Maxell Is the Tape to Trust As LTO Tape Sales Beat the Downturn

March 25, 2009 - PRLog -- London, United Kingdom, Maxell Europe Limited, the technology leaders of data storage and backup tapes, today announced that it is the computer tape to trust, after market data analysts, Santa Clara, reported an increase in Maxell’s European Market Share for LTO format sales.

The report analyzing the LTO Q-4 brand shares market in Europe shows that Maxell now have a 9.2% European market share, making them the 2nd most popular choice for branded LTO tape sales – an increase of 1% compared to Q3 sales.

This news comes at a time when the current European financial climate remains weak with many countries going through a recession.

Says Stewart Smith, Maxell Europe European B2B Account Manager:

‘This news is very positive and shows that companies are looking for reliable data storage tapes to back up their data. We have found that LTO 3 and LTO 4 are leading the way in tape sales in our range, and our branded sales are gaining growth, particularly in France, UK and Germany.

It has been a challenging climate, but EMA market data reports that the LTO market grew by 10% during Q4 compared to Q3 so that shows that things are starting to change, consequently with more and more LTO 4 users, we expect LTO 4 to show the most growth over the next quarter.

Through LTO we have been able to target new distribution channels so we hope to see our market share continue to steadily rise’.


Maxell’s LTO Ultrium range is capable of meeting growing demands for storing and backing up digital information, with LTO Ultrium 4 offering double the capacity available in LTO Ultrium 3 data cartridge.
Maxell’s LTO 4 Ultrium 4 data cartridge also incorporates new technology including data encryption and other security features for meeting government policies and regulations.

About LTO Ultrium 4:
With a compressed transfer rate of up to 240MB/sec and storage capacity of up to 1.6TB, Maxell’s Ultrium 4 data cartridge is the fourth generation in the LTO Ultrium technology roadmap which extends to capacities of up to 3.2TB.  The new technology provides two times the capacity of LTO 3 data cartridge and a transfer rate that is 50 percent faster.  The LTO Ultrium 4 technology is backward compatible with earlier generations, allowing LTO Ultrium 4 end-users continued access to Ultrium 2 & 3 tape archives to extend their investments made in previous versions. The Maxell LTO Ultrium 4 data cartridge may be used in all 4 Ultrium drives.

Maxell is widely recognized as a major provider within the data storage industry. With NeoSMART technology and ongoing joint development efforts with the world’s foremost tape drive developers, Maxell has remained at the forefront of the data recording business, with an emphasis on quality, reliability and innovation. Maxell was the first in the world to develop and market Super DLTtape® I, LTO Ultrium 1, LTO Ultrium 2, Super DLTtape® II, LTO Ultrium 3, DLTtape® S4 and now LTO Ultrium 4 data cartridges. Maxell is now aiming at development of a 10 Terabyte class tape through utilization of the company’s proprietary NanoCAP ultra fine spherical magnetic particle technology.

As Europe’s no. 2 choice of branded LTO data tapes, Maxell continues to develop technology to meet the industry’s requirements. Look out for new developments coming out soon.

For more information about the LTO Ultrium range, please contact the Marketing Department via email at marketing@maxell.eu.com

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About Maxell NeoSMART technology
Maxell's NeoSMART (Super Maximum-capacity Advanced Reliability Tape) technology integrates seven leading-edge technologies essential to the future expansion from Gigabyte to Terabyte storage capacities. NeoSMART technologies consist of: ultra thin coating, advanced dispersion, fine metal particles, high performance cartridges, high precision servo tracking, superior calendering and highly precise slitting. Each of these technologies has been developed and perfected by Maxell through years of research and hands-on experience developing and manufacturing advanced tape media.

About Maxell NanoCAP particles
Maxell’s NanoCAP (Nano Composite Advanced Particles) technology provides extraordinary magnetic performance when compared with conventional needle-shaped particles, with superior coercivity and extremely high saturation magnetization. The spherical shape of NanoCAP particles allows the closest possible packing structure and increases the number of particles per unit volume. This allows for extremely thin magnetic layer coatings that result in even further improvement in output levels. In the future Maxell intends to fully leverage NanoCAP technology in the creation of the world’s first 10 Terabyte class data cartridge.

About Maxell
A technology and brand leader in premium data storage media products since 1960, Hitachi Maxell, Ltd. is a full-line manufacturer of digital and analog media products for the data storage, broadcast and consumer markets. Maxell's data storage group provides one of the industry's broadest lines of premium digital recording media, including LTO Ultrium, DLTtape, Super DLTtape, DLT S tape, DDS / DAT and 3590E data cartridges, and is a full line supplier of recordable DVD and CD media. Additional information on Maxell can be found on the company's website: www.maxell.eu

Linear Tape-Open, LTO, the LTO Logo, Ultrium and the Ultrium Logo are trademarks of HP, IBM and Quantum in the US and other countries.

DLT, DLTtape, DLTSAGE and their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Quantum Corporation in the USA and other countries.

NeoSMART logo is a trademark of Maxell in the US and other countries.

NanoCAP and the nanoCAP logo are trademarks of Maxell in the US and other countries.

Maxell Market Data Source: Santa Clara
LTO Market Data Source: European Computer Media Manufacturers Association (EMA)

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About Maxell Europe:
A technology and brand leader in premium data storage media products, Maxell Europe Ltd is a full-line manufacturer of digital and analog media products for the consumer, data storage and broadcasts markets. Visit www.maxell.eu.com