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more sense to restrict permission to print
in colour by configuring the print driver
and access codes accordingly,” she said.
“For example, the marketing
department often needs to use colour, so
MFPs that can enhance the presentation
of critical colour documents through
superior print quality and finishing are
located there. This policy has made
a massive difference to our overall
expenditure and it also means that
we can monitor spend by department,
something that enables us to spot where
other efficiencies can be made.”
Another enhancement is the
introduction of private printing on MFPs
located in more public areas. The need to
type in a code at the device to complete
a print job maintains data confidentiality
and security and reduces the amount of
unwanted documents that are printed
and then not collected.
Toshiba’s MPS did not end with the
signing of the contract: instead, it is
constantly evolving as Toshiba and Spire
Healthcare identify new opportunities
for efficiency gains and cost savings. Kite
said: “I’m delighted that we have reached
a stage where each MFP is being used
to its full potential. This is in no small
part thanks to the excellent account
management, technical know-how and
service from the Toshiba TEC team.”
MPS
Benefits of standardisation
Suttons has cut annual print costs
by 35% and reduced the time spent
managing printers by 40% since
appointing Altodigital to overhaul its
worldwide print and IT infrastructure.
The logistics and supply chain
company specialising in worldwide
distribution called in Altodigital to
provide consistency and management
of printing across all 26 of its locations
in the UK, Belgium, China, USA, France,
Malaysia, Singapore and the United Arab
Emirates.
Previously, each country managed
its own printer estate, resulting in a
large number of individual tenders and
payment procedures, relationships with
multiple suppliers, a lack of overall
control, unnecessary costs and a
significant IT support burden – 50% of
all IT issues involved printing in some
way.
Following site audits in all 26
locations, Altodigital established that the
most cost-effective and efficient solution
would be to standardise on Kyocera
equipment, including small desktop
colour printers and large multi-functional
devices (MFDs). Doing so has enabled it
to replace 110 print drivers for 200 users
with six drivers for 500 users.
In addition, it has installed two
software solutions: Papercut, which
enables Suttons to monitor and track
all print jobs worldwide, by branch,
department or user, and charge print
costs to a specific department; and
Optimise, which enables devices to be
monitored remotely 24/7, page counts
to be taken and toner to be ordered
automatically.
All equipment is supplied under a
single contract, with billing on an annual
basis and a single invoice for equipment
and consumables.
Altodigital account manager Derek
Gunton said: “The obvious challenge was
to ensure that we delivered a tailored
solution that would suit a variety of
branches across numerous countries,
whilst always being conscious of driving
cost and labour savings.”
In this, Altodigital has been very
successful: just 18 months into the MPS
contract Suttons has already achieved a
35% saving on annual print costs and a
40% saving on admin time.
The need to
type in a code
at the device
to complete
a print job
maintains data
confidentiality
and security
Vendors might be moving ‘Beyond MPS’ but for many customers the priority
is still to fix their printing infrastructure, as these two case studies show
Tried and trusted
Long-lasting partnership
Toshiba’s relationship with Spire
Healthcare shows how an MPS
provider and customer can work
together to accommodate changing
needs
Spire Healthcare, the second largest
provider of private healthcare in the UK,
was formed in 2007 with the buy-out
of 25 BUPA hospitals by private equity
firm Cinven. Today, it has a a network of
40 private hospitals and 10 clinics and
offers a full range of integrated surgical,
medical and diagnostic services.
Soon after its formation, Spire
Healthcare enlisted the services of
Toshiba TEC to help manage its printing,
copying and scanning infrastructure.
An audit was carried out to pinpoint
how print devices were being used,
to identify monthly page production
volumes and to implement a solution
that could maximise the potential of
Spire’s investment in print devices.
Since 2009, when Toshiba’s contract
was renewed, Spire Healthcare has
gradually been standardising on Toshiba
TEC devices, increasing the number of
Toshiba MFPs in its estate from 124 –
predominantly mono and standalone –
to 213, including many colour devices.
Gill Kite, Senior Buyer at Spire
Healthcare, said: “Previously, as well
as the Toshiba TEC MFPs, we had
numerous printers from various other
manufacturers. As these reached the
end of their useful lives, we looked
to rationalise and standardise with
Toshiba TEC MFPs, and work towards a
print strategy. This has helped maintain
a sense of uniformity across the
portfolio.”
Over 90% of all the devices are now
networked, enhancing flexibility and
functionality. After careful analysis, each
device is located in an area that allows
users to make best use of its features,
with access restricted according to each
user’s needs.
Kite says that user controls were
introduced to gain control of colour
print costs after an audit revealed that
people who could easily use mono were
printing in colour almost by default.
“We decided that it would make
