Document Workflow Solutions

The Professional Lighting & Sound Association - Our Customers & Case Studies

“The quality of the service provided by DWS made it stand out from its competitors. They took the time to really get to know our business and our needs, something our previous supplier had not taken the time to do. DWS not only provide you with a better method of managing your documents they also help you to put valuable revenues back on your bottom line. We look forward to working with DWS on an on-going basis to help support our company as we grow.” – Shane McGreevy, Financial Director The Professional Lighting & Sound Association

The Challenge

The Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) was formed over 27 years ago as the main voice for the sound and lighting industry in the UK. Today it has a membership of over 500 companies worldwide, including the leading specialists in professional audio, lighting, staging, rigging, AV, communications and related disciplines. With such a dynamic membership, the Association places great importance on ongoing investment in its services, infrastructure and specialist staff, so as to meet its members’ needs.

With offices in Eastbourne, East Sussex and London, the company’s Financial Director, Shane McGreevy, was particularly concerned about the ever increasing high cost of printing within the organisation and felt that there had to be a way to achieve a greater control over costs.

The Analysis

After investigating the marketplace, Shane invited Document Workflow Solutions (DWS) to carry out one of its free document workflow analysis audits to provide an in-depth report on the true cost of network printing and documentation management throughout the business.

For the audit DWS obtained a floor plan of the PLASA offices and identified the following before making its recommendations: the equipment being used, its purpose and all associated costs.

The Findings

The report showed:

  1. PLASA had a need to produce high quality handouts in-house for delegates at events. They had a high speed machine in place, but the quality was low, so they were having to outsource the printing which caused delays for the Marketing department.
  2. Members of staff across the offices were using the colour printers unnecessarily to print documents that could be printed in black and white.

The Solution

In its report DWS was able to show PLASA that it could make an annual saving of over £2,200 per year against its current running costs or £10,000 over five years, which led to DWS being successfully awarded a contract to implement the following changes:

  1. Black and white printers were installed at each office for general use by members of staff which were faster than those previously in place.
  2. A fixed printing cost per page was agreed which would cover all running costs of the equipment and servicing, so the cost of the machines could be easily controlled and monitored.
  3. A multi-functional printer (MFP) was installed at each site which provided high quality colour printing, therefore, removing the need to outsource. This machine also enables members of staff to scan, fax and copy, as well as print.

PLASA was also able to take advantage of other suggestions made by DWS in its report which would improve general workflow and productivity and it can also now enjoy the award winning support and maintenance services of Xerox, which has over 1,100 Engineers across the UK.