A report by Bloomberg, which quotes leading Japan based news source Nikkei English News, indicates that Konica Minolta is planning to buy a Dutch company in order to boost sales of its copiers in Europe.

Exact commercial details of the reported acquisition  are not known yet.

The Dutch company has previously been a business partner distributing the office equipment made by Konica Minolta.

Source: Bloomberg

With the current credit crunch and banks/ financial institutions becoming increasingly reluctant to dole out funds for office equipment financing purposes, chances are that some of the leading, cash-rich equipment manufacturers themselves have  to offer the funds to facilitate sales.

The trend appears to be catching on in some parts of the world at least, as this article shows, with companies like HP and Xerox leading the way. In fact, more than two-thirds of Xerox's revenues in the last fiscal year reportedly came from their equipment financing/leasing business.   

Of course, not all companies have the financial wherewithal to offer equipment leasing; and some have opted out of the business having burnt their fingers previously. But overall, cash-rich companies certainly seem to be in the best position to offer the much-needed financing that will continue to move not-so-cheap products such as large, multi-function copiers.

So, if you are looking to buy a copier and wondering where to get the funds to do so, check out the lease financing options that may be available from the manufacturer himself.