Company Profile

The company commenced trading in 1974 as Copycat Distributors, and in 1981 changed its name to Southern Business Machines.

From the outset, Southern Business Machines began and has continued to operate, as a wholly Canterbury owned independent company.

In 1981, Southern Business Machines was able to bring to the South Island, RICOH branded copiers and faxes, whereby laying down fruther foundations for future growth and development.
In 1985, Southern Business Machines, in addition, became a Brother accredited agent, enabling it to sell, service and supply Brother products.
In 1988, the then directors of Southern Business Machines created a company called Mandeville Machine Rentals. The conception of this company arose out of a growing demand for the renting, leasing and hire purchase of office equipment. Having an in-house finance company was to complement Southern Business Machines' rapidly expanding customer base.

In 2006, Southern Business Machines aligned itself with the Canon brand as a dealer for the Canterbury region with full Canon NZ Ltd support and back-up.

Furthermore, the current directors, John Otte and Des Haines have been involved in the photocopier industry for twenty-seven and seventeen years respectively. With both having an extensive service and sales background, they can ensure a 'hands on' approach to office equipment in the Christchurch/Canterbury region.

Being privately owned and operated allows Southern Business Machines the freedom to form partnerships for supply, service and support with other noted international technology leaders in office equipment such as -

Canon
Ricoh
Hewlett Packard
Brother
Pitney Bowes
Dictaphone
Sanyo

Southern Business Machines has a long standing reputation for excellent after sales, service, unparalleled in the Canterbury Region.