Unitech Limited with its experience of more than 25 years in the field of real estate has been a popular name in the infrastructure sector. The company has presence in building power transmission lines, highways, steel plants, residential developments, indoor stadiums, hotels and theme parks.

In its attempt to introduce cost effective technologies, the company recently deployed Canon imageRUNNER C3200 multi-functional device at its corporate office.

Increasing PCs drive need for Multi Functional Devices

As Unitech is into real estate business, it has to deal with various design and development plans of the buildings, roads, parks, elevators, floors, etc. The engineers require colour and monochrome printouts of the various plans to send it to the various departments. Hence, printouts are taken out in bulk and the entire process involves a lot of communication.

With the growth in Unitech’s business, the print volume was growing too large for their ordinary printers to handle. The time taken to print the colour maps and designs were too long and consumed several man-hours, thus decreasing productivity. In addition, there was no uniformity in the print quality, due to the different machines at various locations.

As Rajesh Kumar, senior manager, Corporate IT, Unitech, informs, “It was very difficult for the existing printers to handle bulk requirements. The printing quality was not good. We have 40-45 computers on each floor. The printers were not networked, hence the computer connected to the printer was being used, consuming a lot of time.”

The growing number of PCs compelled Unitech to buy more printers, adding on to the maintenance cost of the company.

Canon iR C3200 – The preferred choice

Unitech was on the lookout for a solution that could help it overcome its printing problems and reduce the maintenance cost of the company. The company evaluated the multifunctional devices of Xerox, Minolta and some other players, before opting for Canon. After figuring its chief requirements, the IT department at Unitech decided to deploy Canon’s imageRUNNER (iR) C3200 multifunctional device.

No third party was involved as the Canon account engineer helped the IT team in deploying the MFD. The total investment cost Rs 5 lakh.

User friendly printing environment

The deployment has reduced the pressure on engineers, as they can trust Canon iRC3200 to deliver the desired results. The communication process has improved, reducing the annual maintenance cost by Rs 10,00,000 p.a. The paper storage space has also reduced.

“As this device can easily handle printing requirements of up to 15,000 sheets per month, we are now able to cater to the increasing printing demands of our engineers. Moreover, with its network capability, many more computers are now attached to it. The iRC3200 has helped us remove the old printers in various departments and hence reduced the annual maintenance cost of the printers,” observes Kumar.

“This machine has improved the clarity of colour prints through its 2400 x 600 dpi colour prints option making it easier for our engineers to understand the real picture of any upcoming work site. The iRC3200 comes with a mailbox option that allows us to store documents through the desktop or by scanning them. Now generally used forms, such as conveyance claims and guidelines, are stored in the mailbox for easy printing at any time. The downtime has also reduced,” he further added.

With the aim of expanding its business, Unitech is taking several IT initiatives. The company is in the process of implementing SAP to integrate its offices across the country for its sales and distribution, material management and finance. The company has taken 125 licenses from SAP and is planning to take some more in the near future.