KES slashes costs with custom print and copier solution

King Edward VII School, like all schools, is constantly having to cut costs to fit with a tight budget. Working with Itec Central, the school improved technology and cut costs by using a managed print services approach for their printing.

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EXISTING ENVIRONMENT

KING EDWARD VII SCHOOL

King Edward VII School (KES) is one of the top public schools in the country. Situated on a campus in the heart of Upper Houghton, Johannesburg, it consists of traditional, National Monument buildings, complemented by state of the art sporting & cultural facilities. This
government school has an enrolment of over 1000 boys in Grades 8 – 12 (ages 13 to 18). King Edward VII Preparatory School, which is situated adjacent to the High School and shares its grounds, caters for boys from Grades 1 to 7.

The school may be over 100 years old, but in partnership with Itec Central, have employed the latest technology and methodologies to transform the traditional copier room into a more sustainable, costeffective and streamlined enterprise-level printing operation.

THE CHALLENGE

PRINTING PRUDENTLY

It’s a problem most school administrators face in South Africa: how to cut costs and make the most of tight budgets. When looking at the areas to cut costs, printing may not always be the obvious choice. “We live in the digital age, but like most public schools, we still rely heavily on printed material,” said KES business manager Ian Sim. With that being the case, it makes sense to evaluate the cost of printing in a school copy room.

John Considine, the managing director of Itec Central, said schools like KES are under massive pressure to stay sustainable and keep within their budgets, but that doesn’t have to mean sacrificing quality for costeffective printing. Saving trees and money, while still producing high quality educational material became a high priority when cost-cutting measures were being put in place.

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COST-EFFECTIVE, SUSTAINABLE

PRINTING FOR EDUCATION

King Edward VII School slashed its printer and paper usage by half in the past couple of years, thanks to a long-standing relationship with managed services provider Itec Central, which has provided a custom-made solution based on the number of boys at the school and the demand for copier room services.

THE SOLUTION

GREATER PRINT CONTROL

They cut their printer and paper usage by half in the past couple of years, thanks to a long-standing relationship with managed services provide Itec Central, which has provided a custom-made solution based on the number of boys at the school and the demand for copier room services.

The school runs an enterprise-level printing operation: it has at least 3 enterprise-grade printer and copier devices, each capable of printing 1000 copies per minute, active at any time. It also has several ad-hoc smaller copiers for other identified areas, like the staffroom and areas where sensitive information is managed.

“With a custom print solution, Itec has given us the ability to keep our printer fleet current, while providing greater control over costs and everyday print needs,” says Ian Sim.

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KEY FACTORS AND FUTURE

PRO-ACTIVE RELATIONSHIPS

A major part of the success of any printing solution is the relationship between the supplier and the provider. The KES and Itec Central relationship now spans 15 years, and has seen Itec make numerous recommendations for ways that the school could reduce unnecessary printing and increase efficiencies through ongoing monitoring and reporting of usage patterns. “A good starting point for any school is to look at how much printing costs.

How many pieces of paper will a child get in a year? What percentage of learners are allocated to the print budget? Every extra rand you spend on printing reduces the budget in other areas. With KES’ current print solution in place, the school has seen a 50% reduction in its total cost of operations for print,” says John Considine, managing director of Itec Central.

This is just a small example of the organic and effective consulting relationship between Itec Central and KES, which has resulted in the cost-savings and print efficiency. “It’s vital to source your print services from a vendor that’s willing to put some skin in the game, and evolve with your needs,” says Sim. “Working with Itec Central truly is a partnership. When we have a challenge, they work with us to get it done. Itec has been integral to our ability to maintain the efficiency of our workflow, in the most cost-effective and sustainable manner possible.”