MPS, is it right for everyone?
I read an interesting white paper by Expert Laser Services titled, “ Purchasing Manager’s Dilemma: which costs my company more?” One big component of MPS is consolidation. When you reduce five old and outdated devices to one device you’re on track to save money as well as reduce your carbon footprint. However, this paper examined how consolidation might not always be the answer, and sometimes MPS isn’t for everyone.
In their example, there are five employees. One group has five printers and the other group has one MFD. Using HP’s online calculator they determine that the five-printer group would actually have a smaller carbon footprint. Then they estimate the human footprint. In this example, it would cost significantly less to have the five printers versus the one printer.
In the first example, I believe it is highly dependent on the printers. They used five HP 2015′s and one Xerox 230 ST. There could be many factors that affect the carbon footprint for each of these printers, so it might be comparing apples to oranges. In the second example, they acknowledge that many other factors aren’t considered like paper jams, out of paper delays and stopping to chat with co-workers on the way to the printer. Other factors I don’t think they considered are repairs, supplies and wasteful printing.
I think there are many cases where MPS isn’t right for an organization, but there are also many cases where it is. Companies shouldn’t assume that just because consolidation was the right answer for one company that it is the right answer for all. Before deciding to enter an MPS engagement, thinking through all aspects of your business is important.
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