Case Studies
HID Global “Keeps Printing” with Printelligent's Managed Print Solution
Introduction
In the manufacture of secure access identification cards, printers play a significant role. So much so that in 2003, HID — a world-class leader in this industry — was experiencing far too much downtime due to printers breaking down in the production and warehouse departments. On one of these occasions, Printelligent was asked to come on site to repair a printer. Afterwards, a Printelligent sales representative introduced the concept of a Managed Print Solution to Doug Vark, HID's long-time Network Operations Manager. HID quickly became a Printelligent customer, experiencing an initial cost savings of 26 percent in printer support costs.
Mr. Vark was interested to learn about Printelligent's Managed Print Solution including on-site service within a two-hour window for even the simplest of requests such as changing toner cartridges. But most important to HID was the regularly practiced printer maintenance regimen including printer cleanings at every visit.
“With regular cleanings our printers stopped failing,” said Mr. Vark. “Printelligent's preventive maintenance approach added real value by keeping our printers functioning and our business going.”
One interesting aspect of Printelligent's Managed Print Solution was the notion of a cost-per-page billing model, producing a quarterly print forecast.
With 13 departmental billing codes and no idea of the dollars being spent, Printelligent's billing model brought a lot of clarity to an otherwise confusing world of printing at HID. The print forecasts created an instantaneous departmental print budget, which the managers really appreciated. The cost of printing was demystified, leading to tighter budget control and fewer surprises in overhead expense.
HID's IT staff now appreciates its total lack of involvement in resolving printer problems and maintaining printer consumable inventory. With Printelligent stickers on print devices, HID employees are encouraged to call Printelligent's toll-free number directly to make service requests, significantly increasing the availability of HID's IT staff for more pressing needs.
HID's Printer Audit Project
Jody Bender, HID Business Systems Administrator, initiated a six-month print device audit project in 2006.Tasked with discovering ways to incorporate measures to further optimize HID's printing costs, Ms. Bender called on her Printelligent Account Manager, David McCain for assistance.
With the information provided in Printelligent's quarterly utilization reports, Ms. Bender and Mr. McCain were able to identify over/under-utilized printers and swap them according to need. There was little resistance from departmental managers once it was discovered how depart-mental budgets would be affected. In addition, 13 printers were identified as problem printers or in desktop inkjet to laser printers. Over five months, 10 new printers were systematically chased and installed replacing the printers previously identified. The overall net result of these actions was a savings of $10,450 — a 19% annualized cost savings.
Unique Solution
HID purchased two HP M4345xs multifunction devices in 2007 for two departments. One was placed in the corporate graphics department in Connecticut, and the second was placed in the IT office in Irvine. The graphics department utilizes the MFP's color scanning functionality to enhance communication with internal clients and vendors.
Its small footprint makes a big difference in an already crowded office with the added bonus of combining four devices into one: printer, copier, fax machine and scanner. The IT department's MFP serves the department of 11, with the favorite feature being the scanning of PDF documents for sharing with employees.
“I would recommend this device for other businesses. It's a pretty solid little machine. The footprint is small, it has a high-volume paper tray and it's reliable,” said Ms. Bender.
In Conclusion
Continuous uptime is now a normal expectation for all HID production-related teams. HID has realized significant savings over a prolonged service period, and Printelligent's Managed Print Solution just keeps getting better. Pro-active printer management has ensured the most appropriate equipment is matched to departmental needs. Reliable and cost effective printers have replaced expensive non-laser printers and problem print devices. Since HID's printer audit project, the IT department is doing a good job of selecting new printers based on the needs of the entire company. “Printelligent services are such a great value to us — and a no-brainer,” said Ms. Bender. “Our IT staff does not worry about printer maintenance, stocking toner, or the labor involved in maintaining printers. The best part is we don't even know when an employee is calling Printelligent, and we don't need to know!”