Brother

Well known for their document handling and printing products, Brother is a Japanese company with a global presence. Founded in 1908 as the Yasui Sewing Machine Company, Brother Industries Ltd is now valued at over £3.75 billion. The European branches of the organisation were consolidated into a single entity in 2010, although its regional headquarters remain in the UK, just outside of Manchester. Among Brother's many products lines are inkjet printers, multifunction printers, desktop PCs, sewing machines, label printers and facsimile machines. Many of the Brother printer and copying devices that are made require their own brand of toner or ink cartridge. This is also the case for its labelling machine accessories, which often need Brother-designed inking ribbons. Operating in the office automation and professional document handling markets, as well as in the small office/home office sector, Brother is also a manufacturer of scanners and bar coding equipment which is used widely by retailers and companies that deal with warehousing and distribution services. Many of their products are now net-enabled either with Wi-Fi functionality or the ability to be networked via USB connections.