Everything comes at a cost
When economies slump and belt tightening becomes the norm, it’s common practice to sweat the assets and cut costs wherever possible. But, in the wisdom of somebody’s grandmother “penny wise is often pound foolish”. What this means is that although it may seem logical to champion the cheapest option, it doesn’t necessarily make business sense.
Everything comes at a cost. In many instances, there are costs, which are either hidden or not truly acknowledged, and making use of non-original toners is the perfect example of this. While it may seem like a cost effective solution in the short term, it can ultimately lead to decreased longevity, reduced reliability, and loss of warranty coverage for the printer.
But we already know this, after all, every printing vendor is saying the same thing.
We know that when non-original toners are used, there is the risk of damaging the printer, which can result in costly repairs or the need to purchase a new printer entirely.
Instead, we believe that looking at this from another angle is an interesting exercise.
Whilst there is a saving on the price of the toner, there is a commensurate increase in:-
1. Maintenance costs
Maintenance costs increase as a result of using non-original toner. Whatever might be saved on small ticket items (like non original toner) is far less than the cost of repair. Added to this, the business’ internal operational costs can escalate. Consider the cost of the strain put onto an IT department that constantly needs to address faulty printers? What is the cost of them being distracted from focusing on value-add initiatives?
2. Productivity costs
Productivity costs are not only about the maximum performance of the original toner in the printer. Nor are they about minimising downtime due to non-original toners containing low-quality components that can cause clogging, misalignment, and other malfunctions that can permanently damage your printer. Productivity is negatively impacted by internal frustration, disrupted workflow and slower or arrested output. None of these costs can be quantifiably measured, but they have an undeniable impact on staff output. Repeated productivity problems will affect trust in a company because intangible assets like goodwill and customer reputation make up a sizable portion of customer satisfaction.
3. Breakdown costs
Original toners are covered by Kyocera’s warranty. Using non-original toner not only negates the warranty, it also incrementally increases breakdown costs, which often go unnoticed and uncalculated for longer than is economically sound. Sunk costs come into play, especially when the strategy is to sweat the asset, resulting in false economy.
4. Environmental costs
In addition to the benefits for your printer, choosing original toners has a positive impact on the environment. Kyocera’s toners are manufactured with sustainable practices as a focal point and recycling, reducing waste and helping to protect our planet is an integral part of the business approach.
Non-original toners frequently do not contain the unique technology present in original toners, making them less compatible with the rest of the printing system. This translates into a possible loss of print quality and dependability, as well as an unhelpful environmental impact.
Managing hidden printer costs
It is clear that an easy and logical step in ensuring productivity and managing hidden printer costs lies in the use of original toners. By making this investment, companies ensures maximum printers performance for years to come, without any additional costs or damage to the environment.
Yena Ngidi - Hardware Product Manager - KYOCERA Document Solutions South Africa
