Toshiba Creates Space for Jamestown Container Companies
Jamestown Operations Challenge
Since 1956, Jamestown Container Companies has been delivering specialized corrugated packaging for organizations of all sizes throughout the Great Lakes region. Like many other manufacturers, they face the production and back-end business office challenges of running their operations.
The business was already looking for a different copier vendor that could address the problems of costly office printing, the lack of a robust service team, and outdated filing and storage methods.
To combat these challenges, Jamestown Container needed to work with a vendor that could provide reliable devices with a comprehensive service plan as well as solutions for all document management.
Fleet analysis kick off three-stage approach
Upon the verge of finalizing terms with a multifunction printer (MFP) vendor, Jamestown Container’s IT Director Mike Lennox and Corporate Database Administrator Jim Proefrock heard from one other tech company ― Toshiba.
“Toshiba listened really closely to what we were looking for and what we needed, and they came back with exactly what we were seeking,” Lennox said. “I thought, wow, I need to partner with this company!”
After meeting with Lennox and Proefrock, the Toshiba team suggested a three-pronged approach that examined Jamestown Container’s immediate needs for traditional office printing, round-the-clock manufacturing label printing, and document storage. This would all be kicked off with a fleet analysis to assess current state and suggest future adjustments.
Toshiba’s assessment gave insight to determine the best method of efficiently consolidating the devices while meeting Jamestown Container’s printing needs.
Space and costs savings were instant, as was improved operating efficiency throughout their offices and manufacturing facilities. By installing at least one monochrome and one color e-STUDIO MFP at all five Jamestown Container locations across New York and Ohio (21 MFPs in all), the Toshiba professional services
team was able to eliminate the need for the extensive color printers that sat on nearly every employee desk. Apart from securing the added workspace, the switch resulted in 66% savings per each color print.
Load Tag Printing Keeps Operations Flowing
As a manufacturing facility, it was imperative the transition to Toshiba would not create any disruptions. Toshiba promptly equipped the company’s manufacturing plants with 16 high-speed, production-level printers for tackling Jamestown Container’s labeling needs. Flawless delivery of load tags, which identify items on pallets before being shipped out the door, is particularly vital to the company’s continued operations.
“The ability to clearly read and decipher load tags properly is absolutely essential for us to function,” Lennox said. “Considering these tags include the description and quantity of every item on all shipments, the printers produce barcodes to track customer usage. The print quality of these must be impeccable and Toshiba is delivering.”
For Jamestown Container it is critical that these banding lines — where all items are banded and labeled— continue to run smoothly. If the printers go down, the line stops. Each product must have a load tag attached before it can leave the facility, which is why reliable printers are essential to keeping the operation flowing.
Digital Document Solutions Provides Floor Space
Though a powerhouse in custom solutions for other companies, Jamestown Container struggled in creating its own internal storage solution. Why? More than 60 years of records within a maze of office filing cabinets.
At the headquarters in Jamestown, N.Y., one could walk into the building and see piles and piles of papers stacked on top of metal cabinets. “We got to the point where we couldn’t put any more cubicles or people in that building because we had too many paper files,” Proefrock recalled.
Toshiba has implemented a document management software to resolve Jamestown Container’s space limitations while enabling staff anytime-access to network files. This involved scanning the decades of files into the software for digital storage, allowing all company client records to be at their fingertips. Company employees now delight in accessing client contracts from the network at a moment’s notice while avoiding the aggravation of filing hard copies. Toshiba e-STUDIO MFPs scan-to-email feature additionally saves Jamestown Container employees the nuisance of having to fax documents.
Staff rejoiced in the immediate removal of 20 four-foot wide filing cabinets. “We’ve remodeled our offices because we don’t have as many cabinets now,” Proefrock added. “We are also able to fit more people and have more walkways.”
With Jamestown Container transitioning to a digital environment, its accounting function is now remarkably simple. Previously, all financial documents were faxed or mailed to the accounting department in Jamestown, N.Y. Company financial professionals now digitally access such files in short order.
“Toshiba’s addition of document management solutions has been a huge timesaver,” Lennox explained. “Sometimes when we were filing financial statements it could take days to find something, but now it takes seconds to find everything we need.”
Jamestown Container plans to roll out its document storage solutions to mobile users enabling its sales team and other staff to access and create documents from their laptops or phones while working outside the office. The inclusion of Toshiba’s industry-best MFPs coupled with a robust document management software tool is allowing Jamestown Container staff the opportunity to cross-train in other functional areas of the business while enabling the company to operate at an optimal level, and prepare for future growth.