Fire at Konica Minolta Toner Factory Appears to Have Minimal Impact

It appears that a July 6th fire at one of Konica Minolta’s toner-production facilities in Japan will have minimal impact on the company’s production of toner for its copier/MFPs and other print-related products.

The fire broke out at Tatsuno Factory of Konica Minolta Supplies Manufacturing in Japan on July 6th. The Tatsuno Factory manufactures toner for Konica Minolta MFPs and printers.

The firm reported that there were no injuries, and the cause is said to be related to static electricity. The damaged equipment accounts for 2 percent of the total equipment used in the factory, and no other equipment was affected.

Konica Minolta also noted that it produces toner at its Kofu Factory in Kofu, Japan.

There have been reports of toner and ink printer supplies due to the effects of the pandemic, including factory shutdowns, shipping delays, and increased demand for use with printers at home. There appears also to have been a shortage of ink cartridges for the last several months, which in part may be due to a shortage of ethanol, a key component of printer ink used by home and office printers, as well by production, industrial, and label printers.