License to print money

Kyocera pitched a printer and MFD solution that showed the potential of considerable savings.

The Royal Australian Mint
One of Canberra’s main tourist attractions, the Mint attracts thousands of visitors each year. The Mint has more than 180 staff and the main role of the organisation is to produce Australia’s circulating coin requirements. It was vital the organisation selected a printing solution that was fast and cost-effective.

According to Jamie Ericsson, IT manager at the Mint, a fleet of more than 30 machines was installed as a part of the contract including a host of products from desktop and workgroup printers to departmental MFDs.

“A couple of the machines located in the industrial factory area have been fully functioning, breakdown-free, for more than two years in very harsh, dusty conditions. Kyocera’s reliability has been fully tested in this environment,” said Ericsson.

ECOSYS technology
The printers use the company’s ECOSYS technology, and Kyocera stated that the technology dramatically reduces the cost of ownership of its printers and the environmental impact of office printing.With standard laser printers, when the toner runs out you replace a cartridge which also contains the drum and developer.

“In government purchasing you have to get value for money. We look at what the product will cost us over its life,” explained Kevin O’Shea, the Mint’s manager of contracts and procurement. “This doesn’t just include the upfront cost of the printer or copier, but the cost of running and maintaining it as well.”

Environmental concerns
According to Bruce Lott, business development manager, ACT Kyocera, customers are considering more than just numbers. “The market is demanding that we get closer to them, understand them better, recommend strategies to make the operations more efficient and minimise the environmental impact of what we deliver,” explained Lott.

There are a lot of obligations for the Mint to adhere to in terms of sustainability. “We purchased Kyocera because it offered the best value for money, but more increasingly our purchasing is taking the environment into account. All our photocopiers must meet the government standards laid down for environmental greenhouse gas emissions. We look at what the product will cost us over its life, and its environmental costs. This doesn’t just include the upfront cost of the printer or copier, but the cost of running and maintaining it as well,” said O’Shea.