Solution Spotlight: Total Print Management for Manufacturer

Customer: Global Fortune 500 Manufacturer
Location: Northeast Ohio
 

Highlights 

A Fortune 500 manufacturer had a complex print environment that spanned across multiple buildings within its corporate headquarters campus in Northeast Ohio. The client launched a high level initiative to significantly reduce its printing costs and environmental footprint. MCPc’s Total Print Management program drove a 35-percent reduction in printing costs and a 30-percent reduction in footprint despite significant growth in business activity. They now have one vendor managing their entire HP device fleet and have avoided adding to their overhead.

Benefits

• A 35-percent reduction in printing costs and a 30-percent reduction in environmental footprint over a period that also saw significant growth in business activity
• MCPc comprehensively manages all aspects of the device fleet, from procurement to end-of-life.
• MCPc meets with the client monthly to review print performance metrics, ensuring ongoing efficiencies.
• Cost reductions were achieved without adding staff or increasing overhead.

Business Need

This client, an international Fortune 500 manufacturer, had an extensive fleet of printers, copiers and fax machines spread over the campus of its corporate headquarters in Northeast Ohio. Their goal was to significantly reduce printing costs while becoming more environmentally conscious in their operations. However, ownership of printing was fragmented across numerous employees in different sections of the campus, making it difficult for them to gain a complete picture of the environment.

The client had already engaged MCPc on other IT projects, including managed IT service support, lifecycle management, end-of-lease and PC procurement through MCPconnect. And when they decided to make an official commitment to aggressive goals — a 40-percent reduction in printing costs and a 30-percent reduction in environmental footprint — they turned to MCPc to design a program that would deliver on those targets.

Solution

It was decided with MCPc’s consultation that a full lifecycle refresh on the device fleet combined with a Total Print Management program would produce the desired results.

As part of the Total Print Management program, MCPc completed a comprehensive assessment of their entire print environment. Data on toner cartridge purchasing, current break-fix services and their existing relationships with all print-related vendors was gathered and analyzed. A floor-by-floor walk through was performed to analyze the layout of all devices in relation to their proximity to key users.

MCPc procured a fleet of HP multifunction devices and designed a more efficient floor plan. Recommendations were made on how to upgrade their print servers to accommodate new print drivers. Management software was installed to administer the program and ensure that critical data on the environment would be captured going forward. A campus-wide printer policy was put in place to eliminate staff overuse, reduce unnecessary color printing and establish criteria for mandatory duplex printing. Direction was also given to company leadership on preparing employees for the change.

Since environmental impact was a key concern for the client, green practices were built into the plan from the start. MCPc evaluated all of the old units for compatibility in the new fleet to salvage as many as possible and helped managed the process of donating incompatible units to schools and charitable organizations. For toner cartridges that weren’t compatible with the new fleet, the MCPc team analyzed which ones could be bought into MCPc inventory and surveyed the company’s nationwide printer network to look for potential fits in units at other office locations.

Throughout the 10-month implementation phase, MCPc worked around client staff schedules to ensure that the program was laid in place without impeding day-to-day operations.

Results

The client now has one partner who manages the entire facility device fleet and toner supply as well as the relationships with the manufacturers. MCPc also tracks the company’s printing metrics on an ongoing basis and meets with them monthly to review their scorecard and use these insights to make process improvements. The scorecard includes monthly counts and costs, problem-code analysis and monthly service calls, among other key data points.

Within 90 days of program launch, the client achieved a 35-percent reduction in printing costs and a 30-percent reduction in environmental footprint despite also seeing a substantial post-recession bounce-back in business activity during the same period. Their annual savings have exceeded $160,000.

If your organization is looking to recover costs or “go green” by streamlining the print environment, MCPc is ready to discuss a managed print services solution that’s tailored to your unique needs.