Customers now have the ability to integrate high-speed printers with many finishing options and simplified operational management through seamless service on all pre-and post-processing equipment CHICAGO, IL., October 6, 2002 (GRAPH EXPO-booth # 1848) - - - Oce Printing Systems USA, Inc., a leader in digital document production, management and delivery technology, and Bell & Howell, a leading provider of mail and messaging solutions and services, announce a new relationship that will give customers more options for digital print and bindery functionality, as well as the ability to seamlessly manage field service for various post-processing equipment. The cooperative marketing alliance between Oce Printing Systems USA, Inc. and Bell & Howell brings the core competencies of the two companies together to solve customers’ unique high-speed digital output and support requirements. As a result, customers now have a single focal point for support and service of all equipment types on a print line. "Today’s digital printers require individual printing and finishing solutions to meet their own unique output demands. They recognize Oce as a leading provider of printers and software systems, and now through this new alliance, Oce customers have the ability to implement custom-tailored, host-to-post processing equipment configurations," said Carl Joachim, Vice President of Marketing for Oce Printing Systems. "Bell & Howell has positioned itself as the leader in digital finishing, providing truly customized solutions to meet customers needs," said Mark Van Gorp, Vice President of Enterprise Integration Solutions for Bell & Howell. "Our alliance with Oce allows us to better help our customers transition to digital and POD applications, enhancing the spirit of partnership that we share with them." Under the agreement, Oce and Bell & Howell will join forces to address the market's need for complete, high-speed print production, binding and booklet-making solutions all with Oce managed support and service. Customers gain more flexibility in post-processing options and have availability to improve service for all digital equipment with one source of service management. Oce customers will not only have access to custom-tailored, post-processing equipment development, but they will also have access to a world-class service organization that can now provide service for the entire mix of equipment in their individual configuration – including all post-processing equipment in any location. As an extension of the new alliance, Oce will now sell, with Bell & Howell, the newly available DemandWorks™ binding and booklet-making solutions. The saddle stitch and perfect binding solutions to be displayed at Graph Expo, in booth # 1848, offer maximum flexibility as they accept single- or dual-stream input. The DemandWorks systems offer full integrity tracking and cover-matching for enhanced production of commercial or corporate print applications. Adding flexibility, the new perfect binder provides automatic adjustment of cover scoring and trimming. Using a Servo-driven multi-clamp, the system assures finished book quality so a three knife is not required. The system’s, high-speed, intelligent input modules enable the merging of variable, personalized documents, which increases marketing capabilities while lowering operation costs. "Oce has long offered a single point-of-contact for printing and post-processing equipment, however, this agreement takes that capability one step further and gives customers personalized solutions and total hardware service for all their equipment within the operation," said Joe Vetillo, Vice President of Technical Operations. "This new agreement enables Oce to successfully package a complete solution that meets our customers’ requirements for high-speed information management. We are very pleased to include Bell & Howell among our valued partners." "Bell & Howell is very excited about bringing our new DemandWorks technology to the market," said Steve Matheny, Manager of Partnerships and Alliances for Bell & Howell. "Clients can now intelligently merge and verify documents from Oce’s portfolio of printers including color, MICR and black-and-white. Our association with Oce allows customers to enjoy the benefit of digital print at the lowest possible cost – and from a single-source solutions provider."