Orders flood in

Horizons: Canotec’s Ben Elmore, second from right, explains the bottom-line benefits of the imageRUNNER Advance at the iconic Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth

Orders are flooding in following Canotec’s highly successful roadshows in London, Portsmouth and Bristol as switched-on customers strive towards even greater efficiencies.

New-generation multifunctional devices from manufacturer Canon - the imageRUNNER Advance series - were showcased to critical acclaim from clients keen to enhance cost savings and reduce their carbon footprint by dramatically reducing print volumes.

Representatives of dozens of large companies attended the invitation-only events, including household names from the retail, financial, legal and defence sectors, as they look to further enhance document management efficiencies through the new devices and associated software.

A number of them are now in discussions with Canotec, one of Canon’s top 10 UK resellers, about deploying the integrated network devices as a crucial part of a less-paper future where information flows digitally.

Canotec director David Newman said: “Canon’s new imageRUNNER Advance range offers faster image and data processing along with new levels of integration, manageability and serviceability – it really is the business.

“The reaction from our clients and potential clients to this cutting-edge product – the digital copiers’ version of i-Tunes - has been nothing short of astonishing because it is so user friendly.

“Our six roadshows in November 2009 attracted 140 decision makers hard-wired to look at return on investment and measurable advantages, with orders generated on the back of what we showed them.

“For example, London-based diamonds giant De Beers and Bristol-based Chartwell Group, a financial solutions specialist, signed up after attending.”

“It is a glowing endorsement of our offering, especially when you consider that budgets in all companies are under intense scrutiny in the worst economic downturn since the Second World War.

“Each spend has to be justified to the zenith degree, so the pipeline orders on the back of our roadshows indicate that procurers are incredibly confident they can drive down operational costs through Canotec whilst increasing productivity and efficiency.”

Clients and suppliers are also increasingly asking to do business with companies that actively implement green measures.

According to figures, the average UK office worker uses 1,584 sheets of paper a month – equivalent to two trees per person annually - while a third of documents are printed, read and then thrown away.

David added: “The real savings are made at user level, and our devices are empowering users so they can make a positive eco-difference whilst eliminating duplication and other inefficiencies.

“For instance, one of our clients in London, a high street retail chain, experienced a massive reduction in printed documents after we installed software that previews the original orders in the queue and prompts the user to see if they actually need to push the print button.

“In the space of three months half a million print orders were cancelled, saving thousands of pounds in associated printing costs - the environmental benefits of this simple ‘double-check’ system are immense.

“We are consistently saving between 20%-40% across projects, with our recommendations delivering millions of pounds in combined savings for our clients, and Canon’s new imageRUNNER Advance range will underpin this even further.”