WITH RECESSION weighing heavily on the world, businesses are fast downsizing, while others scramble to cut costs and save to survive.

Business whiz Craig Butler shares just a few tips from a long list on how to cut costs and increase productivity in these challenging times.

Butler is the 18-year managing director of Butler Business Solutions (BBSI), which provides document and imaging solutions, marketing and sales support and training.

Cutting down on paper, ink

By having print, copy and archival access codes, managers are now able to control exactly what is printed, by whom and how much.

Topping the list is cutting down on paper and ink/toner usage. Filing cabinets which take up 'acres' of space are a thing of the past. They are now replaced by computers, which allow quicker sales and faster banking transactions online.

Businesses, says Butler, should now invest in archival solutions that have both an Internet-based and a physical hardware component. These archival solutions can store files, documents and images in that location for later retrieval when needed. One such is a central system, referred to as an archival system, which stores electronic documents with information which has been scanned for filing purposes. This imaging system, of course, presents few, if any, challenges or risks for retrieval.

There are remote access points which are Internet-based and with a hard drive as a backup.

The issue of security has been addressed through research and development by solution companies such as Ricoh, Konica, Minolta and Xerox, which have already looked into ways to protect the environment and present document-imaging solutions. One security measure is to have two persons with two sets of access codes.

Device settings

Second, ensure that settings on output document devices are set to features such as duplexing automatically as a standard operation.

When a copier/printer is set as automatic duplex, both sides of the paper are printed, reducing the need to print on two individual pages, cutting paper costs. Although this feature is normally available for users, the biz wunderkind recommends that this feature be a standard setting to cut average paper usage and hence costs by 50 per cent.

Butler estimates that on average, a medium-size company goes through five boxes of paper per month. This works out to 10,000 sheets of paper per month; at $4,000 per box of paper, that totals $20,000 for five boxes. With duplexing, this cost can be halved.

The copier also makes a scan of what is being saved to memory.

One must be very cognisant of the fact that different systems "give different toner and ink yields, and can handle different volumes per month".

Some units designed for a small home office are inexpensive but give low ink yields. For irregular users, this may be a good solution. However, in a small or mid-size company using 10,000 sheets of paper, having one of these units operating would obviously have the owner writing many small cheques for ink and supplies that send monthly expenditure into avalanche mode. Hence the adage, pay me now, or pay me later.

The fourth solution to cutting costs is ensuring that the system purchased fits with your industry operations. He recommends that qualified personnel, such as digital specialists, be consulted when acquiring equipment.

Digital specialist

A digital specialist may, for example, analyse an approximation of the paper required, the proper digital system, and equipment best for purchase.

A good example is advertising companies, as they use a great deal of colour output. Therefore, it is paramount that they purchase a unit that has excellent colour toner while maintaining high-quality output.

Another important consideration is the choice between a centralised system that handles large volume from one unit (output device) and a decentralised system, which has several mid-size output devices.

In a company with many employees and different floors, the choice must be based on the type of industry you are in and what the volume is.

Types of unit

For example, a company with three floors and approximately 50,000 staffers is best served by a medium unit, with multifunctional abilities per floor to avoid bottlenecks. This further saves time and money and obviates the need for employees to scurry up and down staircases. Again, the system should be set up to scan and save documents produced on a digital archival system.

In addressing security concerns, encryption is the way to go, says Butler. By having print, copy and archival access codes, managers are now able to control exactly what is printed, by whom and how much. Hence, staffers avoid the temptation of copying personal projects not related to company business. They are now held accountable as management will be able to link everything copied through the digital imaging system to the codes.

Staffers, says Butler, also need to be educated to the benefits to them of cutting costs and be given incentives. On cutting costs, Butler said, "It's not what a man does that makes his actions sacred or secular, but why."

GOLDEN LINKS

http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/BIZWASTE/OfficePaper/Measure.htm

http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/wastewise/wrr/cost.htm

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BRZ/is_9_22/ai_101679022

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