Print enterprise resource planning – myth or reality?

Office automation is a big buzzword in business at the moment, but how does one really define this term, and is it being used effectively?

Many organisations still have fragmented systems that don’t adequately deal with the current trends in office automation. Typically, many companies that print massive volumes still have no control over the print behaviour of their employees. A print management solution process simply does not exist.

It is essential to manage resources within a business productively and effectively. It is critical to optimise your resources and utilise the correct office printing equipment to get the maximum benefit and streamline company processes.

“Optimising behaviour, getting print costs down, and printing devices should be the primary focus for any company,” explained Jason Schoultz, Nashua’s National Sales Manager for Business Solutions.

“Companies can save up to 40 percent of their print costs by simply streamlining their print process, and applying modern trends to monitor all aspects of printing within the organisation,” he added. “We would typically come in to an organisation, run our software, take a snapshot of what the company is doing with regards to office automation, and then plan on how to help cut costs through optimising and consolidating”.

Nashua has a specific suite of apps, which integrates with a company’s network to manage print control, and can even report on exactly who is printing what document.

One of the biggest print volume areas in an organisation is often the admin department. They would typically print thousands of pages of invoices and reports every month. By simply duplexing printing and digitising documents, thousands of rands can be saved annually.

Abusing company resources is also a massive problem, with employees printing huge volumes that have absolutely nothing to do with their work duties. Interestingly, Nashua’s software discovered that the most popular books printed at the workplace for personal use, were Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks and the “50 Shades of Grey” trilogy.

One of Nashua’s clients, Deloitte, implemented a system that issues a job ticket, and in turn sends the instruction to print, collate, as well as cost the job, through the main printing centre. This solution saved Deloitte thousands.

Having the correct software integrated into your hardware functionality will result in a streamlined environment and increased productivity.

Sasol was another great case study for Nashua. The print management solution reduced Sasol’s annual printing costs by 30 percent, or R4,6 million.

The office environment has changed dramatically in the last decade. Employees are no longer using just their office computers. They are demanding “bring-your-own-device” (BYOD) flexibility, and mobile devices connected to the wireless internet are changing the face of printing solutions in organisations.

I am always amazed by how often in this day in age, with all the sophisticated technology around us, many companies still don’t have a solution to print directly from a tablet or a smartphone. Nashua has various solutions available that allow printing from a tablet or smartphone in the enterprise using the wireless internet.

Another solution that Nashua is focusing on is the ProAct suite. ProAct provides proactive management of devices, by anticipating when a machine is running low on toner for example, and even monitors devices the are over- or under-utilised. This is done externally by Nashua via remote access.

The benefits of managing and storing data in the enterprise don’t just make your business more effective and agile, but it also has an impact on the environment, and will reduce your company’s carbon footprint.

How outdated are your company’s systems when it comes to office automation, and how much is it cutting into your profits? Speak to Nashua today to find out more about office assessments and implementing a business solution that works for you.

Jason Schoultz is Nashua’s National Manager for business solutions for MPS (Managed Print Services) and MDS (Managed Document Services).