About NER Data Products, Inc.
Corporate History
Established in 1971, NER began manufacturing Wide Ribbons for line printers in the data center. In 1978, NER established toner manufacturing for high speed laser printers; primarily supporting IBM and Siemens hardware. In 1980, NER entered into a joint venture and started its Media Storage business by manufacturing tape racks for data center back-up tapes. In 1988, the acquisition of Frye Computer Supplies enabled NER to enter the cartridge ribbon business. At the height of the ribbon business, revenues approached $75 million, positioning NER as the largest impact ribbon manufacturer in the world. NER’s entrance into the toner cartridge business happened in 1993.
Products are sold through a reseller channel supported by a North American sales organization. In addition, NER co-manufacturers for OEMs and is one of the premier private label imaging supplies manufacturers in the industry. NER’s 35 year reputation for quality is one of the highest in the imaging supplies industry.
Over the past ten years NER experienced a significant shift in its business. Impact printing technology is being replaced by non-impact, resulting in significant growth in the toner cartridge business. At the same time, a heavy focus on the data center offering led NER to become one of the premier providers of data center infrastructure solutions. In 2002 NER entered the printer parts manufacturing and distribution business through a wholly owned subsidiary, Image1. Image1 is an HP authorized and Lexmark parts distributor. NER is the only company in the industry that is both a compatible toner manufacturer and a printer parts company.
While there has been significant demand for the Technology Solutions offering and continued growth in its Image1 business, eroding market conditions occurred in the Compatible Cartridge business. Erosion resulted from the OEM strategy to recapture market share through rapid acceleration of new printer engine introductions, OEM use of intellectual property, and an influx of Far Eastern Product.
Commodity product pricing pressure in this business and NER’s commitment to drive value for the channel led NER to once again transition the business. This time the business model changed from a primarily manufacturing oriented company to a solutions provider that adds value and strives for a high level of differentiation.
In 2003 NER began a marketing and sales approach of solution selling. The approach included the launch of R3 – Access, Control, and Monitoring for the IT infrastructure. NER integrated disparate products into packages that eases implementation and provides additional value to the customer. During this same period NER began the development of a Print Management program by investing heavily in IT infrastructure and people. Print Management combines the core competencies found in the Toner Cartridge, Parts, and Technology Solutions business. NER’s resellers are now able to offer an end-to-end solution for managing printer fleets.
Today NER is positioned as a customer and technology centric organization that integrates and implements disparate products for customers to meet their applications.
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