Description
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Business Environment Challenges
The Cincinnati Reds is a fast-paced organization, especially during
baseball season. This Major League team was spending time and
resources on unreliable office equipment, when its sheer focus should
have been to ensure the franchise wins on and off the field. A vendor
change was imminent when service calls and on-site technicians became
the norm and downtime was hindering productivity. The Reds met with
Sharp Business Systems (SBS) to discuss everything from multifunction
printers (MFPs) and Managed Print Services (MPS) to professional
displays and TVs. SBS was invited to perform a behind-the-scenes
study of the headquarters, Great American Ball Park and ball park
conference center. The three-month study uncovered that the team was
using a variety of MFPs and printers from several manufacturers, a few
mismanaged devices and almost 117,000 unaccounted monthly print
outs. The staff was performing a cumbersome 10-step process posted
on the wall above the MFPs and sending mock print jobs in the morning
to get copiers warmed up for later use. In addition, the team’s accounts
payable department was juggling invoices from different vendors for
equipment, service and supplies. And, TVs were being used in place of
professional displays in the conference center.
Business Technology Solutions
The Reds accepted SBS’s recommendation for a total technology
refresh. The entire print fleet was right-sized, including equipment in
the spring training facility in Arizona, by consolidating six printers to
one Sharp MFP and replacing all outdated, high-cost copiers with Sharp
MFPs. The staff likes the consistent user interface, ease-of-use and
fast warm-up times. Additionally, IT can effortlessly clone MFPs and
troubleshoot devices remotely by using the Sharp remote front panel.
The media relations department is fully operational on game days, so a
high-volume production Sharp MFP was installed to produce thousands
of media kits and game day materials, and an SBS technician is on-site to
ensure smooth operation during the playoffs. Sharp OSA® Technology and
Active Directory® integration allows the staff to scan-to-email or scanto-
folder directly from the MFP. With the Sharpdesk® Mobile application,
employees can now print to any networked Sharp MFP using smart phones
and tablets. The Reds also adopted an MPS program to let SBS manage the
service maintenance, parts and toner for its 38 desktop printers.
Today, when baseball fans enter the Great American Ballpark, they are
greeted with a high-definition 3X3 video wall made up of (9) Sharp 60”
class ultra-slim bezel monitors. Companies that host events at the ball
park’s newly named “Sharp Business Systems Conference Center” use
a high-speed color Sharp MFP, AQUOS BOARDTM interactive display
system and AQUOS® TVs. The AQUOS BOARD is also used for Reds
executive meetings and game days; and when it’s not being utilized, it
doubles as a professional display to promote conference center services.
Proven Results
“Our decision to team with SBS came down to the integrity of the
Sharp brand, the breadth of technology available through SBS and the
responsiveness of our account representative. SBS is a treat to work with
and has bought a lot of value to our organization. We were intrigued that
SBS has a variety of technologies we could use across other areas of our
business. We didn’t have to seek out another vendor for professional
displays, since SBS offers them,” said Brian Keys, vice president of
technology for the Cincinnati Reds.
The reliability and user-intuitiveness of the Sharp MFPs eliminated
redundancies like the “10-step process” and everyday service issues. The
MPS program eliminated the time-consuming act of juggling invoices by
merging service, toner and parts to one vendor. SBS was able to reduce
the monthly equipment service cost by approximately $260. The AQUOS
BOARD interactive display is a hit among Reds executives and conference
center clients because it offers an innovative way to present ideas in front
of their audience.
“SBS is proud to be the ‘Official Document Provider’ and a sponsor of
the Cincinnati Reds,” expressed Steve Orander, branch president of
Sharp Business Systems Indiana/Ohio. “Our relationship with the Reds
encapsulates the power that only Sharp can bring to our clients. The power
of a total solution that is well designed based on analytics and technology.”
60" AQUOS BOARD Interactive Display System, Wireless Communication Method
by
Sharp Electronics Corp.
Model: PN-L603A
- Discontinued
60" 700cd/m² Professional LED Video Wall Display
by
Sharp Electronics Corp.
Model: PN-V601A
- Discontinued
60" Ultra-slim Bezel Video Wall Monitor
by
Sharp Electronics Corp.
Model: PN-V602
- Discontinued
Other
Sharp Electronics Corp.
Sharp Electronics Corporation
Mahwah NJ , 07495