Comfortdelgro Cabcharge (CDC)

In 2005, ComfortDelgro and Cabcharge (CDC) acquired the businesses and assets of the largest bus operator, the Westbus group in Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales. This venture marked ComfortDelgro’s entry into the Australian market and since this time CDC has grown its business throughout Australia. In New South Wales, CDC is the largest private bus operator with a fleet of 1,273 buses (as of October 2012). It operates the Hillsbus, Westbus, Deane’s bus lines and Hunter Valley bus services with 15 depots and over 2,400 employees across Australia. 

By switching to Kyocera's technology we have saved 40 percent on our total monthly cost per copy fee.

- John Mouawad, IT Manager, ComfortDelGro Cabcharge

Challenges and Solutions

	Reliability To lower maintenance costs			Cost management MPS solution with single, highly competetive cost per copy charge (CPC) across entire fleet that reduced TCO significantly
	Cost To reduce the Total Cost of Ownership of document equipment			Device management Kyocera’s net admin software streamlining meter reading and toner fulfilment
	Compatibility To deliver a solution to a tight timeline with minimal disruption			Compatibility and usability Training of all employees on a simplified fleet with uniform operations and control panels
	Usability Ensuring devices are easy to operate by all employees

Key objectives

The bus operator was looking to implement a solution quickly with as little disruption to employees and business operations as possible with key goals:

• Reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) of their document equipment

• Gain better control of document devices

• Simplification of the fleet across 15 site locations

• Ensuring the fleet is easy to operate by all employees

• Less waste and environmental costs

The challenge

Prior to 2010, CDC had deployed other vendors’ equipment throughout their facilities in New South Wales. CDC decided to evaluate their print requirements and replace their existing fleet with the latest print devices and technologies, as they were nearing obsolescence and too costly to run and maintain. CDC had many different models across 15 separate locations which were proving difficult to manage. In addition, CDC did not have the right mix of equipment to meet their needs; with numerous devices rarely utilised, in particular their costly A3 devices. The main objective was to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) of their equipment and gain better control of document devices. Due to the busy work environment at CDC, it was essential the chosen vendor implement the solution quickly - over five days - with as little disruption to employees and business operations as possible.

The solution

Kyocera’s straightforward approach and professional account management was a key attraction for CDC. After a six month evaluation process, from a short list of six vendors, Kyocera was selected to provide a Managed Print Solution (MPS) for CDC across their 15 sites in New South Wales. CDC was looking for a vendor with strong green credentials, in view of that, Kyocera’s long drum life and ECOSYS® technology, which sets the standard in sustainability, were distinct advantages. Kyocera’s intuitive control panel and pre-programming, for an out-of-the-box solution, fulfilled the paramount requirement for equipment that was easy to use so CDC’s IT department didn’t have to spend extensive time training staff.

In recommending the tailored solution to CDC, Kyocera also conducted an audit of their document equipment and its usage, Kyocera identified that CDC had a large number of A3 devices, even though A3 printing was not actually required by many users. The results of this audit enabled Kyocera to propose the right solution to CDC that would both meet the organisations needs and be the most cost effective.

Kyocera’s solution greatly simplified operations for CDC, taking them from a 15 site company with 13 different printer and copier models to a standardised platform with one model A4 mono MFP and an A3 colour MFD - the TASKalfa colour series for use in the larger depots that had a greater need for A3 printing, higher volume output and document finishing features such as hole punching and stapling.

“Our employees move around from site to site so it’s made it so easy for them to have the same machines at every location and the same easy to use control panels,” says John. To facilitate the change to the new technology, throughout the implementation, Kyocera ran training seminars to all departments across the 15 sites. This training gave employees the opportunity to use and ask questions about the new Kyocera devices, giving them a good understanding of how to work with them. Further in-depth hardware and software training was also provided to the CDC IT team to enable them to provide first level support of the Kyocera equipment.

Kyocera’s net admin software was a feature CDC’s IT department really liked. The web-based platform allows easy management of MFDs and printers, providing a summary of all devices, alerting them to when toner or paper needs replacing and producing a simple usage report at the end of each month. The same software notifies Kyocera when the device is low on toner, prompting Kyocera to send out a replacement toner to the relevant location within the next few days. This functionality was positively received by CDC, as previously toner deliveries were invariably delayed causing frustration to employees and loss of productivity.

As John notes, “The beauty of the Kyocera solution was it eliminated the need for us to do manual meter reading. This had been taking up an enormous amount of our time, calling each site and getting a reading for each individual machine. Now we just get emailed a monthly report showing our usage and get billed accordingly. It couldn’t be easier.”

The beauty of the Kyocera solution was it eliminated the need for us to do manual meter reading. This had been taking up an enormous amount of our time... now we just get emailed a monthly report showing our usage and get billed accordingly. It couldn't be easier.

- John Mouawad, IT Manager, ComfortDelGro Cabcharge

The results

Implementing the Kyocera solution delivered several measurable improvements and big results for CDC, that:

• Reduced their total monthly printing and copying costs by 40%

• Reduced service calls and costs due to long life drum technology

• Single cost-per-click charge across all devices

• A fleet that is easy to operate by all employees

• Kyocera Net Manager software streamlining meter reading

• Less waste and environmental cost due to ECOSYS and long component life technology