KYOCERA takes fleet management to the next level

“In today’s competitive global markets, considerable importance is placed on trying to control and cut costs to survive”, said Takashi Kuki, President, KYOCERA MITA Europe. “With KYOfleetmanager, we help our clients to reduce spending on their output environment, as they benefit from an optimised fleet management as well as an improved workflow.”

KYOfleetmanager enables companies to focus on their core business areas as they are freed of the burden to organise supplies and maintenance. The application serves as an interface between a company and its service provider to ensure faster and better service, as well as accurate billing.

If a device is in need of servicing, KYOfleetmanager will automatically send out a notification so the partner can resolve the problem without interfering with the client. For example, when a ‘low toner’ alert occurs, KYOfleetmanager informs him via email, alleviating the manual administration process with fewer telephone calls, improved response time and accurate stock levels. For clients, automated processes such as these result in on-time delivery of consumables, reduced costs for storage and minimised downtime.

Additionally, KYOfleetmanager enables companies to benefit from timely and accurate billing: The application simplifies the management of cost-per-copy and per-click contracts by automatically obtaining meter readings from a customer’s site and submitting them directly to accounting. Thus it avoids errors that might occur from manual meter readings or estimates and minimises the company’s efforts with fewer on-site meter readings.

For ongoing improvement of a client’s fleet, KYOfleetmanager also helps to detect devices that are over or under used. Customers then receive cost-savings proposals tailored by their providers that reflect the changing business requirements.
“Our goal is to help simplify and smoothen business processes for our customers. This makes KYOfleetmanager an essential part of our Managed Document Services aiming at an optimised workflow”, said Kuki.

Current market research underlines the request for managed services: An European survey by InfoTrends has revealed that nearly 70 per cent of participants expect a Managed Document Services provider to achieve workflow improvements. KYOCERA addresses this need with KYOCERA MDS and its three-phase offering: It starts with an Assessment of a customer’s input and output environment to establish an accurate overview of the customer’s fleet and business requirements. In phase two – Optimisation – a proposal for a more cost-effective output environment and more efficient processes that are ideally suited to the customer’s requirements is established. The third phase – Ongoing Management – has been strengthened by KYOfleetmanager to ensure continuous improvement of the fleet and the workflows and to align offerings closer with the evolving needs of customers. KYOCERA MDS offers a single point of contact and accountability for fleet management, service and supplies.

Depending on the country KYOCERA is providing KYOfleetmanager to dealers, allowing them the opportunity to participate in the MDS business. Dealers pay a one time fee to gain access to the server and pay a fixed amount per managed device. Under this unique shared business model, partner investment is lower than if they were to purchase similar applications directly.

KYOCERA MITA is one of the world's leading office document solutions companies. Its product range consists of ECOSYS printers, reliable multifunctional systems and wide format devices, completed by supplies, efficient document solutions and comprehensive services. KYOCERA MITA provides innovative products, built on a foundation of long-life components, allowing it to offer its customers low total cost of ownership and high efficiency in any workplace. For further information, visit: www.kyoceramita-europe.com.
KYOCERA MITA Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of KYOCERA Corporation, which marks its 50th anniversary this year. Ranked no. 418 on Forbes magazine’s 2009 “Global 2000” listing of the world’s largest publicly traded companies, KYOCERA Corporation is a leading manufacturer of high-tech ceramics, electronic components, solar cells and electronic office equipment. KYOCERA Corporation’s long-term growth strategy is to focus on business that supports telecommunications, information processing, environmental protection and the preservation of quality of life.