Printing is an essential function in almost every business. Whether high-speed line printing, high quality colour in the design studio or fast deskside laser documents required by executives, companies all require dependable equipment that performs as and when required.
What Pioneer Foods discovered is that reliable and high-performance printers are just the first step in the equation: equally important is a sound backup structure, which includes parts, consumables and technical support. That`s why it turned to Printacom, its reseller Dimension Data and Oki printers to take care of its needs after two other suppliers let it down.
Pioneer Foods is a significant player in the food and beverage industries in southern Africa and a prominent global exporter, with revenue in 2010 of R8 billion.
Financial manager at the company Tinus Crozier points out that printing is a critical part of the effective functioning of a wide range of business processes, not the least of which is the preparation of invoices and delivery notes. He says the organisation initially relied upon Tally Genicom for these line printers.
"However, when this company went into Chapter 11 protection in the United States and subsequently into liquidation, we no longer had the support necessary to keep the machines running," Crozier explains. "And since a printed invoice and delivery note is a vital aspect of the business, this was a situation which had to be remedied."
It was at this juncture, he explains, that Pioneer Foods moved to Oki line printers as recommended by Dimension Data. "Not only were the Oki machines capable of meeting the demands of this function, but we had a level of assurance in terms of the channel structure, with additional support available from the distributor, Printacom," Crozier says.
As a national business, he says it is reassuring to have a Printacom presence in all the major centres of the country; the Pioneer Foods head office is located in Cape Town, but it has major depots in Johannesburg, Durban and other key cities.
With its dot-matrix needs now well under control, Crozier says the existing supplier of its laser printers became unpredictable. "One minute the supply was fine, the next we hear they were scaling down and are unable to provide the appropriate level of support or even sufficient printers to meet our needs. The next thing we hear they are scaling back up again. Either way, that sort of unpredictability just isn`t good enough when dealing with machines that are essential for the smooth running of our business," he explains.
Noting that Printacom had stepped into the breach very well with its dot-matrix products, Crozier says it was an obvious step to evaluate its laser printing solutions.
The result delivered even more than expected.
"On trialling the mono lasers, we`ve discovered not only that Oki machines are very capable of meeting our needs, but the cost of ownership is really well below what we had become accustomed to in the last," Crozier enthuses.
He singles out the BE430N laser for specific praise. "This machine comes in at a very good price; we are using them at a number of our sites and are greatly impressed with the low cost and high performance of these printers."
Printacom regional channel manager Lina Cardoso-Pieterse says its clients, Pioneer Foods included, recognise the necessity of a structured value-chain behind their printing solutions. "They also appreciate the three-year warranty, which comes standard with all Oki machines. That warranty is a reflection of the quality of the design and build of every Oki. It`s also a demonstration of our confidence that the machine is where reliability in a print environment starts - but it certainly doesn`t stop there."
The confidence of knowing that he has the backing of a well-organised, structured channel is of considerable importance to Crozier. "In dealing with Printacom and its reseller Dimension Data, we`ve benefited from a print environment that is easier to manage, since it is single-vendor, and which is supported to a very high level. In short, our printing needs are very neatly taken care of."
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