SHELBY CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT SAVES $50,000 ANNUALLY WITH OPTIMIZED PRINT SOLUTION

BACKGROUND

Shelby City School District in Ohio serves over 1,900 students in three elementary schools, one middle school and a high school. The teachers and administrative team clearly focus their efforts on their mission to develop each student’s skills, attitude, and knowledge to the fullest potential by providing superior and challenging learning experiences. Learning materials and the technology required to support their programs are a critical part of supporting the mission. That’s why Director of Technology, Keith Rittenhouse, took time to review the school’s document and business equipment needs.

CHALLENGE

As with most schools, Shelby City School District relies heavily on copiers and printers to produce materials to facilitate learning for students and also to run the administration of the school system. As a school district grows, their print needs increase as well—along with the budget required.

“We didn’t really have a full understanding of where our costs were when it came to printing and copying. Every building was purchasing supplies individually and we only knew the total amount being spent,” explained Rittenhouse.

The district had seven different brands of printers and copiers spread across the five schools and each was utilizing the equipment in different ways. Their objective was three fold: 1) To maximize efficiency 2) Save the district money and 3) Provide better support for printing and document needs.

SOLUTION

Rittenhouse met with a MT Business Technologies consultant and reviewed their current equipment and the needs for the district including their document workflow. MT developed a tailored solution for the Shelby Schools to manage print solution and support and as well as costs across all five buildings in one central location.

The solution included review of each location and their workflow—including recommendations on the most efficient equipment, and placement of key printers and copiers for convenience and maximum efficiency. MTs technology experts configured the new copiers and printers— connecting them with the school’s network to enable central management of the equipment fleet.

The new solution includes high-volume, all-in-one machines for printing, copying and faxing which optimize productivity for print jobs and save the district money. The “Print Fleet Optimizer” put in place by MT, enables Rittenhouse to monitor and compare equipment usage and supplies quickly and easily online. The district is now able to order supplies from one location which reduces toner costs and helps to maintain supply inventory at appropriate levels which equates to improved budget management.

RESULTS

“We were able to save about $50,000 per year on printing and copying costs with a 5 year agreement, or $250,000 over 5 years for the district,” said Rittenhouse.

“Having MT recommend a new solution for our printing needs was one of the smartest things we’ve ever done—we’ve received a great return on our investment. Our staff can produce the material they need much faster which allows more time to focus on educating children, noted Rittenhouse.

“With all of our print and copy data available online through the Print Fleet Optimizer, it’s easy to manage everything from a central location. MT provides us with reports on usage, trends and supplies which help us see how we are spending and plan for the future,” explained Rittenhouse.

“Now I can pull up a web page and see each printer in the district—and simply select one and view the number of copies made or pages printed by day, week or month over the past two years. The system allows me to check a problem with a copier remotely—viewing the amount of paper in the tray and the toner levels. This saves a great deal of time and helps me to avoid traveling to other buildings when an issue arises,” noted Rittenhouse.

“MT worked with us to craft the vision and develop a solution that worked for us. We got exactly what we were hoping for. Their service and support is excellent and they are available when we need them,” said Rittenhouse.