The benefits of managed print services

With most businesses under pressure to tighten their belts in the wake of the downturn, managed print services (MPS) have carved a niche as an efficient way to streamline hard copy devices.

MPS programmes focus on reducing costs by outsourcing management of a company’s document output, delivering savings on hardware, consumables and paper by streamlining the fleet of output devices. But the benefits are not purely monetary. MPS also aims to reduce companies’ impact on the environment by cutting unnecessary energy costs and paper use.

The market is expanding rapidly – research by my firm, MPS specialist Photizo, shows annual growth of more than 30 per cent. By 2013 it will be worth $59.7bn (£41.1bn) in revenue, more than 50 per cent of the total distributed imaging business market.

The annual costs for a company of 200 employees can be $100,000 and for larger organisations can run into millions. Photizo also found that the average cost of a hard copy fleet for a firm with 750 employees is more than $700,000 a year. The fleet will use more than 33,000 kWh of electricity and generate more than 80 tons of carbon emissions.

For a growing number of companies, the environmental benefits make an MPS strategy compelling. Corporate sustainability strategies send out a positive message to customers and partners. Many companies have been quick to encourage employees to turn off lights when they leave the office. But a surprising proportion of companies ignore the elephant in the room: the paper and energy wasted by unnecessary or underused output devices.

Laser printers, fax machines, scanners and multi-functional devices all use electricity constantly, whether printing or not. The fuser inside a printer rotates to avoid deforming and maintains a minimum level of heat to print the first page quickly.

Estimates suggest the increase in MPS adoption by 2012 will have a carbon reduction impact equivalent to taking 304,000 cars off the road, saving enough energy to power 230,000 homes for a year.

When companies outsource to an MPS provider, they bring in the expertise needed to manage all their devices, along with a strategy for assessing their fleet and their workflows. It also equips the workforce with the tools to be more productive by optimising their behaviours to use their resources as efficiently as possible.

At its heart, MPS is a common sense approach that allows firms to make the most of their imaging technology in an environment that is aligned with its organisational strategy. It supports, not undermines, business goals, and delivers the benefits of lower costs, reduced energy use and optimised work practices.

Steven Swift is senior consultant at Photizo Group