InfoTrends,Calculating Your Emissions Factor - It's All Local

New study from InfoTrends:

Average energy usage (kWh) * EF (lbs CO2/kWh) = Carbon Output (lbs CO2)

Huh?

From the summary:

"...Office equipment in Delaware creates 400 times as much carbon output as it does in Vermont..."

"Carbon dioxide emission factors (EFs) provide a localized translation from energy usage, often in kilowatt-hours (kWh), to equivalent pounds of carbon output (lbs CO2).For energy-consuming office equipment devices, the proper EF represents the indirect public electricity EF..."



Interesting...

Xerox Page Pak Analysis and Reflections: Let's Go To Church

The Big X has it sights on the MPS market(duh), and not just through the Xerox lens.

Toner Pack, an extension of PagePack, is a program allowing dealers to supply their customers with Xerox branded, HP compatible toner.

But the primary thrust of the program is making MPS much easier on a select number of Xerox MFPs.

With Page Pack, meter reads, Service Requests/Maint. Kits and Toner orders go directly to Xerox. Xerox fulfills toner orders, submits Service Requests over to the correct Xerox Partner and invoices the partner monthly - partner bills the customer directly.

The Xerox partner's client never speak directly to Xerox.

I am not as much an HP advocate as a I am proponent for what works for clients and what works VARs. If I see something I like and think will fit into business, I will mention it.

Xerox PagePack works.

Basically, those of us in the Managed Print Services niche, know that one of the most difficult items to calculate is a true per image, dealer cost. This being the variable that exposes a fledgling practice to possible huge losses in a MPS agreement.

For instance, if we calculate our cost to be 0.004/image (example, not true) - cost meaning toner, maintenance kits, and labor - using this cost and selling at 0.012/image over the life of say, a 36 month MPS Engagement - I should make money on this account unless: toner prices increase, supplies increase, labor rates change or machines start to "blow up" after 12 months.(unlikely)

In practice, this risk is spread out over the entire fleet - that is if you have a fleet(MIF).

So, what Xerox did is what the copier makes have done, Xerox told the dealers what their cost is when running with the PagePack program.

This sounds simple, and it is - which is the point.

As a selling professional, or owner I just want to know what the cost is - tell me what my lowest cost point is and let me price it to win. Simple.

I can not over stress this point - even HP VAR's have access to SPS costs - but the cost is wrong. Xerox made it easier to sell Page Pack, by providing a easy to understand all inclusive price structure.

I won't go into all other reasons, if your interested, you can call Xerox.

I will say this, Xerox is making it very easy to become a PagePack Partner.

And I am sure there are other manufactures either providing this or about to provide a price matrix for their dealers.

One point I want to make - the reason this program makes sense and is simple to understand is because Xerox asked their dealers what they would want. Just like we ask our prospects what they want and how they define MPS.

Bold concept.
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Dual Screens - Less Printing, and More Productivity

2009

Back in January, I picked up a little article through Jim Lyon's blog about how dual displays could reduce printing volume and increase employee productivity. 

 After assessing the print environment of a prospective client, I am considering dual monitors the main staple of future recommendations. According to a survey conducted by John Peddie Research, a 44% increase in productivity can be experienced when adding a second monitor - indeed, not just a second monitor, but large monitors. (22 inches and above) 

Also, although finding hard data points is difficult, there are many anecdotal incidents of reduced printing - one monitor displays the "print" document, email, .PDF, or any other document typically printed for reference - while the other screen is filled with core applications like Order Entry, A/R, and Microsoft suite. 

As a matter of fact, when recommending EDM systems, I have made dual monitors part of the standard, solution specifications; this makes the scan audit function much quicker. 

With falling prices, increased productivity, reduced printing, and end-user happiness - this has got to be the easiest way to win end-user acceptance - replace the local, stand-alone, single-function printer with a dual monitor. 

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