The remanufacturer was interviewed by Channel Info about its new British-centric branding.
The remanufacturer’s new branding
In issue 180 of the UK channel magazine, the remanufacturer’s rebranding was discussed, with the “iconic new branding […] celebrating Britishness”. In a question-and-answer format, the advertorial asked Jet Tec about its motivation for the re-branding, with it stating that “this autumn sees the 20th anniversary of the Jet Tec brand”, and “presented the perfect opportunity to refresh and redesign”.
Toner packaging was redesigned “to celebrate our Britishness”, and “at the heart of the new branding is the traditional iconic red Routemaster bus, used to symbolise and promote the company’s British heritage, something that we are extremely proud of”. It added that “our intention is to promote our heritage and create a strong brand for our resellers that becomes easily identifiable amongst end users”.
It noted that “we are still in the initial stage”, but feedback “has been extremely positive”, with the decision to rebrand “made before the Brexit vote was announced”, but “coincidently […] it is an ideal time for people to support and buy from a British manufacturer”, with the branding “help[ing] easily identify the product origin, creating great brand association and awareness”.
On why it is “so important” to buy British, Jet Tec stated that “we have a visible and short supply chain” for “a reduced carbon footprint and factory-fresh stock”, with British manufacturing “revered” globally”, and economically Jet Tec provides “local employment […] fed back into the UK economy”.
With the “current climate […] resellers and consumers can understand the benefit of buying a British-made product”, while on margins, “the ‘win on price, lose on price’ mentality isn’t the best route for our resellers to go down because the products are not to be treated as transactional – they are a technical product”. Jet Tec is “not naïve to the price pressure in the channel” though, with exchange rates meaning UK products can “compete with the cheap consumables imported from the Far East and Eastern Europe”.
Jet Tec “actively” works to “focus on the margin-rich opportunity in targeting and converting OEM sales”, as “broadly speaking, the market is still 85 percent OEM in the UK, and this provides the best opportunity for our resellers to grow remanufactured sales”. On why dealers should sell remanufactured, “with the cost of OEM products on the rise as a result of currency fluctuations, there has never been a better time”.
Its remanufactured cartridges “offer an environmentally-friendly option with significant savings and margin potential”, and “coupled with stable pricing and packaging that promotes our British heritage and quality” makes them a “compelling proposition”. Its UK location in turn means that “we can offer the support to both our resellers and end users in promoting the quality and reliability of the product”.
On educating end users and dealers, this “is an ongoing process”, as OEMs “use fear tactics, leading the end user to believe that using an alternative product will invalidate the printer’s warranty. We work openly with our resellers to support and offer full product training to ensure that they are fully informed and given the confidence to offer the Jet Tec product as an alternative to their customers”.