expectations compare with results? ERRIGO: From a company-wide standpoint, we actually came in a little better than expectations, which was encouraging. A lot of the work we\u2019ve done around financial stability and tightening up SG&A has really taken hold. We just wrapped up our Q3 results, which are now public, and overall, we\u2019re right on track. Revenue was a little lighter than we had forecast, but margins held up well, even with the economic pressure from tariffs\u2014most of that driven by forex. The benefit we picked up there helped stabilize the U.S. business. On the dealer side, the channel is right on plan and had a very strong first half. Even with the tariff headwinds, we\u2019re gaining market share. The programs we\u2019ve put in place have really helped strengthen the dealer channel and keep us aligned. Laura came in at 99.97% of her forecast. I joked to her she couldn\u2019t find that extra number [to reach 100%], but honestly, I\u2019m very pleased with how the dealer channel is performing and how strategically we\u2019re engaging to grow our footprint in the U.S. What stands out as some of the watershed moments for the company over the past 12 months? What resonated the most with you? ERRIGO: For us, the year started April 1, and I said this was the shortest-lived budget I\u2019ve had in 15 years. It lasted exactly one day. On April 2, the tariffs were announced, and that created chaos across the business. The impact on our U.S. operations was significant. Managing tariffs, working through price increases\u2014none of that is fun, but it was necessary for us to survive. That\u2019s really been the struggle of the year. BLACKMER: The thing that struck me was how unpredictable it all was. I remember walking into this year thinking, \u201cOkay, finally\u2014post-COVID, post-supply chain. We\u2019re going to have a normal year.\u201d And then two days in, tariffs hit. For me, the watershed moment was the reaction from the dealers. We hadn\u2019t raised prices in years, and yet their response was basically, \u201cWe get it. We\u2019re on it. We\u2019re still going after net-new business.\u201d Their resiliency brought me back to a place of optimism. I\u2019ve said this a few times\u2014my glass is very full with the dealers right now. They\u2019re focused, they\u2019re growing and they\u2019re aligned with us. It wasn\u2019t what I predicted, but I\u2019m very happy I was wrong. What were you looking to accomplish strategy-wise with January\u2019s High Velocity Summit, and what\u2019s been the feedback you\u2019ve received? ERRIGO: One of the big changes we made as a team was moving away from the large, grand events we used to host. They were well attended, but when you bring in 1,000 people, it\u2019s hard to have meaningful conversations in two days. So we shifted to smaller, regional summits and top-25 meetings. The feedback has been incredible. These settings give me time\u2014real time\u2014to sit with dealers over breakfast, lunch, dinner, in groups of five or eight, and talk about their businesses, their markets and what they\u2019re facing. As long as I\u2019m CEO, we\u2019re not going back to the big 1,000-person events. These smaller summits are far more beneficial for us and for the dealer community. BLACKMER: When I came into the industry 13 years ago, everything was product-driven. Big shows were about revealing the next machine or feature set. What we\u2019ve done with these summits is shift the conversation to the business itself\u2014how dealers grow, how they drive net-new, how they improve profitability. We spend a lot of time on sales acceleration and prospecting, and incorporating AI into those efforts. And we spend just as much time on back-office operations, especially service. We\u2019ve invested a huge amount of intellectual property and resources into helping dealers optimize their service engines. What\u2019s interesting is that the conversations now are so much deeper. It\u2019s not \u201cLook at this new feature.\u201d It\u2019s \u201cHow do we help you run your business better?\u201d Dealers expect these summits to be hands-on\u2014pen and paper, real discussions. And we\u2019re also bringing in the best third-party experts\u2014Kate Kingston, BlitzMasters, West McDonald on AI, and Nexera on service. We\u2019re saying, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2938],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68899"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68899"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68925,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68899\/revisions\/68925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SAM-ERRIGO-KM_President_CEO.jpg\")
Konica Minolta<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Blackmer_Laura-KonicaMinolta.jpg\")
Konica Minolta<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n