Fulham FC in action against Liverpool FC recently (Credit: The Anfield Wrap)
The London-based Premier League club has selected a solution from Lexmark and Workflow to create a “stable and reliable print infrastructure.”
The new infrastructure is intended to drive cost savings, improve security, and reduce the environmental footprint of the club.
The Fulham FC administrative organisation sees a significant peak in print demand every two weeks when its Craven Cottage stadium plays host to up to 25,700 fans, as it did on Sunday, during a 2-1 defeat to league leaders Liverpool FC.
In order to produce all printed material, Fulham FC staff were relying on “a variety of aging printers,” distributed across three different locations, using three different brands of printer which were reaching end of life, increasing the service costs.
Consequently, Fulham FC turned to Workflow Group, a specialist document and print services company and Lexmark business solutions partner, both of which have experience working with football clubs. After a detailed assessment, a new managed print solution was proposed, aiming to stabilise the club’s print environment and provide it with the reliability it required.
“Our printer fleet was causing staff a lot of problems,” explained Artur Banks, of Fulham FC’s IT Infrastructure department. “Constant failures and call outs – sometimes on a weekly basis for a specific printer – meant we had almost lost our trust in office print technology. Lexmark has restored our belief in the reliability and stability of a managed print solution.”
The new fleet of Lexmark devices comprises of twenty-seven colour multi-function printers (MFPs) and eighteen desktop colour printers in a mix of A3 and A4 sizes – replacing all existing desktop machines. The installation was rapid, with all devices up and running in one full day per site, which meant disruption was kept to a minimum.
The printer fleet deployment at Fulham FC has provided the club with “modern, robust devices that are more responsive, with touchscreen controls, and increased options.” This has driven cost savings by reducing the volume of colour printing and paper wastage, helping to support Fulham FC’s environmental policies. A print release system has also been delivered, improving important areas of security.
“Fulham FC is a good example of periodic peaks in print demand and how important it is to know that you can rely on the performance of your printer fleet,” commented Martin Fairman, Managing Director of Lexmark UK. “We are pleased that by working with the team at Workflow, we were able to provide Fulham FC with a stable print environment that fulfils its needs.”
