3M saves $3M through Managed Print Services
Several years ago 3M had an objective to optimize their printing infrastructure and reduce total cost and environmental footprint. Their successes in the first two years add up to over $3 million in overall savings and include:
- Reduced energy consumption by an estimated 79.9%, saving $1,256,605 in energy costs alone
- Per page costs reduced by up to 90%
- 8,240 metric tons reduction of CO2 emission from energy and paper reductions, equivalent to taking 978 cars off the road for one year.
How did they do it? The IT organization launched a Six Sigma project on office printing. Its goals: to raise quality and strive for continuous improvement, all while cutting costs. The project began by gathering data on 3M’s existing processes and print infrastructure. What they learned was eye-opening. There was no centralized control of printing or copying and individual departments would buy what they wanted when they felt a need --- with no consideration given to the long-term cost of supplies or service. In the initial research they found over 100 different printer models alone.
The data supported a completely new approach to printing and as a result they implemented a centralized, turnkey print service. Partnering with HP, 3M implemented a Managed Print Services agreement and consolidated and standardized its printing and imaging fleet globally, reducing total device count by about 47% and reducing the number of printer models from 101 to 9. Paul White, the IT Print Services Manager at 3M says, “There’s no question, simplifying the fleet has produced savings on maintenance and it has improved service.” Within 3M the program is known as “Output eXpress” and in addition to the cost savings, the program has brought environmental benefits too. The new printers use less power than the devices they replaced, and are set to default to duplex printing so 3M saves both energy and paper.
To learn more about how 3M achieved these remarkable savings, read the case study.
