Who Has One Billion Pages a Month Under Managed Print Services Engagements?

Toshiba, that's who.

HUH?

A well kept secret would be an understatement. Especially with the latest rash of MPS announcements grabbing headlines all over.

It's true, Toshiba knows Managed Print Services. Effectively starting real, honest to goodness Managed Print Services some six years ago. Last week and this week, Toshiba is announcing to it's dealer channel the latest iteration, Encompass 3.0.

But wait, there's more.

During the 2009 Regional summit, Mark Mathews, President and Chief Operating Officer of Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. (TABS), announced that Toshiba and HP have entered into a "Strategic Agreement". According to Mathews,

“...This will include: Special Programs, Dedicated support, Aggressive pricing, and a Full IPG product catalog of hardware and consumables...”

I am told that this Strategic Agreement will allow Toshiba to "fill the A4 holes".

Who needs Canon?

Encompass 3.0 -

I spoke with Jon Hafey, Director Program Management and Service Delivery for Toshiba Managed Print Services last week detailing out Toshiba's Encompass 3.0 program.

It's a simple story really.

Toshiba has been providing MPS programs to it's larger, enterprise, global clients. Over the years, a great deal of infrastructure has been created to support these clients.

All the processes, policies, procedures, logistics, software, support, billing, etc. have been created and improved over the years into a finely tuned machine.

Today, this machine is available to Toshiba dealers as a "Touchless" system. Which simply means, a closed, MPS ecosystem where a Toshiba dealers can "plug" into an existing MPS practice; analysis, design, pricing, implementation, monitoring, to billing.

Encompass 3.0 and the Assessment- Uber-Green

In addition to the standard, volume and click gathering, Encompass has a feature that allows the fleets carbon footprint to be monitored. And get this, it will take in to consideration the geographic location of the printer/MFP to correctly calculate Kw/hr charges.

IBM/Toshiba - The Global Service Portal

This is a dealer/customer portal allowing complete control and management of costs and fleet monitoring, 24/7/365.

Page Smart Express

This is a Fully automated either OEM or non-OEM toner replenishment program which is scalable for any size dealer or MPS engagement.

By the way - a few months ago I toured a VERY large, third-party toner manufacturing plant out here in Van Nuys. I was impressed, this was not a couple of toner filling machines in some schmoes garage.

This was a 14,000 square foot, humming, manufacturing plant. Dozens of lines and nearly as many quality control stations along those lines. Ultrasonic Lasers, their own R&D, specialized packaging, and patented, customized equipment pumping out 1,000's of cartridges a week.

MSE has the ability to custom package any of their product.
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The Toshiba managed print services program looks to be as good as any in the "infrastructure" area - and like most of the recent announcements, this program can be utilized at different levels, depending on the dealer's level of MPS commitment.

The tools are there, the philosophy is sound - it is all up to the dealers, now.

There is also Monozukuri.