We have all read of companies reinventing themselves. Frequently, the company had a poor strategic p an or simply did not execute well. It is unfortunate hut you do not have to look any further than the large American auto manufactures for a recent example. Some companies have the foresight to change while they are still on top; think of Bill Gates' 1995 manifesto to the employees of Microsoft to redirect their efforts to the internet after a relatively small company, Netscape, jumped to an early lead in what was considered the future of personal computing.

Page After Page is a company that has continually reinvented itself. As a successful and profitable printer cartridge re-charger serving businesses in the greater Boston market, Page After Page has differentiated themselves by providing their large customer base with desktop delivery. This transition to a higher level of service positioned Page After Page favorably when big box retailers started to fill their shelves with compatible cartridges.

Cytyc Corporation is a global, biomedical company that designs, develops, manufactures, and markets innovative diagnostic and surgical products. Their products include a range of cancer and women's health applications. Cytyc's corporate headquarters are located in Marlborough, MA.

THE CHALLENGE

Rising service costs, needing to stock thousands of dollars of toner cartridges onsite, and paying a portion of their annual service contract upfront, were only some of the issues Cytyc was facing when Jim Lekas, Cytyc's IS Operations Analyst, pursued firm wide cost saving options which led him to a new print management service provider.

In its top to bottom current state analysis, Page After Page was shocked to find that Cytyc stocked three toner cartridges for each of their 90-100 existing local printers. Lekas estimates that at any given time they had between $10,000 - $20,000 worth of cartridges stored in their stockroom.

Making copies isn't brain surgery, but at Florida's Health First chain of hospitals it had become what chief information officer Richard Rogers describes as a "convoluted mess." Nursing stations were overrun by copiers, fax machines, and printers, taking up precious counter space and impeding day-to-day operations.

If getting to (or away from) the machines was a chore, so too was keeping them running. There was no consistent process for ordering toner — departments purchased from a range of suppliers, sometimes buying poor-quality reconditioned cartridges. Some nursing units stocked up on a year's supply at a time, others bought on a more ad hoc basis, and no one knew what anyone else had on hand.

Rogers sought a cure in so-called managed print services, a form of outsourcing that addresses the rationalization of office equipment and its maintenance. Lexmark International won the bid, and its consultants set about analyzing document output patterns throughout the company. They replaced many single-function machines with strategically placed multifunction devices that print, copy, scan, and fax. They also rolled out a system that automatically reorders supplies when needed with no hospital-staff involvement. As a result, Rogers says that hard costs alone have dropped from 3.1 cents per image to 1.4 cents per image.

As the business environment becomes more competitive and profit margins become slimmer, the need for companies to become more efficient and cost-effective has never been more important.

While some business expenses are easy to calculate and control, others can be just as elusive. For instance, the often overlooked cost associated with printing.

It’s important to realize that the cost of printing goes beyond paper, ink and toner consumption. Other contributing factors to this necessary expense include the type of printer being used, wear and tear on the unit, maintenance costs and depreciation. All of which must be considered and added to the cost of each page printed.

Once accurate information has been gathered, end-user waste can be identified and eliminated. In addition, costs can be further defrayed by billing the appropriate department or client for each printed page.