OKI’s Smart MFP can answer more than one challenge for construction companies says Andrew Hall of OKI Systems UK
Building site offices are not for the faint-hearted. Dust and mud clog up everything in sight, and a constant stream of visitors dressed in hard hats and big boots fill up the space.
This is why any piece of kit destined for the site office has to be robust, strong and reliable. But because space is at such a premium, it also has to have a small footprint and be easily transportable as, by their nature, site offices are only temporary.
But consider the reality. Often site offices have to house two printers – one for everyday A4 office printing and an A3 colour printer for drawings. They also often have a photocopier which is sometimes hired. There’s often hardly enough space for these let alone a desk, filing cabinets and the rest.
Typically all these devices come from different vendors so someone has to manage all the complexities of a multitude of contracts. Every time a project finishes, everything has to be moved and set up again in a new location. Photocopiers, in particular, are usually large and heavy, so this can cause extra problems.
If this story sounds familiar, it’s worth considering the experience of a Bedford-based award-winning construction company, SDC. Its existing OKI printers handled the wear and tear of the site office well – “they seemed to thrive on it,” Kit Lock, SDC IT technician told us. But these were older models without any photocopying capability. Instead, their company hire division had a number of photocopiers which were old and expensive to run.
SDC works across a variety of sectors including research and development, commercial, manufacturing, automotive, healthcare and education. As a result, it often has around 20 to 30 concurrent live projects on the go – each with its own temporary site manager’s office.
SDC decided that the answer was to standardise on a single vendor for its devices. Because its existing printers had proved robust and reliable, OKI seemed the obvious choice. Working with OKI partner Abacus Leewell and with OKI itself, it 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.
“We also 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.”
Significant cost savings
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 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.”
“We have been impressed by the quality, speed and overall performance of the OKI smart printers,” concludes Lock.
OKI’s MC800 range of multifunction printers (MFPs) also have embedded server-based software which allows users to take photos or capture documents on a smartphone or tablet onsite and then distribute to the company network or to third party applications. Hard copy project documentation such as timesheets and delivery notes can be scanned in and converted to PDFs for action or archiving.
Many construction firms such as SDC are now finding that Smart A3/A4 colour MFPs hold the key to more space in the site office and more efficiency in the workflow. A low total cost of ownership is boosted further by the ability to print signs, banners and publicity materials on-site and on-demand, minimising any outsourcing costs. A machine that does everything except bricklaying or plastering, in fact.
Andrew Hall
Marketing Manager
Oki Systems UK
andrew.hall@okieurope.co.uk
Please note: this is a commercial profile
