When people think about keeping costs under control, they first think about paper, ink and toner - the consumables. Then they might think about power usage.
It's much more complicated than that. An effective cost-control initiative requires a thorough analysis of all the factors and a managed policy to achieve the ultimate goal of reducing costs without impairing efficiency.
That said, consumables make up a considerable part of the office equipment budget. It is important to use the abilities of the equipment to reduce these costs and have a policy for users that they know, understand and adhere to. Many of these ideas can be set by managers or network administrators on the equipment.
Keeping it simple
For example, duplex (double-sided) printing can dramatically cut down on paper usage, while most machines have an option to print documents at less than 100% ink or toner usage, and user account settings can be used to prevent unnecessary colour printing - many documents are adequate in monochrome.
New machines have a spot-colour option so that a page is printed in monochrome, except for one small part that needs colour - like a company logo.
Control of accidental printing of surplus copies can be achieved by limiting user accounts and by making efficient use of the document management software that usually comes with the equipment.
Private use of company equipment can be practically eliminated by auditing user accounts - software is readily available to support this.
In all the above, the key element is making use of the abilities of the technology and having user policies in place. Making proper use of the technical features of the equipment is something your vendor can help you with.
Making sure your users follow company policy is a larger challenge. While many policies can be set by default on the equipment or on the specific user account, people will find a way around it unless they buy in to the cost-saving philosophy behind it. It is very important to educate users, make sure there is a general awareness about policies - and then a follow-up to make sure policies are adhered to and are getting results.
Power down
On the power side, all new equipment have features to switch onto low-power modes, and the amount of standby power used by machines is much less than it used to be. It's just a matter of making sure these settings are used. Further savings can be achieved by rationalising your equipment network. Pooling printers - or any other devices - can dramatically reduce the power used.
For any company that has more than just a couple of devices, it is important to do a complete analysis of what the business needs are.
Michael Powell is product marketing manager at Kyocera Mita South Africa.
Apart from the cost-saving features that manufacturers are focusing on building into their equipment by default, the primary change in the way office equipment is managed is that it is better integrated with the IT network.
This means there is software available - often supplied with the device - and a full range of third-party solutions that support the management and auditing of actual usage. This is not just a reactive response - if it is used proactively, you can get the best value out of your investment in equipment and systems.
For any company that has more than just a couple of devices, it is important to do a complete analysis of what the business needs are. Document management software helps this happen. Once you have established what types of documents are needed by each department or individual user - and what volumes they require - you can set effective policies that save on costs without reducing productivity.
The next phase is making sure that everyone knows the policies and supports them. Finally, there is auditing of actual usage to makes sure the policies are being followed.
The terms of the contract agreement play a critical role in the long-term costs of equipment. It is important to have a contract that suits the individual business needs, depending on what the capital resources are, what the overall document volumes are and so on. The basic choice is between cheap equipment with high running costs and the risk of costly downtime, or more expensive equipment with lower long-term costs and lower risk.
While that is a decision which must be based on the unique needs of every business - and a complex one that we will discuss further in a later article - this is not by any means the decision that has the most impact on what your real expenses are.
Customers often make the mistake of focusing on the contract terms without considering the other long-term expenses. Given a typical five-year life cycle for office equipment, the amount spent on paper, ink, toner and electricity will be greater than the actual costs involved in the contract.
Daily savings in those areas can offer savings that can amount to thousands per month for the larger business. This is one case where you can look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.
* Michael Powell is product marketing manager of Kyocera Mita South Africa.
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