Bytes Document Solutions, authorised Xerox distributor in 26 sub-Saharan countries and a division of Bytes Technology Group, a wholly owned division of JSE-listed Altron together with their Xerox Authorised Partner in Port Elizabeth, Digi Copiers, has supplied Rhodes University’s Print Services Unit with two high-volume Xerox 4112 multifunction production machines.
Lee-Ann Knowles, manager of the Printing Services Unit, says, We’re a department of the university which behaves like a copy shop for the university’s internal needs. We also facilitate any external printing that may be required.
The unit takes responsibility for between 12 and 14 million monochrome impressions and about 360 000 colour impressions annually. Printing isn’t confined to materials for teaching purposes, but includes all printing from PR and marketing materials to administrative forms and banners.
Our biggest challenge in the long term is the quality of after-sales service, because we are in an outlying area, says Knowles. If you can’t get here to service a problem, it doesn’t matter how wonderful the machine is. Lack of service from previous suppliers has meant that machines were offline for six weeks while we made the other machines on our print floor limp through the volumes. The service aspect was the most important factor in our decision to work with Xerox in Port Elizabeth. Also, during the RFQ process we realised that Xerox was the only company that made a machine in the size we wanted that had the functionality we required. We also became aware of Digi Copiers’ link with Bytes Document Solutions, which was already our paper supplier due to its exceptional service. It was a natural fit and a fairly easy decision for the procurement committee to make.
Brent Farndon, manager at Digi Copiers, says being able to show Rhodes University the existing high-volume printing sites at both the Nelson Mandela Metro Municipality and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University helped to illustrate what the Xerox 4112s can deliver.
The Xerox 4112 is a monochrome digital production machine that offers print speeds of 110 pages per minute and can handle volumes of up to 700 000 clicks per month.
Paul Haglich, product manager of the Production Systems Group in the Xerox division of Bytes Document Solutions, says, The Xerox 4112 offers a plethora of finishing options, from booklet making to finishing, folding, hole punching, square fold trimming and stacking. It also prints on a variety of media, such as carbonless, DocuCards, document folders, synthetics, tabs, labels, specialty media and coated stocks.
