At its administrative of� ces in Nordhorn, the rural dis-

trict council of Grafschaft Bentheim now uses 70 multi-

function printers (MFPs) of the Sharp MX-2301N and

MX-B381 model series. Also, the Sharp Open System

Architecture (OSA) enables various software tools to

be integrated into this printer environment in order to

meet the many functional demands of the district admin-

istration, thereby providing the basis for comprehensive

hardware consolidation and process optimization.

Managed Print ServicesEverything from a single source with Sharp MFPs

Over time, in the offi ces of the Grafschaft Bentheim district council in Nordhorn, a complex environment consisting mainly of local monochrome and colour printers had evolved; in addition, there were numerous scan-ning stations in individual offi ces, fax machines for different departments and copiers of different capacity classes. In the fi eld of printers alone, 48 different device types existed. Monitoring and maintenance had become a real headache for the in-house IT department. Purchases of consuma-bles were decentralized and unmonitored; well-meaning bargain buys frequently turned out to have negative effects on the capability and service life of the equipment. “You would not believe the quantities of consumables and stocks of toners that we found in some offi ces when we deinstalled the old devices,” says Hans-Georg Mers, IT Manager of the Grafschaft Bentheim district council.

With the aid of an expert consultant, an integrated printing concept was developed for the administration, in order to achieve the much-needed consolidation of its hardware fl eet. After a European-wide competitive tender, the project was awarded to Sharp partners IBS Bürosysteme of Münster. Sharp systems technology enabled IBS to offer a complete solution. With the Open System Architecture (OSA) from Sharp and the integration of various software solutions by IBS for e.g. authentication and rules based printing, the requirements of the council, ranging from accounting to follow-me printing, could be satisfi ed. This comprehensive package of solutions was the clinching argument that fi nally won the contract. An additional tender for the purchase of appropriate accoun-ting software was now no longer necessary for the council; the hardware, software and all services are supplied from the same source.

Within a very short time, IBS had installed the new MFPs. Workstation prin-ters were generally replaced by the Sharp MX-B381 A4 monochrome systems, which were set up centrally on the lan-dings on each fl oor of the council buil-ding. These systems met with high ac-ceptance from employees, because they are fast and multifunctional. For jobs requiring colour, the Sharp MX-2301N A3 colour systems were installed. All these devices are fi tted with a card reader, which requires employees to authenticate their identity with a chip card in order to be allowed to work on the device or to collect their print jobs.

Eigenständiges Nachschlagen im elektronischen Wörterbuch fördert den Unter-richts� uss und hilft beim Vokabellernen.

Employees authenticate their identity with a chip card in order to collect their print jobs.

Central MFP on the corridor of the district council of� ce.

IBS of� ce systems installed 70 Sharp MFPs in the administrative district of� ce of the county of Bentheim.

Since this chip card was already used before for logging access and at-tendance times, the new method does not involve any major disruptive change for the employees. By contrast, they benefi t from the fact that, with rules based printing, print jobs can now be commanded from any device, thereby protecting confi dential documents from unauthorized eyes. “One major advantage for staff is the high functionality of the printers. The Scan To Mail function and the high colour availability are also very popular with staff,” explains Hans-Georg Mers. “Due to the high number of MFPs in relation to the overall staff, the employees had no diffi culty accepting that they could do without their own workplace printer in the offi ce.”

Many MFPs on the landings are also equipped with built-in fax function. This feature too had a positive effect on the overall equipment stock. Overall, a hardware consolidation ratio of 1:3 was achieved. This con-solidation not only leads to savings on purchase costs but also in daily running, with lower electricity consumption and reduced administrative complexity for the in-house IT department. The problem of consumables is also a thing of the past, because IBS Bürosysteme is responsible for all service and maintenance tasks. With the software solution adopted, the need to keep advance stocks of toner in the individual departments has been entirely eliminated. When necessary, toner is ordered centrally at the printer location and directly delivered by IBS logistics, thereby pre-venting any hoarding of toner cartridges etc. in separate offi ces.

It is highly likely that the originally estimated Return On Investment of 20 % per year will be far exceeded. This performance is particularly plea-sing to Hans-Georg Mers, who managed this project. The in-house IT department of the district council also benefi ts from the new solution. For example, printing failures are no longer the top priority, due to the availability of back-up systems through device redundancies, and many problems can now be solved by remote maintenance using Sharp’s own fl eet management software SRDM (Sharp Remote Device Manager). If necessary, faults can be remedied on-site by IBS service engineers.

Another helpful feature is the Accounting and Controlling Software. Whereas, in the past, no one knew exactly the extent of the document fl ow in each individual department, now ad hoc reports and overviews are simple to generate.

“With the new system, we have made an important advance towards intelligent paper output; that means streamlining, the reduction of technical complexity and energy savings. In addition to the improved ef� ciency, we should also emphasize the ecolo-gical aspect of this solution. This is Green IT in actual practice,” concludes Hans-Georg Mers, IT Manager, Grafschaft Bentheim.Further steps are planned; for example, the council in Nordhorn is already in contact with IBS Bürosysteme for a document management solution that will enable employees to scan documents directly from the Sharp MFPs into the existing digital archives of the administration. This system would then enable the council to eliminate a large number of small workstation scanners.

Grafschaft BentheimGrafschaft Bentheim – the “County of Bentheim” – is located in the south-western part of Lower Saxony on the German-Dutch border. It covers an area of about 98,000 hectares. The current population is about 135,500. The district council in Nordhorn currently employs about 650 people. The administrative board of the district consists of chief administrative offi cer Friedrich Kethorn, chief district offi cer Hans-Werner Schwarz and district offi cer Uwe Fietzek. www.grafschaft-bentheim.de

IBS Bürosysteme, Karl Isfort GmbH & Co. KGThe family fi rm IBS Bürosysteme Karl Isfort GmbH & Co. was founded in Münster in 1966. From the outset, the company‘s business activities as offi ce specialists combined compe-titive prices with extensive consulting and close-proximity customer service. By its 30-year anniversary, the services of the company were systematically expanded: the IBS Logistics Centre, with more than 5000 square metres of storage space, ensures smooth delivery ser-vice throughout the Federal Republic of Germany. In addition to e-procurement, the centre‘s qualifi ed team of 30 also proposes DMS and MPS services. Approximately 180 people are today employed at the company’s head offi ce in Münster, and the group as a whole employs approximately 250 people. www.ibs-buerosysteme.de

Sharp Electronics (Europe) GmbHSharp Electronics (Europe) GmbH, based in Hamburg, is a subsidiary of Sharp Corporation in Osaka, Japan. The company has been the head offi ce for European business since 1968 and, as such, manages Sharp’s operations in Germany and Austria. Sharp is among the world’s leading developers and manufacturers of LCD technology and digital core technologies which play a signifi cant role in innovative electronic products for private and business use. Sharp has set itself the goal of improving people’s quality of life through its use of modern technology and its commitment to innovation, quality, value and design. www.sharp.eu

Sharp Electronics GermanySharp Electronics (Europe) GmbH Company domiciled in Hamburg

Sonninstraße 3 • 20097 HamburgTel.: (040) 23 76-0 • Fax: (040) 23 76-27 60

www.Sharp.eu

Your questions will be answered byStefanie Schünhoff • Public RelationsPhone: +49 (0)40 2376-25 77E-Mail: stefanie.schuenhoff@sharp.eu