Sharp Wins Coveted BLI Reliability Award Plus Four Additional Awards For Its Highly Successful MFP Lineup

MONTVALE, N.J., July 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA), a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC), today announces that it has received a total of five awards from Keypoint Intelligence - Buyers Lab (BLI), including the award for "Most Reliable Monochrome Copier MFP Brand." Presented once every three years, this award honors the manufacturer whose product line is determined to be the most reliable based on the combined results of all models subjected to BLI's rigorous testing.

In terms of monochrome reliability, Sharp was the clear choice, according to Joe Ellerman, Manager of Lab Operations for Keypoint Intelligence – Buyers Lab. "All of the Sharp monochrome copiers we've tested to date have excelled when it comes to reliability," said Ellerman. "Over the past five years, Sharp's monochrome models have completed millions of impressions without a single service call, making them the most reliable choice among their peers."

Sharp also earned the 2018 Buyers Lab "PaceSetter Award in Ease of Use for Enterprise Devices." The PaceSetter Award is based on research conducted in the enterprise market as well as testing in the BLI lab. The award recognizes manufacturers that have incorporated end-to-end ease of use, from loading paper and copying, to scanning, printing, misfeed removal, job management and more. Sharp offers nearly thirty models in its lineup with a common user experience and consistent feature set.  

In addition to these two high profile awards, Sharp also earned three BLI Pick awards. Announced twice a year, the Pick awards acknowledge the products that gave the best performances in BLI's extensive suite of laboratory tests in the previous six months. Sharp received Pick awards for "Outstanding 35-ppm Copier MFP" for its MX-M3570 Advanced Series monochrome workgroup document system and for "Outstanding 50-ppm Copier MFP" for its MX-M5070 Advanced Series monochrome workgroup document system. Sharp also received a BLI Pick award for "Outstanding MFP for Mid-size Workgroups" for the MX-B455W 45-ppm letter/legal size, Advanced Series monochrome workgroup document system.

Launched in late 2017, the monochrome Advanced Series models enable users to easily set up and execute workflow tasks. Sharp's easy-to-use touchscreen display offers an intuitive graphical interface with Easy Copy and Easy Scan screens, as well as quick access to on-board user guides. These models also support popular mobile technologies, including Apple® AirPrint®, Android™ Print Service and Google Cloud Print™. Multi-layered security features help ensure intellectual property and personal information is protected throughout the life of the device.

"As business process automation increases in popularity for enterprises, more and more employees are integrating scanning in their workflows—and they need to do so efficiently," said George Mikolay, Associate Director of Copiers/Production for Keypoint Intelligence - Buyers Lab. "Sharp fits the bill, with a standard integrated keyboard, making data entry at the MFP as fast as it would be at a computer. In addition to the keyboard, Sharp offers the ability to store preset messages, extensions, and domains as one-touch keys to combat common lags in scanning. The scan preview is easy to navigate and supports onscreen editing."

"Sharp is very proud to have received these high profile awards from BLI," said Shane Coffey, Vice President, Product Management, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America. "In particular, earning the 'Most Reliable Monochrome Copier MFP Brand' award underscores our commitment to consistently deliver best-in-class products to our customers."