Free Report On Solution Report: Spending Too Much On Paper & Paper Products

Scrumptious Foods is a traditional nationwide direct-sales firm providing a wide variety of easy-to-prepare gourmet foodstuffs. Its operations comprise approximately 12,000 establishments nationally. The nature of its activities necessitates the use of a substantial amount of printed documents. Such as fiscal statements and annual and quarterly reports, conference registrations, order forms, supplies sheets and more. Their entire system including marketing, registration, and evaluation— is paper-based. For each client query or purchase, an employee mails a catalog of a fact sheet and other product related information or an invoice. Similarly, when making order from suppliers, request to supply is sent to the potential suppliers
The audit of the Scrumptious Foods concluded in March found that three reams of 8x11 papers were used each day to print the document like those mentioned earlier. Numerous an automated tasks culminated to this. Apart from the cost implications, the various hard copy documents quickly bunged up storage space and made it extremely difficult to retrieve any information quickly manually (Hoel and Jensen 12). “The retrieval of documents was prominently tedious,” an auditor reviewing the company stated. “Information couldn’t be freely accessed when needed.” Examiners also noted that a number of Scrumptious Foods’ staff spent hours printing out billing statements and packaging them into envelopes to be mailed. “We learned that workforce tasked with collection and credit control spent a substantial share of their time –that could have been used on their designated jobs, placing statements into an envelope,” the findings observed. “The current operations of the Scrumptious Foods, which require a high consumption of paper is a concern, in regards to cost incurred.”
In a rejoinder to a couple of other worries identified in the March 2015 evaluation, the Food Company wanted to reduce its paper use, it perceived expensive and environmentally unfriendly so as to increase its marketing effectiveness and cut costs. The company is seeking strategies to create more efficient work processes, reduce paper use, and ultimately reduce paper and postage costs without in any way interfering with high standards of customer service.
There exist possible solutions to reduce the cost associated with paper and paper related products that businesses and organizations could help reduce their paper use and costs. 20 percent drop or more are probable in most offices (Kotwica 21). Some of the practical tips that could go a long way in helping cost-saving, paper reduction program.
1. Contemplate before printing
It is very easy to shove the print button. For instance, huge chunks of papers are wasted by printing out single line emails or printing out needless duplicates of documents. Departments could carefully weigh their needs before ordering bulk copies of documents such as yearly reports or brochures. Often than not, numerous of unused prints end up lying idle in storage spaces clogging up the rooms. “But if you need to print that large document, make sure you print the document in both sides technically termed as duplexing” an environmental activist state. “This reduces paper consumption by half.”

Other easy ways to cut wasteful paper use include:

Keep account of individual printing footprint in the organization; this tracking could entail development of systems that allow staff to monitor their number of print copies they are personally liable monthly. Many are shocked to note their individual cumulative total of copies. This realization could help measure people changes over a period of time and persuade people to cut their personal paper footprint
Fixing in-house notices and slogans near copying machines and individual printers such as “Must you to print that?” or “Guess the amount of sheets of paper you have used this month alone?” This could help them to contemplate and even reconsider printing unnecessarily. The organization could also run competitions like “Paper Saving Champ of the Week” to recognize employees who printed the least papers.
Reduce print runs; Go through the previous catalog to recognize past printing jobs where more than required copies were made. This could help ensure consistency in terms of matching the ordered number with the printed ones in future. Head of departments can use notice board or company newsletters to encourage staff to be keen on the actual number of copies ordered. Also creating a checklist for departments concerned with order details material could help. The checklists could include questions like:
Please pinpoint the target group for the catalog. Validate the total number of desired recipients and the amount of back-up duplicates required.
Are you certain these target groups require a hard copy of the document or will directing them the website simply be enough?
Is it necessary to proactively send hard copies or is it just enough to make the available up requests or enquiries?
Is it essential to have in-house copies for all members of staff or could much fewer copies be held in common areas and on notice boards?

How many spare copies do you need and why - for what occasions or purposes?

Who will dispense or supervise the distribution of the backup copies?
Basically by addressing some of these questions, it is highly possible that the quantity of future print runs will be more precise or at least realistic.
Holding paper-less meetings. When conducting meetings, the company could reconsider the need to allocate hard copies for each participant. The presentation could be done through modern paper-less presentation technology and participants could be encouraged to use their computer or mobile phones to review documents and capture notes instead of making copies. Also the participants could be given access to any material beforehand electronically and also any additional material could also be electronically transferred.
Making copies “as necessary” as opposed to printing large batches at one time could help. Often, additional copies of vital internal documents become out-of-date fast and simply end up unwanted and eventually are discarded. Generating copies only as needed could significantly eradicate this problem.
2. Use paper more efficiently

Using papers more efficiently saves money on paper purchasing, as well as on storage and mailing.

Set defaults on computers; Set defaults to duplex documents for paper-intensive documents like bills, applications, licenses etc. also, the company could change customize default print margins in its computer to accommodate more text on each page or even reduce font size. Duplex copies are also easier to fold and staple. While several prints and copies require being single-sided, most do not. (Lengel and Lengel 32). Management could also encourage the use of the print preview function to ensure document revised to avert print mistakes that might necessitate reprinting.

Exercise Image Reduction when printing documents incorporating images or graphics, encouraging resizing could save substantial number of pages.

Practice regular Maintenance. Regular copier maintenance is critical. A printer that works well has lower chances of jamming, and this could help save paper!
3. Use thinner paper
The thickness of the print paper makes an immense difference both in terms of cost as well as the number of papers used. Evidently thicker sheets use more fiber, cost more per sheet and cost more to post. Using thinner paper most often does not change the quality and could reduce cost for you.
4. Reuse paper
Putting in the place paper collection mechanism for recycling. This could be in form of provision of well-labeled recycling bins near copiers, distribution, and delivery areas to collect white paper, mixed paper, newspaper, magazines, etc. and then make arrangement to have it recycled.
Encourage staff to reuse papers. For informal documents and drafts, blank sides of unneeded single-sided copies could be used.
5. Technology integration
Today, almost all business processes could be automated and extensively reduce paper use. Electronic mail, websites, online marketing, instant messaging and other Web-based communication and exchanges, document scanners can drastically reduce paper use and save time and money at the same time. Approximations indicate costs can be reduced up to 60 percent.

Ways that computer could cut or even eliminates paper use:

Use electronic means to connect with clients, and other press forms if communications like press release/media relations
Use e-mail and other digital means for inter-office memos, announcing meetings instead for using traditional notes and notices with are costly and inefficient.
Instead of transferring physically a large document for editing or reviewing, electronic means of emails or other web based communication could be used to move the material conveniently and cheaply.

Usage electronic communications for directories, forms, bulletins, manuals, reports, and storage when possible (don't print them unless necessary);

Online advertising could save a lot of money used to print the flyer, brochures, leaflets, and other tradition marketing media.
Keeping the document in the confines of computers or electronically using data archiving and compressing software could save the organization huge amounts of money and time that could have otherwise been used to handle the hard copy documents (MacGregor and Hodgkinson 19).

Use office intranet solutions that permit free or password-protected access to vital documents, presentations, or databases

Use electronic and internet based payment technologies that offer easy, convenient, fast and secure that makes it possible electronic money transfers and order forms thereby eliminating the necessity for bulky paper invoices, transaction records, and confirmation letters
Use modification features in Word Processing software. The onscreen editing features could help you make changes to draft documents and send the final electronically.
A website is currently a necessity for any business that wishes to put its name out there. Web development could engineer a turnaround for the business fortunes because of cutting costs associated with issuing information with physical papers, as well as that of advertising. Focusing on the website and another web-based communication with clients provides a better platform to provide conveniently regularly requested information electronically.
6. Employ superior information structures
Frequently, paper-related expenses are closely connected to the arrangement of data in the organization. Huge investments are conceivable when company things are well-organized through its records administration. For instance, organizations can accumulate wealth by

Merging files, sinking allocation lists and combining forms

Steering communication and bulletins; in case it becomes inapt to correspond through e-mail, as a substitute of creating a copy for every individual, route only some copies everywhere at the office. Ask initiators to send fewer copies to the organization. Offer half-size quantities for undersized memos and correspondence.
Utilization of shared wrapping that could save paper, storage. Stock, postage costs and handling in the foreseeable future. The organization would also print openly on envelopes as an alternative of applying stickers. These steps could be considered painless, and have benefits for the company and could have a wide range of benefits for their operations and to their customers. They could eradicate more than half-million paper documents through electronic storage and making duplexing the standard when a paper is printed. Reducing paper use and adding recycling throughout the company could lead to a 33-50% drop in wastage and realize considerable cost reduction and increased efficiency (Niskanen 53). Electronic financial statements, conference registrations, and order forms could eliminate millions of sheets of paper, plus the closely linked envelopes and labels. Duplex printing is the default on computers in many eco-friendly companies. Reminders to copy on both sides in coping stations can be very useful. Online applications, registrations that can be quickly accessed can be save vast amounts of papers. These measures could also establish companies perceived operations as environmentally friendly and consistent with the mission. The companies that have adopted some of these rules –especially web-based communications have found new practices more proficient; with much less working hours spent making copies and mailing trip of information and forms. Department heads and other field employees can presently accomplish every after-trip forms from any Internet-connected computer. Facts and figure sheets are of higher and better quality and completed more timely. Postage and other transfer related costs declined considerably. “Over a two-year period, the workforce documented a 30% decrease in the value of associated with manual records.” One Hospital head concurs. A considerable reduction in the sheets used could be closely linked with environmental benefits in terms of energy saved, wood spared, carbon release averted, water conserved, solid waste not emitted and many more. A healthy environment provides an enabling and conducive for businesses thriving. Majority of companies spend a lot of money on their printing and other paper related activities and ironically, most don’t even realize how much they really incur. No matter the nature of the business, paper related costs are inevitable. However, realizing the amount you spend can assist you to decrease the spending and increase efficiency.

Works Cited

Hoel, Michael, and Svenn Jensen. Cutting Costs of Catching Carbon: Intertemporal Effects Under Imperfect Climate Policy. Munich: Univ., Center for Economic Studies, 2010. Print.
Kotwica, Kathleen. The Benefits and Security Risks of Web-Based Applications for Business: Trend Report. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science & Technology, 2013. Print.
Lengel, James G, and Kathleen M. Lengel. Integrating Technology: A Practical Guide. Boston: Pearson Allyn and Bacon, 2006. Print.
MacGregor, Robert C, and Ann Hodgkinson. Small Business Clustering Technologies: Applications in Marketing, Management, It and Economics. Hershey: Idea Group Pub, 2007. Print.
Niskanen, Kaarlo. Mechanics of Paper Products. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2012. Print.