Sieber Group
The Organisation
Sieber Group is one of the five largest Swiss logistics companies. Employing over 700 employees and offering four product lines - Sieber Inbound, Sieber Outbound, Sieber Asset and Sieber Home - the company provides its customers flexible and tailor-made logistics solutions. With its own branch offices, the solution-oriented transport and warehousing service provider is represented throughout Switzerland, Austria, Asia and America. Sustainability has always been a top priority at Sieber. The company’s GOgreen programme ensures that its transportation operation is as efficient and environmentally friendly as possible. This includes a focus on rail transport, electric vehicles, the use of the latest technologies and dedicated staff training.
Industry
Shipping and Logistics
Product
Printers & Multifunction Devices
Sustainability: The partnership takes on a new focus
The partnership between Lexmark and the Swiss logistics company Sieber has evolved over more than a decade. Initially focused on efficient print fleet management and device reliability, Lexmark’s offering has changed over the years, progressing in line with Sieber’s shifting demands and needs. However, at the core, sustainability remains a key reason why Sieber continues to partner with Lexmark.
The Challenge
As Head of IT Infrastructure, Edin Avdic is responsible for the central IT infrastructure and site software at Sieber Group’s 21 branch offices. He and his team wanted to overcome two main challenges in their search for a new printer solution in 2013:
Unified print fleet management: Sieber previously had various printers in use, mainly from HP and Brother. The growing number of printers became more and more of a management problem for the IT department. “Managing and maintaining the printers took up a disproportionate amount of the IT team’s working time,” Avdic recalls. “I wanted to free up capacity in the team for strategic tasks. That’s why we looked for a professional who could take over printer management and maintenance for us.”
Performance and reliability: The printers’ performance and reliability were particularly challenging when it came to customs clearance and use in the warehouse. As an international logistics company, smooth customs clearance is critically important. Without a comprehensible print setup for customs documents, trucks cannot leave the parking lot and trains cannot be loaded. Also, when scanning and printing these documents, printers and MFPs were often pushed to their limits and beyond, with devices often overheating and causing paper jams. Elsewhere, the warehouse was another challenging environment for Sieber with fluctuating temperatures and high levels of dust creating difficult conditions and causing many printers to perform unreliably.
Efficient fleet management: The central printer management software, that Lexmark provided Sieber, enables simple remote maintenance and consumables control for Lexmark printers. “The fact that we wanted to outsource the management and maintenance of the printers and MFPs to a professional was the reason for our search for a new provider. At the time, this software was the only solution that made this possible,” Avdic recalls. “The software also requires no investment or adaptation of our IT infrastructure. In addition, all Lexmark devices use the same driver. This simplicity made the decision a no-brainer for us.”
Performance and reliability thanks to intentional engineering: Lexmark uses terabytes of real-world print performance data, rigorous product testing and customer feedback to produce printers and MFPs that perform reliably even under the most challenging conditions. And Sieber benefitted from this. During the test phase, it became clear that only Lexmark printers were capable of handling the high volumes of customs documents and working without any problems in the company’s warehouses. “We looked at the offers from various manufacturers, but in the end only Lexmark was able to handle the job smoothly,” comments Edin Avdic.
Edin Advic Head of IT Infrastructure, Sieber Transport AGWe are impressed by the robustness of Lexmark printers,” comments Edin Avdic. “With the right maintenance and care from the Lexmark Extended Warranty offering, we can use the devices for years beyond the usual product lifecycle. This is not only sustainable, but also cost-efficient for us.
Robust devices help sustainability and cost-efficiency: In addition to the problem-free operation and positive feedback from users, the sustainability of Lexmark solutions was a decisive factor for Sieber and has resulted in Sieber renewing its contact with Lexmark multiple times. The robustness of Lexmark devices has proven to be a huge sustainable advantage, especially in comparison with the offerings of other providers. “We are impressed by the robustness of Lexmark printers,” comments Edin Avdic. “With the right maintenance and care from the Lexmark Extended Warranty offering, we can use the devices for years beyond the usual product lifecycle. This is not only sustainable, but also cost-efficient for us.”
We don’t have to replace any of these systems until they have delivered one million printouts,” reports Edin Avdic. “Depending on the intensity of use, that’s easily seven years. We recently replaced a device that had been working reliably for nine years and had produced over 1.4 million prints in that time.
As of 2023, Sieber has 129 Lexmark devices in use across its 21 locations, with around 400 employees using the devices daily. This proves that the devices are extremely robust and durable, not only giving Sieber the practical advantage, but also the confidence that the devices can perform, even in the most challenging environments. The longevity of the products also helps Sieber progress its sustainability goals; The less often the device needs to be replaced, and the longer they are supported by the manufacturer, the more Sieber benefits from more sustainable product lifecycles. “We don’t have to replace any of these systems until they have delivered one million printouts,” reports Edin Avdic. “Depending on the intensity of use, that’s easily seven years. We recently replaced a device that had been working reliably for nine years and had produced over 1.4 million prints in that time.” Over the course of the collaboration with Lexmark, Avdic has had no reason to consider solutions from other providers: “Since we have been using Lexmark devices, we can concentrate on the really important things. We therefore have no plans to change or replace our printing infrastructure.”
Reducing impact on the environment: Sieber benefits from Lexmark’s toner cartridge refurbishing programme, Lexmark Cartridge Collection Programme (LCCP), used across all its locations as part of the all-round service offering. The LCCP combines high-performance logistics and services with innovative tools to create a modern, efficient collection, recycling and reuse process tailored to the volume of use. Lexmark not only pays the transportation costs for the used cartridges, but also offers convenient online access and interactive tools to schedule collections, track returns and order recycling containers. Ordering new supplies is also automatically triggered by the Lexmark printers’ monitoring function, streamlining the overall supply chain.
User-friendliness: Another reason why Sieber has remained loyal to Lexmark for so long is the user-friendliness of the printers, “Feedback from employees involved in the test run has been very positive,” reports Edin Avdic. “Our workforce particularly praised the intuitive and simple operation of the Lexmark devices.” The uniform management of all printers with the same user interface at all locations ensures a high level of acceptance of Lexmark printers among the workforce.
Looking ahead: Edin Avdic sees a long, successful collaboration with Lexmark ahead of him, especially as Lexmark continues to optimise and expand its offerings. For example, currently he is evaluating the integration of Lexmark’s automatic translation function, which is particularly exciting for Sieber because the company communicates in three languages at its HQ alone. He is also in discussions with Lexmark about the provider’s IoT services, which can complement the IoT solutions already in use.
Sound advice: Edin Avdic concludes with a piece of advice: “You can extend the life of your printer and MFP fleet with Lexmark’s Extended Warranty offerings. Many companies plan to replace their printers every three to five years because they assume that the manufacturers build the products to last that long. While we can’t speak for others, Lexmark understands that such devices are often used beyond this planned period and has developed devices that are productive and efficient for much longer than the industry average.”
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