Grenk

LaserCycle, IncJoshua TraskAccount Manager

913-307-2164

[email protected]

Sean BurnsOperations Manager

913-307-2134

[email protected]

Overview of the Bid

Background and History:

LaserCycle’s origins can be traced back to 1992

Allied Signal’s Aerospace Division, (Bendix ) Kansas City, Mo

Company was started by Rick Krska

Today LaserCycle has grown to two companies….

The Power of Two Companies

Manufacturer Distributor

Financial Stability:• Business Appreciation

Award, Recipient, Lenexa Economic Development Council, 2003.

• Kansas/Western Missouri Technology FAST 50 Recipient, Deloitte and Touche, 2003.

• Kansas/Western Missouri Technology FAST 50 Recipient, Deloitte and Touche, 1998

• Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year, Winner and Finalist, 2000, 1999, 1998

• Blue Chip Enterprise Initiative Regional Award Winner.

Ingram’s Magazine, Corporate Report 100, Recipient.

• Super Gazelle, National Fast Trac Growth Award, Recipient, 1987.

• Fast Track New Company (EDM), Runner-Up, Recharger Magazine, 2002.

Kansas City Chamber of Commerce 2004 Small Business of the Year Winner.

Experience and Support:

The Executive Team: Over 130 year’s of print cartridge experience.

Chief Technology Officer, Tom Ashley: Guiding member of the development team for the first commercial inkjet printer.

Chief Executive Servant, Rick Krska: Background includes precision manufacturing in the nuclear weapons guidance group at

Allied Signal.

In 2004, the Company was named,“Private Label Partner of the Year”

by the Worlds largest office products superstore.

Experience and Support: InkCycle Advantages

Highest product quality available

Tested against OEM standards at the Rochester Institute of Technology

Automated state-of-the-art manufacturing and recycling systems Greatest in-house current production capability (zero outsourcing)

Experienced workforce

13 Product Audits since 2003 averaging 99.5%.

Experience and Support: LaserCycle Advantages

Customers ranging in size from a Fortune 100 company with more than 1100 US locations, to regional companies and small business

Dedicated Account Manager with over 10 years of Customer Service Experience

Operations Manager with 15+ years industry experience

Customer Service Supervisor with 10+ years Industry experience

Within the Kansas City Metro area, product is delivered the next day

Empties are picked up simultaneously.

Insurance:

Copy Provided w/Bid

References: To Name a Few…

• North Kansas City School District• Lockton Companies• Stinson Morrison & Hecker• Commerce Bank • St. Joseph Health Center • Polsinelli, Shalton, Flanigan, Suelthaus• Spencer Fane Britt & Browne

Customer Service:

100% 1 year warranty

Convenient Online Ordering

Electronic Connectivity

Dedicated Account Manager

Experienced Customer Care Reps

Staff of Factory Authorized Technicians

Customer order is received via Fax, E-Mail, Web Order or Telephone Call.

The Order is then input into the system by a Customer Care Rep.

The line items are “Reserved” for that Customer and then the order is “Released”.

Once the order is “Released”, the Product Fulfillment team prints the order, pulls the product from the Warehouse and prepares it for Delivery.

If the order is being shipped out of the KC area the product is packaged and sent via UPS or Fed Ex.

If the Customer is local, the product is scheduled for delivery the next business day and delivered by a LaserCycle Field Rep. 

Once the order has been delivered, it is invoiced and a copy of the Invoice is sent to the Customer.

 Order Fulfillment

Products and Production Aspects: Materials used in the remanufacturing process

Products and Production Aspects: Materials used in the remanufacturing process

  The plastic housing is

sent to Systech, a

Division of Lafarge Lafarge CementCement, in Sugar Creek, MO, where it is ground down and used as a fossil fuel replacement in the production of cement.

Provide details of the location(s) of manufacturing and distribution facilities:

11100 W. 82nd Street, Lenexa KS

8208 Nieman Road, Lenexa KS

Detail the manufacturing process: Remanufactured Toner Cartridges a.      All incoming raw materials are received into the Quality Assurance lab prior to moving to the manufacturing floor.

b.      Raw materials are analyzed to ensure that they meet all specification criteria.

c.      Nonconforming raw materials are returned to the supply partner.

d.      Empty cartridges are inspected and graded during this step.

e.      Cartridges are disassembled and critical wear components are removed for replacement.

f.       All drums and worn materials are separated and recycled.

g.      Components that can be reused are verified for performance-related specifications and tolerances.

h.      Cartridge cores are cleaned to remove materials remaining due to prior use.

i.       All components being re-used are properly cleaned and inspected for peak performance.

j.       Each cartridge is precision filled in accordance with the specified gram load and specific toner to ensure that all print performance standards are met.

k.      Whether the cartridge was designed for pulverized or chemically produced toner, you can be sure that only the appropriate type of toner will be used in your cartridge.

l.       Cartridges are reassembled by certified technicians in accordance with documented operating procedures.

m.     Only senior technicians are involved in the critical re-assembly process.

n.      Technicians must be qualified on each specific model of cartridge they reassemble and annual recertification is required.

o.      Every cartridge is post-tested against our high quality standards as a final step to ensure your complete satisfaction.

p.      Print samples are analyzed for 15 points of print characteristics prior to being accepted for final packaging.

q.      The exterior of each cartridge receives a final cleaning to remove any residual toner dust.

r.       At this point a manufacturing code is placed on each cartridge for tracking should the cartridge need to be returned for any reason.

s.       Every cartridge is thoroughly inspected to verify cartridge integrity.

t.       Cartridges are placed in black, light-proof bags prior to being placed in the box. This ensures that no damaging light or moisture comes in contact with the cartridge.

Detail the manufacturing process: Remanufactured Inkjet Cartridges • a. All incoming raw materials are received into the Quality Assurance lab prior to moving to the manufacturing floor.

• b. Raw materials are analyzed to ensure that they meet all specification criteria.

• c. Nonconforming raw materials are returned to the supply partner.

• d. Empty cartridges are inspected and graded during this step prior to entering the Disassembly and Production Preparation stage.

• e. When possible, cartridges are disassembled to allow for the removal of remaining ink, foams, screens, and other original components.

• f. While many cartridges can be disassembled (most Lexmark, many HP and Dells; some cartridges, such as the HP 45/15 and 23/78 series cannot.

• g. When disassembly is not possible, cartridges are thoroughly cleaned to remove unused original ink.

• h. The use of high-speed precision mills handles much of the disassembly process.

• i. Whether disassembled or not, all cartridges are thoroughly cleaned using patented cleaning processes.

• j. Aggressive, yet safe, cleaning processes are needed to remove the residual ink that may have solidified inside of the print head which would prevent the cartridge from printing perfectly. While some remanufacturers may feel it is acceptable to overlook a few clogged nozzles, we settle for nothing less than optimal performance.

• k. Only through the use of safe and aggressive cleaning processes can inkjet cartridges be certain to print after extended storage times.

• l. Each cartridge is precision filled in accordance with the specified gram load and specific ink sets to ensure that all print performance standards are met. Many ink sets are proprietary formulations.

• m. Working with the world leaders in ink jet ink formulation at the atomic particle level, every ink set we select is specifically designed for the cartridge it will be used in.

• n. While other remanufacturing companies substitute dye-based formulations when the printer is designed to use pigmented ink, we always follow the OEM standards.

• o. Many of the inkjet cartridge models that we remanufacture require new components to complete the refurbishing process.

• p. Plastic and other proprietary replacement components are designed by our Engineering team and produced under joint venture partnerships due to their unique design and critical functionality requirements.

• q. Certified technicians reassemble the cartridges in accordance with documented operating procedures.

• r.  While testing and quality assurance audits take place at every phase of the remanufacturing process, our customers enjoy the satisfaction in knowing that each and every integrated print-head cartridge is post-tested as a final step to ensure their satisfaction.

• s. While many companies use simple and inexpensive testing equipment, we take final testing to be far more important than only small scale random audits using abbreviated testing protocol. Our practices require the use of real-world testing of every cartridge in a an actual desktop printer.

• t.  The exterior of each cartridge receives a final cleaning to remove any residual ink or particulates.

• u. At this point cartridges are re-clipped in specially designed cartridge clips to prevent leaking and cross contamination.

• v. Each cartridge clip and pad combination completely seals the print head against air and atmospheric contamination to ensure the cartridge prints without ink-wasting excessive priming and cleaning and prints deep blacks and rich, true colors.

Discuss how yields are determined and guaranteed: Toner

All InkCycle remanufactured toner cartridges are tested for

yield characteristics in accordance with ASTM standards under STMC

certification.

Inkjet All InkCycle remanufactured inkjet

cartridges are tested for yield and other characteristics in

accordance with either ASTM

or ISO24711 standards.

Describe the process to produce toner:

• InkCycle does not produce bulk toner. It sources the toner from the premier toner bulk suppliers.

Question 1.On new printer models where only OEM cartridges are available, at this point in

time, how long will the delay be before remanufactured cartridges are available?  Also how long will the delay be for cartridges of brand new printer

models before remanufactured cartridges are available?

• In general, there is a lag time of a minimum of six months from the introduction of a new printer model to the time for remanufactured cartridges to be available. This can range to a year in some cases where the appropriate aftermarket components are being developed. Some remanufacturing companies will release earlier using a compromise of components by using components that were designed for other models and are not specifically engineered for the newer models - resulting in poor quality. 

Question 2.

On entries where “No Bid” was entered, were these items not available from your organization or were they only offered as OEM models?  If these items are not available, what steps would your organization take to provide those items to

the College?

• On the few items that were offered as OEM only, there either isn’t a reman yet or we are not confident in the quality of the reman.

Question 3.        How does your operation divert waste from landfills? 

Paper/Cardboard:Midwest Shredding

Metals:Mallin Brothers

Office Furniture:Team Office

End of Life Cartridge Bodies:LaFarge/SysTech

Ink:Heritage-Crystal Clean, LLC

FSC Box Packaging:Fleetwood Fibre & Packaging

Oxi-degradable Packaging:Manchester Packaging

Undamaged/recoverable cartridges:

Other remanufacturing companies and brokers

Question 3. Cont…How do you track this?

• InkCycle operates the Carbonneutronics e-waste reduction software as a proprietary service for Grenk™ clients. This measurement tool provides customers with monthly, quarterly, and annual measurements of the reduction in e-waste that the purchase of Grenk™ products delivers.

• We know the empty weight of each cartridge under the Grenk™ umbrella.

• We ask clients to sign an agreement stating they will do everything possible to return the Grenk product to us.

Question 4.       What is your organization’s commitment to sustainability more generally?

InkCycle is the industry leader in environmental sustainability initiatives. With a dedication and commitment to green initiatives, InkCycle was the first remanufacturing company to install a waste water treatment facility on the plant premises. To date, no other remanufacturing company has accomplished this. Additionally, InkCycle actively participated with the Greater KC Chamber's Climate Protection Partnership, continues to migrate vehicles to hybrids, provides "green parking spaces", continues to seek out more environmentally conscious solutions for the facilities as well as find alternate materials whenever practical. Examples of environmental materials include the use of oxy-degradable film as a replacement for polyurethane packaging foam, repurposing of the test print paper for internal correspondence printing prior to recycling.

InkCycle Environmental Recycling Policy• InkCycle’s Recycling Policy is guided by the goal of reusing and reconditioning as much used

material as possible prior to the eventual end of life recycling process. Every aspect of the Recycling Policy is balanced against the Company’s Quality Statement which states that “First and foremost, InkCycle shall produce and provide only those products of the highest print performance quality; thereby ensuring that each end user of each and every print cartridge will enjoy true value and create the maximum long-term revenue stream for the Company and their customers”.

• InkCycle provides complete, end-to-end life cycle management of the products. InkCycle owns the reverse distribution mechanism to collect empty cartridges for recycling. Remanufacturable cartridges are returned to like new condition while non-remanufacturable units and components are recycled based on the following:

• InkCycle will continue to serve as the industry leader in environmental sustainability practices. The Company’s environmental sustainability practices go far beyond the recycle and remanufacture of products; the entire business model is continually analyzed to identify and capitalize on opportunities to reduce the overall environmental impact. From the first waste water treatment facility in the industry, to the conversion of the fleet of vehicles to hybrids, to the hours of operations and infrastructure of the facilities, InkCycle is committed to setting the green standard for others to follow.

Question 4.       What is your organization’s commitment to sustainability more generally?

Use of filtered vs. bottled water within the workplace.

Converting to energy efficient lighting.

Resale of locally produced products whenever possible to lower fuel consumption.

Partnership for the environmental disposal of office equipment and workplace

electronics.

Consultation on migrating print fleets to more efficient “Energy Star” models.

Use of electronic vs. print newsletters and communications.

Recycling containers throughout the facility for paper, plastics and metals.

Customer employee collection sites for the recapture of used home inkjet cartridges.

Promotion of “Print Less” internal campaign.

Question 4.       What is your organization’s commitment to sustainability more generally?

Leadership

• Greater KC COC Environmental Committee and

Climate Protection Partnership

• EEBM Program Steering Committee

• Olathe COC Sustainability Committee

• Lee’s Summit COC Environmental Committee

Question 5.       How will your organization handle the pickup and disposition of used cartridges from the College? What roles do you envision each party playing in this process? How will

your organization assist the College in keeping track of used/picked up product?

LaserCycle will pick up empty cartridges at the same time as delivery.

JCCC gets the empty cartridges to the warehouse.

Question 6.       The College is requesting sample toner cartridges to test here on campus, prior to

making a final decision. We would like to sample cartridges for the following 4 printers: HP Laserjet 8150, HP Laserjet 4350, HP Color Laserjet 4600, and HP Laserjet

9040.

Provided all but the 9040 provided the next day.

LaserCycle recommends JCCC tests all 4 color cartridges for the 4600.

Question 7.       In the response Section G, Customer Service, Preventative

Maintenance, you state that, “This contractual agreement guarantees a minimum of 20 set hours per month for routine preventative

maintenance cleanings, at charges of $65 dollars per hour.”  Was this simply an additional offering of services or would there be an obligation

by the college to use this service by agreeing to this contract?

This was an additional offering of services.

Dissatisfctions

“All Remanufactured Cartridges are not created equal!”

The “Dirty” Secret

Where does the cartridge end up?

Where does the cartridge end up?

That’s our story…… now let us print yours.