Ramsey, N.J. - Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), a leading provider of advanced imaging and networking technologies for the desktop to the print shop, today announced that Buyers Laboratory Inc. (BLI) has awarded Konica Minolta 2010 Summer "Pick" Awards for the bizhub C652/C652DS, bizhub C552/C552DS, and bizhub C452 Series of Color MFPs in their respective categories of the A3/Ledger Color MFP segment.   Additionally, the bizhub C452 has been recognized with a 2010 "Outstanding Achievement" award for Energy Efficiency.

BLI's semi-annual awards present special recognition in each category to those products that provided the most outstanding performances in BLI's exhaustive lab tests.  BLI recognized Konica Minolta with the following awards:
- bizhub C652 / C652DS Series - "Pick" award winner for "Outstanding 61- to 70-ppm A3/Ledger Color MFP"
- bizhub C552 / C552DS Series- "Pick" award winner for "Outstanding 51- to 60-ppm A3/Ledger Color MFP"
- bizhub C452 - "Pick" award winner for "Outstanding 41- to 50-ppm A3/Ledger Color MFP"
- bizhub C452 - "Outstanding Achievement" award for Energy Efficiency in the A3/Ledger Color MFP Category

When coupled with the Fall 2009 "Pick" awards, these awards give Konica Minolta's entire line of current Color MFPs (bizhub C652/C552/C452 Series and bizhub C360 / C280 / C220 Series) "Pick" award recognition from BLI.

MFP and Environmental Testing
BLI's twice-a-year "Picks" assess reliability in terms of the service and preventive maintenance calls required.  Its comprehensive evaluation includes an assessment of copy and print quality, productivity, ease of use and economy, as well as connectivity issues such as feedback to workstations, administration utilities, print drivers, multitasking and scanning solutions.

As part of the environmental testing, BLI measures the energy consumed by document imaging products in all operating modes as well as in energy-save, idle and sleep modes.  In addition to reporting on a range of other environmental related features such as runability with various grades of paper, the reports include a projected energy consumption and cost based on real-world usage for each product segment.

"The bizhub C652/C652DS, bizhub C552/C552DS, and bizhub C452 Series have all demonstrated the tried and true capabilities we have come to expect from Konica Minolta's color MFPs, including exceptional reliability and very strong productivity and image quality," said George Mikolay, Senior Product Editor, A3/Copier MFPs, BLI.  "These MFPs have helped Konica Minolta clearly distinguish the company from the pack in its speed range and make a case for these systems as some of the best in business color for Summer 2010."

"Receiving 'Pick' awards and an award for outstanding energy efficiency from BLI further supports the proven performance, exceptional capabilities and environmental awareness of the bizhub Color MFP Series," said Kevin Kern, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.  "We continually strive to ensure that customers can count on Konica Minolta for their entire scope of digital imaging needs, and these awards further demonstrate the commitment to innovation that is necessary to deliver such market-leading products and solutions."