Case Study: University of Kentucky

A massive document management overhaul targets $22 million in savings over six years.

About University of Kentucky

The University of Kentucky (UK) is a large public institution in Lexington with nearly 30,000 students. It's comprised of a medical campus, multiple hospitals and dozens of clinics and outreach programs. Academic growth and learning are a high priority at UK, and they continually strive to partner with innovative leaders with advanced technologies to enhance efficiencies and enrich lives.

"As a community, we're committed to improving efficiencies throughout campus. It's clear we're poised to make a significant impact through the Ricoh MPS program."
Associate Director of Purchasing
University of Kentucky

The Challenge

The University of Kentucky spent about $6.7 million annually on printing — hardware, supplies, leases, maintenance, personnel and more. Such a massive workload adversely affected the environment. But the prospect of overhauling document management was daunting. In many areas, there were more devices than people. They suspected they had about 10,000 print devices, but they didn't know the exact number or usage patterns. Procurement was inefficient — which had led to 632 types of devices and more than 1,000 unique supply needs. And some devices were overworked while others remained dormant. The situation seemed too complicated to remedy.

Solution

The university issued an RFP hoping to find a partner to implement a managed print strategy. After narrowing the field to four finalists — including Ricoh — they put the providers to the test and asked for an assessment to one area on campus.

Ricoh's analysis and suggestions in a follow-up proposal clearly stood out. We were selected to provide a Managed Print Services (MPS) strategy to streamline operations, standardize equipment and supplies, and simplify processes for staff, faculty and students. The team provided:

Preventative maintenance, repairs, software upgrades, installation and training.
Procurement strategy to install new devices tailored to the unique demands of each area and its users.
Centralized network control to track activity remotely and expedite fleet maintenance.
Authentication controls in student labs and libraries for easier chargeback management and prevention of unauthorized use.

Professor and college student at laptop in classroom.

Result

The strategy and improvements were projected to save UK more than $22 million over six years, reduce energy consumption and standardize equipment and supplies. Following the pilot, word spread quickly and many departments were eager to implement the new MPS strategies, which delivered:

A price per impression plan with varied pricing for monochrome and color output.
Guaranteed service level response times, usage activity reports and simplified billing processes.
Eco-friendly initiatives to reduce paper waste, promote recycling and encourage email and paperless faxing.
Plans to implement mobile printing technology.

"Ricoh listened to us, which I believe helped them get to the actual source of the problems. It's obvious that they have experience accommodating the unique needs of higher education," said the UK Associate Director of Purchasing.

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