OKI case study – ABSA

The challenge

At the time, each of the four banks had different platforms and used different technology. The challenge was to find a suitable solution that would unify all four banks and be sustainable for at least the first five years.

With some of the banks not having teller printing facilities prior to the amalgamation, the solution also had to be user-friendly for staff acclimatising to new technology.

The selected bank teller platform required a high-impact printer that would be able to accept multiple paper sizes for front feed and return. It also needed to be capable of using indelible ink, printing triplicate carbon copies and printing complete cheques without tearing 30% during the printing process.

The solution

To begin the process, ABSA Bank approached all the different printer companies involved with the four banks. “Our technology partner at the time recommended that OKI be included in the request,” said Harry van Staden, Operations Manager at ABSA. “Based on functionality, support, cost and scalability, the project team compiled a shortlist consisting of three printers, including the OKI ML6300FB, a custom-built financial printer and a third solution from another well-known printer vendor.”

The three options were subject to an extensive evaluation, which saw the custom-built solution eliminated based on lack of scalability and too large a footprint on the desk. On final evaluation, OKI’s ML6300FB ticked all the boxes and ultimately topped all seven evaluation categories, including functionality, suitability, price, scalability, support and maintenance, ease of use and low noise levels. OKI printers are now deployed at approximately 9 000 teller workstations throughout the bank, and the ML6300FB is the only impact printer used by the bank in the past 27 years.

The benefits

Thanks to OKI, ABSA Bank now benefits from ease of maintenance through OKI’s renowned reliability and it is able to freely move staff between banks, thanks to their familiarity with the common technology. Furthermore, the bank is able to protect its market share with a high level of customer service experienced at each teller station. The banking group has also achieved significant cost savings when it comes to reliably printing documents, statements, cheques and other materials every day.

“Based on cost, in the three years of implementation, ABSA saved R18 million by choosing OKI over the other print solutions. In addition, the average time between print failures is more than 160% better than competitor models,” explains Van Staden. “OKI is able to provide us with continued assistance to our teller services, while remaining the safe and secure printing option.”

The future

The bank has been satisfied with the speed, reliability, quality and diverse capabilities of OKI’s teller station devices for nearly three decades and it intends to continue its relationship with OKI for as long as it can. “We began this relationship over 27 years ago and we’re continually impressed with OKI’s service. We’ve certainly found value in implementing the ML6300FB across our branches and would only consider a different option should impact printing cease to be a valid requirement. The bank will not hesitate to engage OKI should the need arise,” says Van Staden.