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Case Study: Global Clothing Manufacturer

Improving MFP reliability, increasing document security and reducing costs.

Red imagination balloon.
 
 

Challenge

 

Challenge

 

Providing print support to 30,000 employees is a big endeavor, even when things run smoothly. In this case, the print environment was a bumpy road leading to high costs and document security concerns. Challenges included:

  • A mismatched, mixed-vendor fleet of multifunction printers (MFPs), desktop printers, standalone scanners and fax machines — many of which were prone to frequent breakdowns.
  • Reconfiguration of print drivers every time a department relocated.
  • Significant paper waste and exposure of sensitive information due to abandoned print jobs.
  • Rising volumes of MFP color printing, including jobs that violated brand standards.
 

“We wanted to replicate the print reduction in our data center across all print in our corporate office. Ricoh and the Equitrac solution helped make that happen.” 


Director of IT Operations 
Global Clothing Manufacturer 

 
 

Solution

 

Solution

 
 

One thing stood out as an antidote to the manufacturer’s ailing print environment: print management software. 

 
 
After assessing the corporate print environment, we recommended and implemented a refreshed and resized fleet, which now consists of 80 of our MFPs, as well as RICOH Pro C5100s production printers placed in convenient locations.
Icon that represents Equitrac Express.

We also installed our Equitrac Office software, which provides:

 

  • Authentication at each MFP.
  • "Follow me" style printing.
  • Deletion of jobs that aren’t printed within 48 hours.
  • Default black-and-white and duplex printing.
Finally, as a part of our Managed & Professional Services, the manufacturer got an onsite team member who provides ongoing recommendations.
 

About the Customer

This global clothing manufacturer, whose corporate office is in the Midwest, has a 150-year track record as a leader in its core category.

 
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Download PDF
 

Result

By focusing first on information management instead of zeroing in on hardware, we addressed all of the company’s challenges with recommendations that created a new culture of print:

  • User authentication and "follow me" style printing improves document security.
  • Only one print driver needs to be supported, easing the burden on IT.
  • Consistent MFP interfaces make it easy for employees to enter job instructions.
  • Color production printers deliver the high-quality color needed for logo and brand elements while lowering the cost of color compared to MFPs.
  • Reports enable the company to track user activities and continue to fine tune print behaviors.

In six months, the manufacturer saved approximately $30,000 in click and paper costs for the fleet, in addition to $1.8 million click savings in the data center.