Perceiving printer performance

Managed print services (MPS) are widely used in front offices to maintain/replace printer fleets, control costs, improve productivity and support environmental responsibilities. Yet few warehouse operators have even considered the concept of MPS for their back office printers to manage barcode and label applications. 

Indeed, this year’s Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) Barometer revealed that over half of manufacturing SMEs are focused on upgrading their IT/communications in the next 12 months. And certainly manufacturers seem happy to replace front office IT systems, embrace ‘click and collect’ enabling technology and invest in warehouse hardware like forklift computers and mobile print and scanning devices. 

But when it comes to printers there seems huge resistance to change, similar to that seen persuading enterprises to migrate away from IBM legacy mainframes. Datatrade is one of the few companies still supporting legacy warehouse printers; even some of the OEMs have moved on from supporting them.

On some sites we’re looking after printers that are over 20 years old and what we’re seeing with operations guys is that they’re reluctant to upgrade in case something goes wrong and the process is adversely affected. There’s almost an attitude of ‘it if ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.

While we appreciate the fear, it does underline how mission critical these workhorses actually are to the supply chain and how fundamental their role is in operational resilience. Yet few seem to have heard of, or grasped how MPS could not only reduce their costs — typically by 30% — but also minimise their business interruption.

SAP’s Manufacturing Success report (August 2014) revealed that 47% of manufacturers experienced significant disruption to their supply chain in the past 12 months. The top cause of disruption was IT security events (39%) closely followed by unplanned telecoms/IT outages (38%). 

The report claimed that complex supply chains require sophisticated connected tools to identify risks, predict disruption and ensure fast recovery yet 74% of manufacturers admitted their visibility into supply chain disruptions could be better. 

And visibility is certainly something that MPS delivers. A staggering three quarters of businesses don’t know their print costs, exacerbated by BYOD and mobile devices, leading to an over supply of spare printers. An MPS contract begins with an audit to ascertain the full size of the printer fleet. From there, a print strategy is designed to suit the organisation’s desired outcomes, taking over maintenance of legacy printers and refreshing them on a scheduled basis ensuring no interruption to throughput. 

Thermal printers last, on average, eight years while line matrix often get used way beyond 12 years. One of the Manufacturing Success report’s conclusions was that new technologies are creating new opportunities but not without initial discomfort. And possibly ‘discomfort’ is the nub when it comes to migrating, or refreshing, new production and warehouse area printers. They’ve become the IBM mainframes of the printer world, with operations personnel reluctant to stray too far away from the familiar. 

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But from a practical perspective, these machines won’t go on forever and the current field service model is fast becoming outdated and expensive. New technology products have been simplified so the need for more traditional, high-end engineering skills is fast diminishing. Most businesses don’t want high-end expertise to repair their printers, they just want the affected unit replaced in the fastest time so they can return to full productivity at the lowest cost.

MPS is widely deployed in front offices and, in many respects, has become a commodity driven on price. It’s all too easy in such a mature market when trying to add value to lose sight of the actual value of the print itself. Front office printers aren’t as mission critical as their warehouse cousins upon whom many a supply chain depends. Legacy printers do not have infinite lifespans and a strategic MPS agreement would see such workhorses gradually put out to grass. But first, warehouse managers have to realise the true value of their ‘print’, only then will they be able to hand over the reins of their warehouse workhorses.