Advantage Tyres is one of Aotearoa’s leading tyre franchises. It has 45 stores spanning the length of New Zealand, from Whangārei to Invercargill. While its printing needs aren’t complex, reliability is crucial—when a printer is needed, it has to work.
Before coming to Brother, Advantage Tyres had a fleet of secondhand printers. Most were around 10 years old and nearing the end of their useful lives. Breakdowns were common, and finding parts for outdated machines was becoming more difficult and expensive.
Each time a printer broke down, someone from their small IT team had to drop what they were doing to fix it. That meant less time for other important tasks.
And just because the devices were older didn’t mean they were cheaper to run. In fact, ageing fleets often come with a higher total price tag: they use more ink and toner, older cartridges are more expensive and they require additional servicing and maintenance.
On top of that, many devices were over specified for what was required. Some franchises had large A3 multifunction devices (MFDs), despite only ever printing in A4.
Tired of paying high prices for an under-performing, underutilised fleet of devices, Advantage Tyres asked its IT provider, Support Net, to help find a better solution.
The main goal was simple: to make printing more reliable. But in the process, Advantage Tyres also cut its printing costs.
One of the biggest savings came from replacing unnecessary A3 MFDs with more efficient A4 models. Some franchises and head office retained A3 functionality where they were needed it.
Even though some of the new Brother and Konica Minolta devices came with similar specifications, they were more modern, efficient, and a big upgrade from the outdated secondhand machines they had previously.
Advantage Tyres Group IT Manager Richard Sims found the process of moving to Brother refreshingly easy.
He says rather than feeling badgered about what Brother could offer, conversations were more around the business’ needs and how they could be met. There was no “hard sell”, and he describes it as a very easy going, pleasant experience.
For Richard, the biggest difference since working with Brother is how much time he’s got back. Beforehand, he was dealing with printer breakdowns almost every week, but in the two years since making the switch, he can’t recall a single problem with his new print fleet.
He puts that down to having brand new Brother and Konica Minolta print technology, instead of the worn-out, secondhand ones.
Maintenance isn’t something he worries about anymore either. Brother’s Technical Service Providers manage routine servicing, meaning Richard can focus on other things.
At the same time as upgrading the technology, Richard says printing costs have been reduced by 30%—a significant saving. The up-front cost of leasing new devices was also split over a period of time, making it easier on the company’s cashflow.
Richard says the service from Brother has been exceptional, from the initial nationwide rollout to the relationship he’s established with the team.
"Working in IT, time is our most valuable resource and we don’t have enough of it. Having reliable printing with Brother gives us that time back. I don’t have to worry about them breaking down, and if there is anything that needs sorting out, there’s no mucking around."
"They’re the kind of people you want to deal with. It’s sometimes hard to gauge who the good guys are versus the not-so-good guys, but I’ve had such a good experience with Brother."
- Richard Sims, Advantage Tyres Group IT Manager