Lexmark selling Inkjet assets to Japanese firm Funai

In an interesting move for the printing industry, Lexmark International recently announced the sale of inkjet assets to the Japanese firm Funai for approximately $100 million USD. The total sale includes over fifteen hundred patents (both local and domestic) as well as some actual manufacturing operations that Lexmark International has previously used to support their inkjet business over the years.

funai headquarters

Lexmark and Funai have been partners in the printing business for over a decade, with the Japanese firm helping to manufacture printers and related components for Lexmark’s operations. Funai has also served as the manufacturer for a variety of other electronics and components, such as televisions, discs, and other related items.

So, how is this sale actually going to affect customers? Let’s find out.

Lexmark has been on something of a downward trend for quite some time now, laying off quite a few employees and generally working to restructure its business into something smoother and more profitable. They’re certainly not giving up on the printing business, though, because the announcement of the sale also includes a notation that Lexmark plans to purchase ink and sell it under the current brand name while simultaneously offering support for existing companies. Printers themselves will most likely continue to be made by Funai; in fact, outside of the patents, the production of ink itself is the largest and most important part of this deal.

What’s truly interesting is whether or not Funai is going to be changing things. After all, the Lexmark deal came about because the company wasn’t quite doing well enough on its own - in order to remain profitable and get their money’s worth out of the deal, Funai is probably going to have to do something differently. It might be advertising, it might be production changes, or it might involve changes to ink formulas where the old versions will be phased out over time. This could actually go in a variety of operations, but we can take comfort knowing that Funai is a fairly experienced member of the inkjet business even if their brand isn’t as well known as many others. Yet.

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Japan, of course, has one of the world’s largest and most modern economies, along with considerable printing and production needs. Funai may choose to focus their operations on their home country and related areas (such as South Korea and China’s growing business sector), though Lexmark’s continued sale of products should help to ensure that the companies have a presence in the United States for some time to come.

Things in the industry may change, but our commitment to quality doesn’t. Whether the ink is manufactured by Lexmark, Funai, or anybody else, you’ll be able to find ink cartridges at TomatoInk that fit home or business needs. How exactly this sale will impact the industry will only be seen once the deal is finalized and things start to settle, but we’ll continue to keep an eye on the situation and offer customers the best and most affordable cartridges, toner, and accessories available.