university of west London Print Room
case study
The University of West London (UWL) decided to outsource the management of their back-office functions to a leading total facilities management (TFM) company, Bouygues Energies and Services (Bouygues).
Bouygues elected to outsource print management to Hobs, which meant that we were responsible for the central reprographic unit (CRU), a fleet of 100 multi-functional devices (MFDs) and outsourced printing.
challenge
Based on feedback from the client and details from their specification, we identified the following high-level issues with their existing CRU operation:
Whilst located in a central shopfront in Ealing, the CRU was closed off from the street, giving the impression that it was closed. This led to students in the area resorting to using expensive, commercial print operations for their coursework and dissertations
The CRU required investment in new equipment suited to the changing profile of work. For example, colour print volumes were increasing whilst mono was decreasing. The CRU had a significantly larger capacity for mono print production, so this needed to be rationalised to meet production requirements
UWL’s Administration and Communications teams were outsourcing most of their print-related output to external suppliers with long turnaround times and high service rates. A significant proportion of outsourced print was identified as work that could be brought in-house through a better-equipped CRU
The MFD fleet was over-specified based on the volume of print being produced, with UWL incurring high rental and service costs over a three-year rental term.
Alongside these issues, UWL wanted to explore the potential of having a 3D print studio in the print room for students and faculty to use. There was also an expectation that UWL’s involvement in the management and administration of the services would reduce significantly, with the supplier taking on a more active role in the promotion of the service and providing clear management information (MI) in a format that was compatible with their MI system.
Solution
During the tendering stage, we conducted a full audit of UWL’s needs, liaising with various stakeholders through consultation meetings, interviews and forums. This engagement drove forward the transformation of the CRU operation to meet the University’s service requirements.
On contract award, we conducted a roadshow event to communicate our plans to stakeholders and demonstrate the machines we planned to deploy. This allowed us to fine tune the configuration of the fleet prior to rollout, which was critical due to the size of the investment (£1m in new equipment over the term of the contract).
Incumbent staff that had been transferred via TUPE had not received training for a number of years, and our proposal included the rollout of new equipment and working practices. For this reason, we worked with each team member to create a personal development plan. This involved a mixture of on-site training, classroom activities and experience days at Hobs branches. Each team member was also assigned a ‘buddy’ from a local Hobs branch to help their integration.
We oversaw management of the entire MFD fleet across UWL’s estate, including management and distribution of toner and paper via the Bouygues porterage team. The new MFDs were all connected to a system that monitored device health and usage on a per-user basis. This fed directly into the client MI system for cross-charging and billing, and back to the MFD provider. This was a proactive approach to maintenance, with most faults logged by the machine and an engineer deployed on the same day without the need for the user to log a call. Fresh toner was dispatched automatically when levels become low. We also worked with the MFD provider to train the on-site team in basic maintenance techniques, enabling clearance of simple faults without the need for an engineer.
We provided detailed, monthly management information across the CRU and photocopier fleet, which was used to coordinate the services. For example, volume printing was centralised in the CRU, reducing usage of the photocopier fleet and extending its lifespan.
We provided additional elements outside the boundaries of the contract, including:
Installation of a 3D printer, providing file fixing and regular education days to upskill students and faculty and encourage embracing 3D print technologies
New service lines, such as wide-format poster and banner printing
Additional tiers of support through the Hobs branch network, namely our London and Reading locations. These provided contingency during busy periods or for print services that sat outside of the CRU’s capability.
In choosing Hobs, UWL benefitted from a coordinated document services operation, which was more responsive, delivered a higher quality output and had greater customer focus. Further results included:
Increased use of the CRU by students, who benefited from considerably lower prices available onsite when compared to high street print providers
Increased use of the CRU by UWL staff due to the broader service range and convenience of the operation
The new pricing model resulted in a completely granular and transparent approach to the cost of service, with any usage being tracked back to departments and end users
The new MFDs reduced their click charges by around 30%, whilst improving print quality.
Our work with UWL is a good example of our ability to create a return on investment in a short time period. Over three years, the unit produced annual sales of £470,000, of which £71,000 was profit.
The significant improvements in quality were achieved without UWL needing to invest in the service, as all investment funding was provided by Hobs.
Hannah Morris, Marketing Officer for UWL is quoted in saying: ‘Hobs have provided us with a bespoke service that is adapted to our needs. They ensure we get the most out of the available printing facilities and are an essential part of our team. Their innovative and intuitive approach to business is refreshing and we are extremely happy with the service they provide.’
