Andrew Hall, Marketing Manager, Oki Systems UK discusses the value of investing in quality printers for building site offices
Printers and other devices get harshly treated in many offices, but those located on building sites have to endure mud, grit, dust and rough handling from a constant stream of visitors. Then, once the project has been completed, they are often thrown into the back of a van and moved to the next site.
But there are other criteria to consider too. For example, space is always an issue. A choice of printers is often needed because of the wide variety of printing tasks required – from publicity banners to health and safety signs; large, but finely detailed drawings to the day-to-day office documents and forms. Yet, site offices are rarely large and often have to accommodate several staff as well as ongoing ‘traffic’.
Space – or lack of it – was the main challenge facing SDC, a Bedford–based, award-winning construction company. Its existing OKI printers had handled the wear and tear well, in fact, they appeared to thrive on it, despite being at least six or seven years old. They were durable, and ‘just kept going,’ according to Kit Lock, SDC IT technician.
Because SDC works across many industries, it often has around 20 to 30 concurrent live projects on the go – each with their own temporary site manager’s office. At the time, they had a selection of devices in each of its site offices including A4 mono, A3 colour printers, day-to-day office printers and usually a separate hired photocopier too, causing restrictions in an already limited workplace.
For companies like SDC, this can cause constant work for the IT department, especially when the devices all come from different vendors. As projects are completed, and the site office moves on, the IT team has to dismantle the technology and install it elsewhere. The more different models there are, the more complex and time-consuming the task, especially if large, heavy copiers are involved.
Lock decided that the answer was to standardise on devices from a single vendor. Because the OKI printers had proved robust and reliable, OKI seemed the obvious choice. Working with OKI partner Abacus Leewell and with OKI itself, Lock decided to evaluate an OKI MC853DNCT A3/A4 colour multifunction printer (MFP) and check it could cope with the rugged setting and all the different tasks it had to perform. The OKI Smart MFP passed the test with flying colours and an order for several new smart MC853DNCT MFPs followed.
“The reason for going for that specific device was to have all the functionality in one place – it can print, scan, fax and photocopy. It is very compact, so it just sits in the corner and doesn’t take up any desk space,” says Lock.
Great versatility needed
“We wanted a machine that could replicate the finer details on drawings but – at the other end of the spectrum – quickly print out a big ‘wet paint’ sign. We need these quickly because we are working with the public much of the time. They have to be good quality so people can read them,” he continues. “We also needed it to be a typical office printer for the usual Word documents such as policies and health and safety forms. Now these MFPs do it all.”
Lock adds that despite the versatility of the MFPs, they are easy to use. “When someone needs to print their time sheet and copy drawings, they don’t want to create lots of settings; they just want to print it out straight away.”
So the OKI devices now combine all the functionality needed in one compact device, but what other benefits have been noted? “Definitely cost savings. We are expecting to make savings through standardised consumables and a reduction in a number of devices” says Lock.
“It has made life in the IT department a lot easier as we are not installing machines right, left and centre. All the devices are set up the same, staff can go to any site and print straight away. Also, there’s no scanning software involved because it’s all done through the machine.”
The company’s site users are much happier with the new printing arrangements. “The machines are simple to use, and we’ve had positive feedback so far,” he adds.
SDC has bought this main batch of OKI MFPs outright, but Lock continues to have a close relationship with both Abacus and OKI. “If we do have any issues, we can usually fix it ourselves but if we ever need to we can go straight to OKI’s second level IT support, we don’t have to jump through hoops all the time.”
Smart on the desktop
OKI’s latest range of smart colour printers and MFPs will open up even more possibilities for construction companies such as SDC, introducing smart printing and document management and control to the desktop for the first time. OKI’s open platform sXP and integrated SENDYS explorer software will help enable digital workflows with quick and easy scanning of all types of documents, but without compromising on the quality of the colour print.
All devices in the range include new features to improve connectivity and to enable the fast transfer of large colour files across a network – ideal for sending large drawings or sales brochures. Most are compatible with AirPrint by Apple Inc and all devices are Google Cloud Pint 2.0 ready for mobile printing from out on the site.
“We have been impressed by the quality, speed and overall performance of the OKI smart printers,” concludes SDC’s Lock. They certainly do it all – offering exceptional colour, smart functionality, small footprint – and importantly, the robust, hard-working design to help survive the rigours of the building site.
Andrew Hall
Marketing Manager
Oki Systems UK
Tel: 01784 274 300
andrew.hall@okieurope.co.uk
Please note: this is a commercial profile
