An MFP is an office-based multifunctional product which incorporates the functionalities of multiple networked devices, such as printers, scanners, copiers and faxes, into a single unit. MFPs can either benefit businesses with their small footprint or alternatively provide centralised document management, distribution and production within a larger office environment.

MFPs can be large or small and most enterprises will have MFPs which aremid to large sized freestanding units serving a workgroup or department. These MFPs tend to be fully featured, so in addition to mono or colour print, copy and scan, they will offer fax, email, networked document storage, authentication and encryption functionality. They will also provide document finishing such as duplex (double-sided print), stapling, hole-punching and booklet creation.

KYOCERA Document Solutions (KYOCERA) has many years of experience in developing and manufacturing MFPs to match the requirements of enterprises. The company’s devices are the most fully featured type of MFP comprising the basic print, copy and scan functions but including optional fax and email functionality, user authentication and bespoke flexible workflows to meet an organisation’s dynamic needs.

The company has won awards from Industry Analyst Inc for the development of its reliable MFP products and the KYOCERA Document Solution’s current TASKalfa range won the Business Equipment Research & Test Laboratories Inc (BERTL) Spring 2012 ‘Best Office Line of the Year’ for its TASKalfa MFP series.
“Kyocera’s TASKalfa line is very intuitive and easy to navigate, and its ultra-reliability and long-life technology deliver superior performance over other products tested by BERTL, said Art Wynne, President, BERTL. “Kyocera’s TASKalfa devices are a powerful yet efficient series of colour and monochrome MFPs optimised by HyPAS technology to make a MFP product line that clearly demonstrates what it means to achieve BERTL’s Office Line of the Year Award.”

KYOCERA’s latest A3 MFPs, the monochrome FS-6525MFP and FS-6530MFP, are based on its unique ECOSYS sustainable print technology which makes them robust, reliable and very cost effective. KYOCERA’s use of ceramic technology is fundamental to the low-waste design and the resulting long-life components are many times more durable than traditional alternatives giving the devices a long lifespan, increased energy savings and very low operating costs.

The FS-6525MFP and FS-6530MFP are reliable and easy to install. Their simple maintenance means that they are ideal in areas where service staff teams are not immediately available. They also offer great functionality and their small physical footprint is perfect where space is limited. The easy to operate devices have wizard navigation to aid set-up and offer great usability for typical activities, such as ‘scan to email’ which significantly reduces user error and time spent carrying out jobs at the device.

The MFPs are extremely energy conscious with an 18% lower TEC (Typical Energy Consumption) value than their predecessors. As with all KYOCERA’s ECOSYS products, they benefit from long-life drums and toner-only sustainable technology which ensure high reliability, longer maintenance cycles, low running costs and minimal waste. KYOCERA has continuously developed its ECOSYS sustainable print technology which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

Advanced workflows that require a series of steps to be carried out, such as specific process required for a particular department or function, are easy to customise and install with KYOCERA’s HyPAS technology. This powerful and scalable solution platform delivers easily customisable workflows and users can take advantage of well-known applications such as language select, fax connect and Mail2Me which suit innovative customer processes.

MFPs can be deployed as part of Managed Print Services (MPS) or Managed Document Services programmes. Managed Document Services (MDS) takes a holistic view of an organisation’s document needs and processes. The key to MDS is thinking documents not pages. Documents can, and often should, remain in digital form and MDS encompasses networked software solutions which enable documents to be input, output and exchanged without being printed.

Most organisations have more devices than they need, indeed some have more than they realise, while many have no idea how many pages they actually print. MDS programmes reduce waste, increase efficiency and improve productivity. The financial benefit is obvious, but the carbon emissions reduction can be just as significant.

When FTSE100 insurance company RSA decided to review its estate of over 3,000 devices serving 8,000 people over 22 sites in the UK, CIO James De Wattville described the company’s sprawling estate as “It’s a zoo and it needs sorting out.” Estate management was split across IT and Facilities and RSA was consuming 43 million sheets of paper, the equivalent of 10,000 trees, and 4,100 printer toner cartridges a year.

KYOCERA Document Solutions designed a solution that would ensure that each RSA employee has convenient access to their required printing, copying, faxing and scanning facilities. This alone significantly improved reliability, as devices were no longer being under or over-used.The comprehensive management information provided gives RSA absolute visibility and control over its consumables costs, enabling accurate budgeting and financial management of the fleet.

One of the key areas for improvement was document security.  This was addressed with a pull-printing system using RSA’s existing door access cards to create a proximity system requiring users to ‘swipe’ their pass card at the relevant device in order to initiate their print job. This increased document security, eliminated uncollected printouts and as a direct result reduced paper waste. Paper consumption was also significantly reduced by the decision to set all the new devices to print duplex or double-sidedas standard.

The results of the RSA MDS project within a year were dramatic, delivering major reductions in print volumes, energy and paper consumption. KYOCERA Document Solution’s holistic approach makes MDS a unique and vital strategy for every organisation that wants to look at its entire potential for cost reduction.

Boxout:
Headline results of the KYOCERA Document Solutions’ work with RSA:
•    15million less prints per year
•    Page reduction through duplex = 17%
•    25% reduction in monochrome printing per month
•    56% reduction in colour printing per month
•    Forecasted energy consumption reduction: 55%
•    Forecasted reduction in paper usage: 9.3 million sheets per year