Multi-Function Systems Whitepapers

Time

1. Spend less time managing devices IT departments spend 15% of their time on printerrelated issues. Consolidation results in fewer hardcopy devices to manage and a smaller inventory of supplies and spare parts to maintain. Plus, network integration makes MFPs easier and less expensive to support than their standalone counterparts.

2. Reduce time spent walking from device to device By combining printing, copying, faxing, scanning and digital sending (scan to email, folder, etc.) in a single device, MFPs give information workers network access to all the capabilities they need to effectively and efficiently handle digital and paper documents.

3. Experience fewer network bottlenecks Where some competitive devices force you to accept performance/print-quality tradeoffs, HP LaserJet and Color LaserJet MFPs feature advanced processing and imaging technology, ensuring you of consistently high-quality output at full engine speeds and realworld performance that often surpasses competing products boasting faster engine specifications. This is because, generally, HP LaserJet and Color LaserJet MFPs and printers are designed to offer their best output quality at full engine speed. Many competing devices slow down considerably in best print quality mode due to issues like formatter bottlenecks or employing solid-ink technology.

Recent IDC research suggests that “a large site with 1,000 plus employees is paying $200 plus per employee in direct hardcopy costs alone.”* So, not surprisingly Gartner research reveals a new trend in the way organizations think about managing their printing and imaging environments. “By YE05, 60 percent of all enterprises will have begun an enterprise wide effort to optimize document output fleet spending through changes to their purchasing and asset management policies.”** The same research suggests that there are significant savings to be had by those who turn their thinking into action, “Through YE08, enterprises that actively manage their document output fleets will be able to save between 10 percent and 30 percent of their recurrent spending.”

MANUFACTURING INSIGHTS OPINION

Manufacturer supply chains are becoming longer and more complex and have real challenges getting timely and accurate information to the right place at the right time. These globally distributed supply chains present the largest challenge to the transportation and logistics organizations whose efforts to make operational and execution processes more efficient and effective are regularly hampered by late, inaccurate, and incomplete data caused in large part by the inefficient transfer of logistics data through the use of manual forms and input to capture that data.

Although the use of digital capture devices appears slightly more mature in the transportation and logistics part of the supply chain, there is still the view that substantial improvements can be made in the business process. While nearly 80% of logistics functions still use paper forms and 52% of the data is input manually, more worrisome is that one-fifth of the data captured manually is not entered at all. This leaves only 28% of the data being entered either with a digital scanning process or through the use of a digital pen. Certainly, this lack of automation is contributing significantly to the poor level of data accuracy and corresponding shipping errors within transportation and logistics.

The benefits of moving to digital capture of transportation process data are significant. Respondents identified improvements in their ability to store/retrieve information, improved process efficiency and lower costs, improved data accuracy and timeliness, as well as a more robust form of signature capture for regulatory compliance. This last point is significant as we are seeing a lot of interest in governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) in the supply chain in general and in logistics specifically. Management of trade and customs compliance, anticounterfeiting, and supply risk management are all increasingly dependent upon accurate transportation process data to function seamlessly. It is the view of Manufacturing Insights that automated, digital capture of logistics data is a critical foundational capability to effectively manage GRC and a distributed global supply network.

GLOBAL RETAIL INSIGHTS OPINION
Leading retailers eliminate processes that result in unexpected costs, poor execution, or unsatisfied consumers. Retailers that utilize assets, people, processes, and technology most efficiently will be winners, even in tough economic times. Global Retail Insights’ survey of 75 retailers regarding their use of streamlined printing and data capture technologies makes it clear that for many, there are numerous opportunities to improve. Distributed forms printing and data capture technologies reduce costs, improve process efficiency and data accuracy, and enable "green" operations.

Retailers should evaluate how they can extend the value of current investments and invest in new technology that substantially enhances data acquisition and forms processing and removes barriers to operations improvement. Improving these labor-intensive and error-prone processes will position retailers to be more customer centric, thereby freeing operations to focus more energy on serving customers well.

IN THIS WHITE PAPER
In this white paper, Global Retail Insights, an IDC company, discusses how retailers are utilizing digital capture technologies to reduce costs, improve process efficiency and data accuracy, and be more "green." Results from a survey fielded in September 2008 provide the basis for an evaluation of the current situation, benefit opportunities, and future outlook for digital capture technologies in retail.

In this white paper we explore the state of forms processing (paper and electronic) across operational areas but target forms processing that supports store operations. Based on the survey results, Global Retail Insights believes many retailers are missing a significant opportunity to improve distributed enterprise forms processing and data acquisition. We identify processes that retailers should streamline from paper to electronic forms utilizing in-store multifunction printing, dot matrix printing, on-demand printing, color printing, and digital pens.