Konica Minolta has been given ACT Leader status in Quocirca’s new ACT Print Industry Ecosystem Report 2026 focusing on Automation and AI, Cloud, and Technology Ecosystems (ACT). The new study recognizes Konica Minolta’s evolution “from hardware-centric offerings to cloud-first, analytics-driven, and AI-enabled solutions for the digital workplace”.
According to Quocirca, print is no longer viewed as a standalone discipline, but rather as an integral part of a comprehensive digital workplace ecosystem. “Customers increasingly expect print infrastructure to align with cloud platforms, identity systems, security architectures, and workflow automation tools.” With the new ACT Framework (Automation & AI, Cloud, and Technology Ecosystems), Quocirca assesses “how well vendors can support these expectations today and evolve alongside them in the future.” The ACT Report is designed to help companies understand which vendors “can credibly support their broader objectives around cloud adoption, AI enablement, security, compliance, and workplace transformation.”
Quocirca ranks Konica Minolta as a leader and states that the company “has developed a strong proposition around automation, cloud and technology ecosystems as it evolves its portfolio on a global basis. […] Across its portfolio, Konica Minolta demonstrates a clear cloud‑first and analytics‑driven strategy.” According to Quocirca the company “is positioning itself as a credible long-term partner for organizations pursuing digital workplace transformation”.
Automation and AI
The first pillar of the ACT Framework focuses on the use of Automation and AI to optimize printing infrastructures and document-based business processes. This includes, among other things, printer fleet optimization, predictive analytics for maintenance and consumables, intelligent document processing (IDP), automated document workflows, device and document security, as well as personalization and sustainability.
Accompanying the Quocirca report is research revealing what organizations (in France, Germany, UK and US) consider to be the most important ways AI can be applied to print technology: 32% of companies stated that AI should primarily help reduce environmental impact of print infrastructures. Other key areas of application include automating printing workflows (31%), optimising toner and ink usage (28%), using copilots or assistants for recommending document layouts or summarizing documents (27%), improving print quality (26%), and predicting and preventing maintenance issues (25%).
In the report, Quocirca emphasizes that at Konica Minolta, “AI plays a central role in enhancing data processing, automating workflows, and enabling predictive and intelligent services across digital workplace, professional print, industrial, and imaging solutions.” Advanced AI is embedded within Konica Minolta’s multifunction devices, delivering greater efficiency, optimized performance, improved quality, and greater reliability, through real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance. In addition, Konica Minolta supports AI-based workflow automation and intelligent document processing for document capture and processing. AI technology also enhances device and document security, with proactive prevention, detection and response to anomalies and potential threats. For many business areas such as sales, finance, logistics, or ESG, the company also offers analysis, reporting, and forecasting of key business metrics. Konica Minolta further supports environmental sustainability through environmental analyses that provide transparency into energy and consumable usage and identify potential savings in costs and CO₂ emissions.
Cloud
The second ACT module addresses the transition to cloud-based operating models, “allowing employees to print, scan, and access documents from any location.” Quocirca notes that companies are increasingly opting for hybrid cloud approaches: while 35% of organizations already have a fully cloud-based print management infrastructure, 43% use hybrid models—primarily for data sovereignty and compliance reasons.
Quocirca highlights Konica Minolta’s cloud‑native print, scan, and workflow platforms that integrate “with Microsoft 365 and other hyperscale ecosystems, reducing infrastructure complexity while supporting hybrid work”.
Technology Ecosystems
The third pillar of the ACT Framework evaluates providers’ ability to build and leverage a stable ecosystem of technology partners. Quocirca emphasizes that it is no longer just about hardware, but about how a print service provider’s solution can be integrated into the customer’s broader IT environment.
This is particularly significant given that companies cite IT service providers as their first choice (28%) for the delivery of print services, with traditional print providers coming in second (22%).
In this context, Konica Minolta is described as a provider that has “a broad network of strategic technology partnerships that collectively drive its innovation agenda by expanding AI capabilities, strengthening cloud ecosystems, and enabling secure, scalable digital workplace solutions”. Partners include Microsoft, M-Files, Hyland OnBase and YSoft. In addition, Konica Minolta makes its portfolio available through cloud marketplaces such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and the Microsoft Store, as well as mobile app ecosystems, thereby supporting cloud-first purchasing procurement models and scalable hybrid IT environments.
