SIMPLIFY, STANDARDISE, SHARE
Norfolk County Council have saved over £3.8m over 5 years
County-wide Implementation Saves Money
Norfolk County Council’s first Managed Print Service was implemented in 2011, replacing the Council’s previously fragmented print operations with a single, integrated and enterprise-wide print service. The key objectives of this initial MPS were to rationalise print operations and establish an effective policy on printing, especially around reducing waste and inefficiency.
As the contract neared completion, NCC’s reprocurement criterion was that the solution had to be improved upon as the Council recognised more needed to be done to meet its ambitious savings targets. The new print service would not only need to be implemented across all NCC sites – including the county’s Fire & Rescue Service that had not previously benefited from the service – but also functionality would need to be improved to enhance efficiency and provide savings, both financial and environmental.
NCC realised that its existing set-up with MFDs, desktop printers and software from multiple vendors was no longer fit for purpose. Using the CCS framework, NCC worked with Canon who identified that fewer single function printers, improved digitisation, better productivity and standardisation throughout would create annual savings of £765k including Library Services
Geoff Connell, Head of Information Management & TechnologyWith its proven track record of service excellence and building long-term relationships for mutual benefit, Canon worked proactively with us to provide a better, more personalised service than previous suppliers.
Solutions & Service
The benefits of having a new, centrally controlled print strategy included:
- Simplified and standardised printing facilities for end users
- Fewer print drivers for IT services to manage and support
- Security and accountability for print, copy, fax, and scanning
- A simple, centrally controlled MFD-based scanning solution
- Reduced paper usage
- Reduced carbon emissions due to more efficient devices
“The reason that Canon won the contract with us was because its proposed solution was not only unmatched elsewhere in terms of what it could offer, but it also scored higher than any of the competitors,” explains Carol Lock, Service Manager – Information Management & Technology. “The Iris software, paired with PRISMA and uniFLOW, that Canon brought to the table has enabled us to implement a single post and print room. And of course the quality of the print is also second to none.”
Carol continues: “Having worked with Canon for over a year now, we have all realised that Canon brings so much more to the partnership than excellent MFDs and software. Our initial impression was that they really wanted our implementation to succeed, that they were personally involved with us and cared as much about the day-to-day running of our new solution as we did. This was another aspect that set Canon apart from the competition, by a country mile. “I am delighted to say that our first impressions were correct. From the outset, Canon has bent over backwards to ensure that everything runs smoothly. If we ever have any needs, we can rest assured that the person who answers the phone at Canon will know all about us and our requirements, enabling them to provide immediate satisfaction – a level of service we had never even come close to enjoying before.”
Gerry Baker, Business Development ManagerThe introduction of an IRIS Powerscan solution has transformed the way we handle incoming mail and helped us remove our legacy paper mountain. Linking the solution to Sharepoint also ensures we are ready for GDPR compliance.
Benefits For Libraries
The Norfolk Library and Information Service operates from 47 static libraries of different sizes ranging from Hingham Library with one member of staff and three public terminals to the Norfolk & Norwich Millennium Library with over 100 public terminals and about 50 staff terminals. Altogether, there are around 560 public terminals.
The previous solution to offer public printing was not only unsecure, but it was also neither able to record printing activity nor recharge it to the libraries. Since 2017, the new solution has successfully addressed these issues. In addition, staff and members of the public are now able to print from their own devices, such as smartphones and tablets.
Carol Lock, Service Manager Information Management & TechnologyBy enabling scanning functionality, paper documents are seamlessly integrated into our digital workflows, thereby leading to increased productivity.