Ricoh installed two Aficio MP C7500 colour printers and four Ricoh Pro 1356EX monochrome printers in the smallPRINT production room, resulting in a significant 66% increase in colour print productivity, 52% improvement in black and white productivity, and a 30% reduction in printing costs, translating to a direct labour saving of $70,000 per year.
Additionally, the functionality of the Ricoh installation ramped up smallPRINT's colour printing capabilities from 25ppm to 70ppm and black and white printing from 55ppm to 135ppm delivering high quality, cost efficient production for the first time to the company.
With humble beginnings, smallPRINT started operations from a spare bedroom with only minimal equipment. Specialising in the production of learning and assessment report manuals, within four years the business of smallPRINT expanded globally, shifting premises to a location more than seven times its original size. With increased demands they realised the need to upgrade their equipment to meet the changing requirements and goals of the company.
"smallPRINT wanted to ensure that our current high quality product materials would suit any purchased equipment, allowing us to increase production without increasing our costs while maintaining high product quality standards."”Lynn Hood, Production Manager for smallPRINT explained.
With the existing production line already including Ricoh equipment, smallPRINT was pleased with the functionality and reliability of the machines and decided to pursue their expansion strategy with Ricoh. "Our previous and favourable experience with a trusted, reliable Ricoh Production Specialist was the reason for the initial contact with Ricoh to support our endeavours" stated Hood.
Ricoh's team conducted a detailed analysis of smallPRINT's production requirements and business goals, identifying a solution focused on increasing the efficiency of black and white printing and enhancing colour printing capabilities. The installation of the six devices transitioned the print room to a true production environment delivering increased production speeds and volume, eliminating the need for additional resources and labour.
"Ricoh's support structure provides responsive service which is hassle free. The relationship has developed and grown with smallPRINT's business requirements." Commented Hood.
smallPRINT's Printing Manager, Wendy Earle, said that they have been impressed with the post-installation support from Ricoh, which has helped to minimise machine downtime. "The Technicians communicate well with us about preventative maintenance servicing requirements, which allows us to plan our printing schedule effectively" she added.
The new machines have allowed smallPRINT to consolidate their production equipment, reducing floor space while increasing their capacity. Additionally, they have the capability to facilitate and drive future growth plans. smallPRINT were extremely pleased with the results and service delivered, proceeding to add an additional black and white device to their fleet and are now looking at Ricoh’s solutions for further improvements in increasing the efficiency and productivity through streamlining MIS and workflow considerations.
Further information regarding Ricoh's products and services can be found at www.ricoh.com.au
This article was originally posted on Bertl.
