Total Print Management Solution
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ISD #181 Brainerd Public Schools |
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| The Challenge |
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When Brainerd Public Schools’ copier/printer contracts were up for renewal in 2004, it was time for the District to review their situation and search for the most effective and cost efficient solution available.
Steve Dickinson, Director of Business for Brainerd Public Schools, explained, “We wanted to put our vendors on a level playing field by giving them an open bid opportunity for our 14 buildings, which included our elementary schools, middle schools, high school, and two learning centers.
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| The Solution |
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The District began their six month selection process by having Marco conduct a complete Document Productivity Analysis of their copier/printer situation. Merlin Dressel, Technology Advisor for Marco, designed generic copy/print specifications so the District could submit a proposal to vendors for the bidding process. The District’s goals were to:
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Streamline their document output by networking their copiers/printers |
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Unload some of the service responsibility of their IT staff by eliminating older printers |
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Add more color options throughout the district |
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Decrease their copying/printing costs, or at the very least keep them the same |
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Make sure the equipment was compatible with their current infrastructure |
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The District submitted a proposal to 17 vendors, three of which submitted formal bids. After reviewing the bids, they visited Marco and one other vendor to research the features and benefits of the units proposed. They made their decision to choose Marco for several reasons. “Marco offered us very competitive pricing,” explained Steve. “They definitely beat the competitors’ pricing and was able to put together service packages that also included some existing units. They could provide us with added services at no extra charge.”
Marco provided the District with a Total Print Management Program that included networking approximately 22 Sharp black and white multifunction units, 15 Konica 8031 color units, and some new HP printers to replace outdated models. Marco’s program also simplified their billing process by combining all of their new and existing printers into one invoice which is billed every six months.
One of the added services Marco provided was creating an inventory system on-site at their central warehouse for major parts and copier/printer supplies. Marco set up a labeled inventory system with reorder levels so the items could be grabbed off the shelves and put on the delivery trucks, allowing the District to get their supplies almost immediately. Merlin explained, “To date, they have not been without supplies. We watch the inventory levels for the District and replace them weekly.”
Steve likes the new system. “It’s been convenient for us. Prior to this system, every building was calling our vendor for supplies.” He went on, “The items would then be sent to the District Office and we wouldn’t know which department the supplies were for.” This resulted in lost orders and added downtime.
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| Installation and Training |
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At the time of installation, six of the District’s buildings were under construction. Marco delivered the units and then went back when construction was complete to move them to the appropriate places. Because the implementation took place during the summer, only about half the staff was available for training, so Marco’s trainers come back in the fall to make sure the rest of the staff received training.
“I’d say within a week, Marco had training scheduled at every building for when our entire staff came back in the fall,” commented Steve. Marco worked around their schedules by training staff and teachers at 7:30 a.m. and then 3:15 p.m. so as not to disrupt class time. Marco also kept track of the people that attended the training sessions for the District.
Steve said, “Given the amount of challenges we gave Marco, I think it went extremely well.”
Merlin added, “It was a total team effort to achieve the goal of the District’s staff walking up to the copiers, and knowing what to do in order to get the full features and benefits of the unit.” |
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| The Results |
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A year has gone by since the implementation, and Steve has been pleased with the process. “Merlin has been great!” he said. “He has gone way beyond our expectations numerous times. If I have an issue, I just give it to him and he takes care of it for us.”
“Overall, the experience has been great! I would encourage other districts to go through as clean of a bid process as possible, and I sure hope they take a look at Marco!” |
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“Merlin has been great! He has gone beyond our expectations numerous times. If I have an issue, I just give it to him and he takes care of it for us.”
Steve Dickinson
Director of Business
ISD #181 - Brainerd Public Schools
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