The First Facility Management Blog

Panasonic Communications Company of North America (PCCNA) announced earlier this month a restructuring of its operating divisions which in aggregate will provide a cohesive structure between product marketing, sales, and field support for its product categories consisting of MFPs, workgroup scanners, fax machines, and Panaboard whiteboards.

“By refocusing our resources and putting our product marketing, sales, training and support field forces under one umbrella we have created a unified, cohesive workforce capable of faster, more flexible responses to both dealer and customer issues,” said Nick Miyake president of PCCNA.

“Certainly, this cohesive model affords PCCNA a more synergistic approach to its product marketing, sales and support, in the United States. This structure emulates our factory’s organizational structure which will consequently streamline our product development approach and garner us greater flexibility between the two organizations,” said Miyake.

PCCNA has launched three color MFPs in February and will be introducing a production scanner and new electronic whiteboard scheduled to be announced in March. In addition to these immediate product launches, PCCNA’s factory, Panasonic Communications Company, has invested in R&D and will be increasing manufacturing capacity with two new facilities.

The revised organizational structure and three-year product plan was previewed to dealers earlier this month in New York City. “The response was overwhelmingly positive,” said Miyake. “We have innovative products in each category being introduced in the immediate future that will continue to set us apart from the competition. Additionally, our three-year plan, backed by our factory’s expansion in manufacturing capacity will provide us growth in all areas including scanners, MFPs, whiteboards and fax machines.”

“In the end, it is our customers who benefit from this new organizational structure with superior product and engineering, innovative marketing strategies, and ongoing support which combined helps differentiate Panasonic from its competitors,” concluded Miyake.

About Panasonic
In the United States, Panasonic Communications Company of North America, unit of Panasonic Corporation of North America, markets a broad line of digital imaging systems, computer peripherals and office system products designed specifically for business use. Products available include color digital copiers, network multifunction devices, document management systems, scanners, electronic/interactive whiteboards, color laser printers, impact printers, and fax and internet fax machines. Headquartered in Secaucus, NJ, Panasonic Corporation of North America is the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. of Osaka, Japan.

All brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Proposed Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is now open for its second public review. Upon approval, the standard will essentially define high performance buildings in code-intended language.

Proposed Standard 189.1 will provide minimum requirements for the design of high performance new commercial buildings and major renovation projects, addressing energy efficiency, a building’s impact on the atmosphere, sustainable sites, water use efficiency, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. It is being developed by ASHRAE, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

“This standard is an energy saving stepping stone toward ASHRAE’s goal of net-zero-energy buildings,” says John Hogan, chair of the committee that wrote the standard. “This is a goal that IESNA and the USGBC support as well as partners in this standard’s development. It also gives building owners or jurisdictions that voluntarily choose to adopt the standard a tool for constructing truly high-performing buildings that provide energy-efficient, safe and comfortable environments for occupants.”

By applying the minimum set of prescriptive recommendations, Standard 189.1P leads to site energy savings ranging from 10% to 41% over Standard 90.1-2007, including plug and process loads and all other energy consumption for the building, with an average of 24.9% for all climates.

The proposed standard also provides indoor water savings of 35% for an office building and 26% for a multifamily building.

The indoor air quality criteria have been coordinated with ASHRAE’s IAQ Design Guide (under development), and the commissioning criteria have been more closely aligned with ASHRAE’s commissioning guidelines.

This second public review began February 22, 2008 and ends April 7, 2008. (The first public review of the Standard generated 900 comments.)

Proposed ASHRAE standards, guidelines and addenda to standards are available only during public review periods. To read the draft standard or to comment, interested parties should visit www.ashrae.org/publicreviews.