Iconic Auckland department store Smith & Caughey’s has offices spread across its main buildings, including its flagship Queen Street store and multiple floors in the building above it.
The business went to market with an RFP to assess printing suppliers when its previous deal expired. I.T. Manager Daniel Villard was most interested in having a more affordable, fit for purpose print solution, and wanted the ability to select devices best suited to the spaces they’d be in.
ICT services partner Lexel recommended Smith & Caughey’s approach Brother, and after assessing the responses, Brother was chosen as the preferred supplier.
Smith & Caughey’s 100+ staff are split across two Auckland stores, with many of them on different levels of its Queen Street building. Various departments have different printing and copying needs, and the business previously had limited ability to tailor devices for a range of users.
As a result, they had many large devices with more functionality than was needed, which made printing more expensive.
They wanted a large variety of options, which included mostly small black and white mono printers, with some larger multi-functional colour copiers. I.T. Manager Daniel Villard’s biggest priority was to customise the business’ fleet to meet the specific needs of its range of users.
Meanwhile, they’d previously found themselves bound by a 60-month contract with their old provider, complete with committed monthly print volumes. As a result, they were seeking flexibility in their new supplier.
Brother’s ability to provide a customised fleet of high-quality printers and copiers, including Konica Minolta products, immediately stood out from other providers. Not only that, but swapping devices after the contract was signed was straightforward and fair too.
This happened a few times when Smith & Caughey’s users realised they didn’t need a colour printer. They were able to switch out and get fast black and white mono laser printers without any fuss or cumbersome paperwork.
A bespoke contract term also meant Smith & Caughey’s would have more flexibility throughout the period of the contract.
By having devices that are more suited to users, Daniel says Smith & Caughey’s is saving nearly $15,000 a year in printing costs.
Each device is customised for the functionality that’s needed in the space it's in, so users have what they need and nothing more. And, because Brother printers are modular, they can easily be reconfigured if needs change.
The quality of the devices has been excellent in the first two years - Daniel says he’s logged one ticket in that time that was quickly sorted out, and there have been no breakdowns or issues to speak of.
Meanwhile the flexible contract provided peace of mind for any future changes to their printing requirements.
“We’re saving at least $1,200 a month on printing costs compared to before. We’re not a huge customer, and that’s a significant amount to me."
"I wasn’t initially going to approach Brother, but they were recommended to us, and I was surprised at how well they performed against our criteria."
"We wanted a flexible solution with access to a broader range of printers, and that’s what we’ve got. It’s a good price fit with all the functionality we need, and I can’t fault the service. I’m very happy.”
- Daniel Villard, Smith & Caughey's I.T. Manager