Managed Print Services and World Domination

It has been a long time since I have had any desire or perhaps any reason to write about MPS. I have felt that talking about the subject is beyond the dead horse.

I have always believed there are those who do it right and those who do it wrong.

That it is essentially simple.

For months now I have not chimed in about this industry or the players within it and for the most part, I had no intentions of doing so.

In light of reflecting on the past year, this has changed.

I can not ignore the fact that chaos is breaking out across political, military and social dynamics in many of the worlds super powers and smaller countries alike. Terrorist attacks and the horrors of gun related tragedy are commonly found in the headlines of both mainstream and alternative news networks daily content.

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The world is burning...

So what does this all have to do with managed print services?

Control and dominance.

As MPS evolves, the enterprise level players push BPO, print volume caps, excessive monitoring and auditing and various other dynamics on end users so that the share holders and CEOs of massive corporations can squeeze every last cent out of a previously ignored element of these companies expenditures.

While this is not always the case, nor is it always done with an iron fist, I can not help but to notice how some of these tactics have a very "police state" feel to them.

Treating end-users like commodities that can be regulated like products tends to create a tense work environment...

I for one have quoted a few software's that allow end users weekly printing volumes to be capped or limited to monochrome only. When I quote such a product I ask the decision maker how comfortable they will be as the point of contact to the angered and frustrated end users who's jobs have been complicated by their actions.

This always tends to prevent a purchase of said software because all the clients who asked for the quote quickly back pedal after this question is asked.

Buy Recycled Toner Cartridges 

As an MPS provider who's foundation are built upon high quality re-manufactured toner cartridges, my company's CPC rates are enough to save large accounts thousands of dollars.

The aformentioned surveillance state like elements that create a dictator out of a CEO or VP of IT tend to strike the heart of my clients and so far, none have gone so far as to place these restrictions on their end users but I wonder about the enterprise accounts of some of the OEMs...

It is clear that large corporations are largely in control of various elements of the united states government and that money above all else (including people) is the driving force for these problems.

It is the same force that leads the hand of men and women in powerful positions of corporations who would become the gestapo of the printing environment in their company.

Now don't get me wrong, I understand that end users occasional printing of full color photos of their kids birthday to post in their cubicle, coupons, emails, etc. is something that should be brought under some control...

That being said, I personally think a company wide proclamation from the president via email (or other form of communication) to the employee base as a whole (the content of which puts emphasis on environmental sustainability and financial effect) would be more effective and less likely to cause strife.

Some may think these ideas are extreme and that it is nonsense to assume this is happening on any level of concern what so ever. This is not what I have found...

What I have learned from watching humanity from my perspective as a human being is that once a tendency for a dynamic is enacted in one part of a system, you can expect the same dynamic to appear else-ware. Now, should the motivation of that dynamic be the all mighty dollar, you will most certainly find that dynamic spreading across the system as a whole should the decision maker in charge of said system be primarily concerned with profit over all else.

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The managed print industry has been a catalyst for many things. I am under the opinion that it can be used as a lens to view the world...

From where I sit I will say this, If the elite of both the world and the MPS industry take control of the majority of either...

Endgame...

This is why I would implore customers more than ever to do business with small providers as much as possible. Choose the local companies who care more about people than pennies. Support small business even if it must be multiple small businesses to cover your fleet across states or countries. Even if it means some logistical challenges.

At the end of the day if all you are doing is saving is money, your not really saving anything. In this respect, I would suggest a revolution in dividing the MPS market across smaller providers rather than consolidating them through larger corporations.

There is enough opportunity for everyone and there needs to be change in the system otherwise it will collapse.

In closing I will repeat my sentiment...

MPS can be used as a lens, what do you see when you look through it?

We Closed The Loop

From the Telegram and Gazette:

"SOUTHBRIDGE — Expert Laser Services, based in Southbridge, has long been an environmental champion since its inception as "Expert Laser Recycling" in 1990. But, until recently, there has always been a missing link in the recycling chain.

"Our process always made us 'the greenest of the green' when it came to toner cartridge recycling," claims company president Mike Carpentier. "Cartridge cores are routinely turned 8 to 10 times in our system. Most programs—even global manufacturer-based programs—get only a single re-use of cores, then they are shipped off to a landfill."

"Still, like every remanufacturer, we eventually found ourselves having to toss cartridge cores into the trash. There was simply no way to recycle them. Konica Minolta's Clean Planet Recycling Program changed that. They've closed the recycling loop for us. Now we can recycle all major consumables — including toner cartridges, imaging units, waste toner bottles, developer units and drums." 

Read the whole article here.

Destroy Your Printer Contest 3, Winner!

Voting has ended, the public has spoken...

This years destroy your printer video contest winner is Eric Morse of Sturbridge, Massachusetts.

Eric took things to a new level of printer destruction with this bold and humorous car jump. While needing a second attempt as seen in the video, the later launch drove the defunct copier into an airborne trajectory resulting in one of the most over the top entries this contest series has ever seen.

Eric has chosen to donate his winnings (both the $100 and the two toner cartridges) to a local non-profit close to the heart of many folks in our area.

The Center of Hope, a charitable foundation which helps people with various disabilities will receive this years winnings.

WBJ "Family Owned Business" Awards

Expert Laser Services has been nominated for the Worcester Business Journals "Family Owned Business" Award.

See below...

What is your company’s mission and how does it reflect your family’s values?

Expert Laser Services began in the founder’s home and has always maintained a work environment not unlike a well run home. Ours is an employee-owned company, and that fact truly accentuates our identity as a “Family Business.” Indeed employee-ownership is a fitting capstone for a strong, growing company which is absolutely anchored in family values.

Family has always been first in the eyes of founder and controlling stock-holder Luke Carpentier, and he brought that attitude with him to work. Luke treats employees like family. He assumes truly paternal responsibility toward the ones who work for him. He offers second and third chances the way any loving parent would to a wayward child. He would forego his own paycheck and increase his own workload rather than lay anyone off.

So, when Luke began considering his own retirement and next directions, like a “papa bear” he concerned himself with his “brood,” his employees. If he sold the company, the Southbridge headquarters would likely be moved elsewhere. Some of us would not be able to move with the job. Others might lose our positions through the new owner’s desire to consolidate the administration of their new asset.

Luke’s answer? — Keep it in “the family!”

Through a long process with significant expense, Luke enabled the Expert Laser family to buy the business for ourselves. Luke himself stayed on as Chief Executive Officer (spending the majority of his time in our South Carolina office) and his elder son Michael took over as President, running the business up here. So the Carpentier family influence persists.

Out of that fertile soil of family values and blossoming employee-ownership, our company framed a mantra that we call, “Beyond Wow!” —

“As employee-owners we have made a conscious decision to grow our company through our existing customer-base. By concentrating on present clients and by continually enhancing our levels of service to them, we intend to so completely spoil our customers that they will enthusiastically provide a constant stream of referrals. “

That mantra is an out-growth of the three foundational principles upon which Luke Carpentier established the business:

Produce quality. Sell at a fair price. Stand behind the product.

These three guiding rules embody a single, constant focus on pleasing the customer before, during and after the sale. Every member of the Expert Laser family honors our “family name” by striving to “wow” our customers.

What is your company’s history? How was it started and how has it changed over time?

By the end of the 1980’s the desktop revolution had changed everything about the way America does business. Computers on every desktop became linked to printers in every cubicle. With the rapid expansion of information distribution came a collateral rise in printing headaches. How efficiently can I operate them? Where do I buy toner? How many copies should this cartridge yield? Who do I call for service?

Changes were happening in the general public as well. As a nation we began awakening to our responsibility toward our environment. Recycling programs and resource-saving ideas gathered momentum. These parallel movements gave rise to a new industry: Toner Cartridge Remanufacturing.

Expert Laser Services was established in that exciting atmosphere of dynamic change. From the early years, working out of owner Luke Carpentier’s home, three foundational principles would remain constant:

Produce quality. Sell at a fair price. Stand behind the product.

Those principles and the remanufactured products themselves were quickly embraced by the business community. They are still the mainstay of the Expert Laser organization. The original plant has grown into a first-class remanufacturing and service facility in Southbridge. At the same time, prototype service and supply programs were developed to meet the ever-expanding imaging requirements of businesses both small and large, but those bedrock principles remain.

Today Expert Laser provides the full range of imaging solutions: copiers, laser printers, fax and multi-functional devices; wide-format graphics and engineering printers; scanners; remanufactured toner cartridges; and a trademarked printer fleet management program, PrintDOME. The company has a Massachusetts plant plus a smaller office and production facility in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

Even after twenty-one remarkable years, Expert Laser Services remains a growing family.

How does being a family-owned business make your company special?

Each Expert Laser employee feels like a family member. Each of us relates to Mike and Luke Carpentier on an individual basis, very like in a family. No one needs an “intermediary.” The bosses’ doors are always open.

And the feeling travels in the opposite direction as well. The bosses treat every employee with a respect which can be well characterized as familial. Redirects and corrections are invariably delivered in a tone of helping an employee go forward, improve and get stronger. In that regard, the Carpentiers have consistently supported the personal growth of employees, paying for or subsidizing a wide range of educational opportunities.

Not surprisingly, employee after employee has brought their natural family into the Expert Laser family. Son-in-laws, brothers, three father-son tandems—relatives are everywhere! Ours is a family composed of different families coming together. Luke even became the God-father for the first child born to an Expert Laser employee.

When an employee was stricken with bone marrow cancer in December 2009, the company took him under its wing like a mother hen with her chick. The Carpentiers made sure that their leukemia victim—and his wife and kids—had all the support he needed in every aspect of his battle. Now that employee has been cancer-free for nearly a year and is back with "the family," working part-time again and eagerly anticipating his return to full duty.

Expert Laser is a special place—personal closeness, transparency, discipline with a goal of strengthening, nurturing, encouraging. It feels very special to work here. It feels like family.

How is your company involved in the community? Include the names of family members and their community involvement?

Founder Luke Carpentier was a Lion for several years in his home town of Southbridge, serving a term as President. The company continues to support Lions Club events and activities as well as other important local charities such as the local chapter of the American Cancer Society.

President Mike Carpentier enjoys signing donation checks to a variety of worthwhile community groups. Mike himself has been involved with MDA, spending time in “jail” (on company time) for the cause, as has CFO Eric Willard.

Probably the best way Expert Laser participates in the community is by enabling individual employees to participate in their charities of choice. The company routinely accommodates a whole range of volunteerism from Foodshare Radio-thons to coaching for local sports teams.

One final way the Expert Laser family touches our communities is through employee-involvement in many area churches. If the old saying is true and “The family that prays together, stays together,” well, Expert Laser is going to be around a long time! Many employees are very active in church outreaches and ministries.

That’s Expert Laser Services, a very different, very special, family-sort-of-place to work.

Truth and Toner

A couple months back I posted an article by guest blogger Amanda Brand of the Go-Green N' Save Blog about the fate of e-waste, notably toner cartridges. The article which cast light upon one dark area of the "green movement" was educational and indeed, a good pitch at potential customers why they should switch to re-manufactured toner cartridges over OEM. The post hit hard showcasing the sad truth that many recycling companies choose to sell toner cartridges and other such e-waste to Chinese "recyclers". In all honesty much of this waste ends up in the streets, rivers, and virtually any open space in the town of Guiyu, China (and other similar communities around the world). Children play upon heaps of old computers, broken monitors, circuit boards, wires, toner cartridges and a whole universe of junk technology. Fires spewing black smoke into the air burning away plastic so that folks can sell the precious metals inside for whatever they can get fill the air with toxic fumes.

As a marketing professional it was a no-brainer. Like a hungry journalist I jumped at the opportunity to not only help Amanda get an audience for her post through our blog, something which in theory would benefit us both (she was kind enough to return the favor and post one of my articles with links on her blog) but also to use this information to hopefully capture new customers for our own line of re-manufactured toner cartridges which at the end of their life are fully recycled here in the USA at our own plant in Southbridge, MA.

In that respect I realize that marketing and advertising is not unlike sorcery in many ways. We are paid to combine colors and symbolic images into ads, videos and or other such mediums with the intent to manifest emotional reactions from people that will aid in our quest to get them to buy our products. I am fortunate to work for a company like Expert Laser Services who actually provides a green product that not only saves our customers money, but when the product fully loses its use and profitability, it is in fact fully recycled and the fate of such waste is guaranteed not to be Guiyu, China or for that matter, the landfill in your community. This can not be said for all companies and I would advise you to be weary of messages that make you feel warm and fuzzy and also be sure to check out the company behind any slick marketing piece.

With that being said I would implore you to please do your homework. Many companies talk the good talk but only in the spirit of financial gain. A little digging may help you have a clear conscience when it comes to your own actions in regards to what you do with that spent cartridge, cell phone, computer etc. Sure, the small town of Guiyu, China is a world away, but if it was your child playing in a heap broken metal, plastic and glass surely you would think twice about who you give your e-waste to. A little poking around, a phone call, and a quick web search may help you find a recycler who can truly stand upon the integrity they claim to have.

New England Landfills Thank ELS!

What did our customers ever do for New England’s landfills?

Expert Laser Services customers have directly contributed to the duration of the landfills, not only in their own local towns, but also in Expert Laser’s home town of Southbridge as well. Within the decade the Southbridge landfill is expected to be one of only 8 active in Massachusetts receiving municipal solid waste! The town is quite proud of that fact, and Expert Laser’s customers can share in that pride. Each customer does their part to reclaim reusable materials, lessoning the impact on our landfill. Folks often wonder whether they really make any difference. Well ...

Their efforts made a difference.

The issue is laser toner cartridges. Hundreds of millions of cartridges go into dumps every year ... and the total is growing by about 12% annually! Imagine literal mountains of black, non-biodegradable, hard plastic cartridges. Well, over the past 19 years our managed print services customers are directly responsible for keeping between 100,000 and a quarter million cartridges out of our respective landfills! Since they require literally hundreds of years to decompose, even our great grandkids will appreciate it!

Most dumps quickly begin looking like ... well, dumps.

But the photo on the front panel is an actual picture of the Town Landfill in Southbridge, so you know that someone’s making a difference. At Expert Laser’s Southbridge plant we remanufacture about 1,000 cartridges per month. All parts are reused first and remanufactured as needed. Boxes, cardboard, packaging materials—everything is reclaimed as much as possible.

How “green” are we, really?

With O.E.M. manufacturers the routine is that cartridge cores are never brokendown completely. They are re-used most often just once, then discarded. Think about that: they are reused once only; it’s all done overseas saving THEIR landfills, with the work done by their workers driving THEIR economy. With Expert Laser your toner might actually rival the 9 lives of your favorite tabby! Cartridges will be remanufactured up to 8 or 10 times before finally reaching our “junkpile.” Of course, with Expert Laser even then the plastic is not just “dumped!” We have identified recycling resources for even the base cores and “non-recyclable” plastic tubes. The work is done right here in Massachusetts at our plant, bolstering our own economy. What’s more, the bottom line environmentally is that with your help we are keeping at least ...

12,000 toner cartridges per year out of our landfills!

One final shocker: Each cartridge equates chemically to two quarts of oil. So our customers are enabling us to keep the equivalent of 6,000 gallons of oil per year out of our precious landfills!

6,000 gallons of oil in our dumps is not a pretty sight.

Think about the difference that simply reusing cores makes: • Each and every new laser toner cartridge requires about two quarts of oil to manufacture! • Worldwide about 70% of used cartridges are simply trashed. • Every discarded cartridge adds about 3-1/2 pounds of solid waste to our dumps! • Every cartridge takes up to 450 years to decompose! • Reusing cores and remanufacturing cartridges cuts these numbers by up to 80%!

Can you imagine a mountain of 100,000 toner cartridges!?

Expert Laser Services is doing even more to make those mountains of cartridges into environmentally-friendly “molehills.” In co-operation with a regional environmental leader, Expert Laser Services has developed a system whereby we recycle virtually every piece of a toner cartridge.

Doesn’t “environment-friendly” imply “poor quality”?

In the early days of the recycling movement, businesses often had to settle for lesser quality if they wanted to use “green” products. That was never the case with Expert Laser Services. From our inception, top quality has been the top priority. The result was the development of a detailed and unique remanufacturing process. At our Southbridge plant every cartridge we receive undergoes a rigorous 7-step process of remanufacture before being boxed and loaded out to our trucks for another round of business productivity:

1. Our technicians do a complete disassembly of each cartridge.

2. Our eyes and hands examine each component—removing, inspecting, and either cleaning or replacing parts as necessary.

3. Left-over toner is completely purged (never re-used) in our state-of-the-art suction workstations, pulling the spent toner not into the air but into secure disposal units.

4. The cartridge’s toner hopper is refilled, matching original equipment manufacturer (O.E.M.) specifications.

5. Each refilled cartridge is professionally reassembled.

6. The exterior of each cartridge is wiped clean and relabeled as needed.
7. Every cartridge is print-tested for quality then repackaged (we even utilize reused or recycled packing materials).

Ultimately every customer using our cartridges benefits from fewer defects, and, at the same time, we all benefit! We even save money! That’s a rare bonus—dramatically cutting overall expenses while doing the right thing. It’s the reality for Expert Laser’s customers. Our managed print services customers routinely pay less than 2¢ per print including toner, routine maintenance, emergency service—everything. Sound like the best of both worlds to you? Well, that’s exactly what we offer.

Why recycle toner cartridges?

Below is a list of facts regarding toner cartridges. This list is intended to open your eyes to the harmful effects not recycling toner cartridges has on the earth. It is my hope that you will also realize how easy it is to recycle toner cartridges and how much money you can save by buying remanufactured toner cartridges.

· About 8 toner cartridges per second are thrown away in the US alone.

· About 70% of all used cartridges are trashed.

· Every remanufactured cartridge keeps 3.5 pounds of waste out of our dumps.

· Toner cartridges take hundreds of years to decompose.

· Remanufacturing reduces pollution of dumping and incineration of cartridges.

· Remanufactured toner cartridges cost 20-40% less than OEM toner cartridges.

· Remanufactured cartridges run equal to or better than OEM cartridges.

· Remanufactured toner cartridges are 100% fully recycled.

· Expert Laser Services will pick up your empty toner cartridges for FREE.

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Remanufactured Toner Cartridges

When the person in charge of buying toner for your office heads out to make a purchase, they have two options available to them. They can buy a brand new OEM toner cartridge which is expensive but can be expected to run perfectly out of the box or they can buy a remanufactured toner cartridge which for the most part will be significantly cheaper but according to some likely to give you unexpected print results. How can you know if its worth buying the remanufactured cartridge? By looking into the company that makes them and the customers who buy them. A good company will supply you with a list of customers if you express interest in their product and by getting said list you can do a little homework to see if their product is worth spending your money on. A few good questions to ask about the product include, how many businesses are buying remanufactured toner cartridges from this company? What businesses are buying remanufactured toner cartridges from this company? Are these businesses return customers? When a remanufactured toner cartridge does malfunction how does the company compensate the customer for their troubles? When you find that the feedback to these questions is positive you can generally feel good about buying the remanufactured toner cartridges. If you need more peace of mind you can always check to see if the company is registered with the Better Business Bureau and check to see what their rating is in addition to being able to read customer reviews.

"Go Green" and SAVE money!?

Often times in these days of "global warming" and the growing concern about our environment, going green is an idea and philosophy that is being implemented in many different ways in many different industries around the world. However most CEO's despite their personal feelings on the subject have one thing on their mind when considering if they too should in fact "go green". How much will this cost, and can we make profit from doing such a thing? Indeed the cornucopia of ways to go green is expanding everyday, the thing is sometimes it costs money to move ahead with such an endeavor and sometimes said expense is more than a company may want to invest. However there are companies such as the company I work for ( and share in ownership as to how it is an ESOP ) that offer a service which truly is green and truly saves you money. Here at Expert Laser Services we remanufacture toner cartridges that are equal to if not above the quality of OEM cartridges and offer them to you at a fraction of the price of an OEM cartridge. These cartridges are reused many times before they are broken down and fully recycled. Since 1990 Expert Laser Services has provided top quality remanufactured cartridges in addition to laser printers, multifunctionals and copiers as well as service and supply programs to keep them running and save the customer time and money. From Brown University to AAA of Southern New England and many small and large businesses in between, Expert Laser Services has saved many companies from spending too much money and too much time managing printing costs. By buying our quality cartridges and or signing up for our PrintDOME service supply program, you will save significant amounts of money and will be helping to save our landfills and environment from thousands of pounds of solid waste which take hundreds of years to decompose.