Makers are underscoring low-priced, environment-friendly units to spur sales.

Suppliers of black toner cartridges in China are emphasizing remanufactured models in line with environmental protection and cost-reduction strategies. Sales of the category rose by 30 to 35 percent last year owed to lower prices compared with OEM brands. The former are currently 50 to 60 percent less expensive than the second.

	The black DR-200 model from Vert suits Brother HL-720, MFC-3550 and 4350 printers.

Some makers are even planning downward quote adjustments to boost margins further. Doit Industrial Co. Ltd, for example, is looking at a 2 percent reduction, and even 3 to 6 percent for some popular models.

Efforts to strengthen competitiveness in the long term revolve around fortifying R&D capability. Besides mastering core technologies, suppliers are addressing IPR issues. Others offer technical training for their employees. Tianwei Holdings has applied for more than 1,200 patents on design and technology. It expects the figure to reach 5,000 by 2020. Zhuhai Seine, meanwhile, has launched its own printer brand.

Makers are likewise adopting “green” production techniques. Forever Technology Co. Ltd is implementing “lifelong recycling,” which has enabled it to save 18,000 metric tons of coal. Its recycle and reuse rates now reach 90 and 85 percent. The enterprise has more than 160 technology patents.

Growing demand for monochrome laser printers is spurring the manufacture of black toner cartridges. The transfer of international companies’ factories to China is likewise boosting the local industry, positioning the country as the largest hub for the line.

Interviewed makers said 80 percent of their yield is currently exported. To widen margins further, some enterprises are offering OEM and ODM services.

Product gallery

Remanufactured cartridges lead

China's supply of black toner cartridges is dominated by remanufactured types. Priced from $15 to $616, these are recyclable and compatible with most printer models. The page yield reaches 50,000. Nonremanufactured variants are available for between $46 and $308. The page yield is generally the same as the earlier counterpart, ranging from 2,000 to 50,000, but this type is nonrecyclable.

The chief inputs for production are OPC drum, carbon powder, chipsets, charge and magnetic rollers, and plastic parts.

China makers source carbon powder from LG Chemicals, Mitsubishi Chemical and Tomoegawa. Products using component from the first are designed for most printer brands, including HP and Canon. Those adopting input from Tomoegawa are for Lexmark, Brother and Samsung models.

Most suppliers employ locally procured toner ICs and charge and magnetic rollers, although some turn to foreign partners for use in midrange and high-end releases.

Product gallery Doit Industrial Co. Ltd Model: CE-05A MOQ: 20 units Delivery: 20 days Description: Remanufactured; for HP LaserJet P2035, P2055 printers; 2,300 pages, 5% coverage; 115g

Forever Technology Co. Ltd Model: FM-CC388AH MOQ: 20 units Description: Nonremanufactured; for HP LaserJet P1007, 1008, M1213nf, M1136 printers; 900 pages; 10 to 30 C operating temperature; 40 to 70% relative humidity; CE, RoHS

Vert Print Co. Ltd Model: TN350 MOQ: 50 units Delivery: 7 days Description: Remanufactured; for Brother 2040, 2070, 2820t printers; 2,500 pages, 5% coverage

Note: This article "Remanufactured black toner cartridges drive supply" was originally published by Global Sources, a leading business-to-business media company and a primary facilitator of trade with China manufacturers and India suppliers, providing essential sourcing information to volume buyers through our e-magazines, trade shows and industry research.

All price quotes in this report are in US dollars unless otherwise specified. FOB prices were provided by the companies interviewed only as reference prices at the time of interview and may have changed.

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