TBC contracts with Lexmark for company-wide printing savings

TBC Corp., with more than 800 retail tire and automotive maintenance outlets plus a wholesale division, has selected Lexmark International, Inc. as its managed print services (MPS) provider.

The three-year contract is designed to improve the chain’s printing systems along with lowering the cost.

“Printing work orders and customer invoices in our stores is a critical part of our retail operations,” notes Steve Smith, TBC’s chief information officer. “We wanted to reduce our costs and keep our store personnel from having to deal with printer issues,” he reports.

“We engaged multiple printer manufacturers and conducted extensive product testing,” says Smith. “Unlike other manufacturers, Lexmark conducted a thorough assessment and gave us a clear picture of our current operations, helping us prioritize the operational changes that would have the greatest positive impact on servicing our customers.”

“Lexmark’s expertise and ability to go deep into the vertical markets we serve enables us to immediately deliver savings in both time and money to our customers upon deploying our industry- leading products, software and services in their printing environments,” says Marty Canning, executive vice president and president of the firm’s Imaging Solutions and Services division. “In fact, this expertise has led 90 percent of the top global retailers to rely on Lexmark’s technology to help manage their unique printing needs.”

According to Canning, the assessment of TBC allowed the provider to:

Optimize the printing environment in the retail operations by deploying innovative, award- winning printing technology and ensuring the right devices were being used in the right locations; and
Proactively manage its consumables to streamline processes associated with maintaining a stock of toner cartridges and other parts.

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“Lexmark now knows exactly when supplies are low, ordering and shipping them automatically to the retail stores when needed,” Canning says. “Keeping a costly inventory of supplies on hand is no longer necessary.”

With the MPS deployment now complete, TBC’s retail stores are printing more efficiently, he adds.

The implementation will continue with the wholesale division, which includes a TBC brand, the Carroll Tire Co. and Treadways. It supplies independent regional tire retailers and distributors throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico as well as South America, Europe and the Middle East.

Based in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., TBC’s retail operations consist of Tire Kingdom, Big O Tires, Merchants Tire & Auto Centers and National Tire & Battery. Big O has more than 500 franchised stores.

For more information, visit www.servicecentralauto.com and www.lexmark.com.