Highland Office Equipment (HOE) has won a major five year contract in the further education sector, supplying more than 150 machines to the University of Highlands and Islands (UHI).
This recently installed managed print solution involves the latest highly productive multifunctional devices (MFDs) from Konica Minolta, controlled by a print management software.
HOE’s fully networked solution provides secure access to print output for staff and students on any device throughout Inverness College UHI’s sites, which include its base at Inverness Campus and the Scottish School of Forestry.
These locations are part of the £1.3million further education deal that also includes devices and software at North Highland College UHI, the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) UHI, West Highland College UHI and Perth College UHI, as well as the university’s executive office in Inverness.
Alex Main, Sales Director at HOE, said: “This is a significant win for us given that we secured the contract against major national competitors.
We are delighted to have been appointed as the supplier to the university and the new flagship site in the Highlands.
Some of the UHI campuses are in areas ranging from Perth to Oban, Caithness and the Islands.
These new installations are great additions to our growing client base, further expanding our strong profile and coverage in these locations.”
Mike Burns, Customer Services Manager for Learning and Information Services at the UHI, along with five of its academic partner colleges and research institutions, recently awarded the print solution contract to HOE. The solution replaced more than 150 print devices along with support services at more than 30 campus sites.
“The further education contract award was the first stage of a longer-term global print service project for the university.
It was designed to deliver a consistent and inter-site printing service. To reduce power, print and paper consumption and allow the delivery of mobile printing. That allows students and staff to work more seamlessly between participating academic partners and sites.
The award was made following a high-scoring tender assessment.
HOE took significant time to understand the complexities of the university’s technical infrastructure, as well as engage with end users to understand what was required to meet the strategic aims of the project.
HOE has worked closely with us on site visits, project planning, installation and end-user support to deliver a solution that has been well received by students and staff.
The attention to detail, along with prompt responses to issues, has inspired confidence and I look forward to their continued professional delivery over the five-year contract term.”
It comes a year after HOE completed a major refurbishment of its offices, showroom, workshop and stores in Harbour Road, Inverness. The £100,000-plus investment helped enhance HOE’s levels of support to local businesses throughout the Highlands and Islands and Moray.
A new workshop and supplies store was created at the premises and the renovated office and showroom facilities include a demonstration area for showcasing the benefits of HOE’s wide range of office equipment, document management software, its complete document solution proposition, as well as interactive visual products.
Mike Burns (left) UHI customer service manager pictured with Alex Main (right) sales director at Highland Office Equipment.
For more than 40 years HOE has made life easier for businesses by supplying printers, copiers, MFDs and document management solutions from global market brands including Konica Minolta, Ricoh and HP, as well as office furniture from Senator, plus office stationery and supplies.
When the firm was acquired by Capital Document Solutions in February 2013 it became part of the largest Scottish-owned independent office equipment supplier, with a network of branches across the country.
Capital Document Solutions and HOE are authorised suppliers of copy, print and scan solutions and print services, to the Scottish Government and public sector, under a national framework agreement.
Alex believes the significant investment in the business at a local level has paid dividends in securing this latest university contract and many others.
“It’s really positive that this local contract has been awarded to a local business” Alex said. “It reflects the recent investment we’ve made and we are constantly bidding to win more of these major contracts in our area.
We love winning big further education contracts like this one and equally value our wide range of contracts with our many local SMEs, corporate and public sector clients. We’re proud to work with any size of business on any size of contract.
A business with one or two products from us benefits from the same high-quality products and services that organisations taking more than 100 devices receive.”
This further education article first appeared in Executive Magazine, July 2016.
Pictures copyright of Gair Fraser
Posted in Education Sector, Konica Minolta, Public Sector, Special Interest
