New technology is just one benefit of having a PC standard in place
By Susan Avery -- Purchasing, 9/16/2004 2:00:00 AM
Hearing about the latest processor technology directly from representatives of Intel is one benefit of having a PC standard in place. Pooling purchasing volumes also helps lower total cost of ownership (TCO).
At Xerox Corp.'s Office Group in Wilsonville, Ore., technical purchasing manager Caren Weiner works closely with her peers in the company's end user support group. Among her many responsibilities, Weiner coordinates the Office Group's technology roadmap for desktop and laptop PCs and serves on the standards committee.
The Xerox Office Group purchases PCs direct from Dell. Because it is located nearby, Weiner says it's relatively easy for the supplier to meet with her group. "Sometimes when they present their technology roadmap, they bring representatives of Intel with them to update us on the latest in processors," she says. "We meet with them under a nondisclosure agreement, and it works well for us. Our next visit is scheduled for September."
The Xerox Office Group has a standard in place for desktop and laptop PCs (users have a choice of two laptops, including a lightweight model for employees who travel extensively). The Office Group takes a different tack to its PC purchase than the rest of Xerox, which has outsourced its IT function; it refreshes one-third of its fleet of approximately 3,000 PCs each year.
The Office Group is a self-maintainer, which means that it services and maintains its desktops and laptops internally. "Because of that, standards are really important to us," says Weiner. "We try to use the same model for as long as possible so we don't have to carry a lot of parts in inventory." Typically, the Office Group uses the same model for about 9-12 months.
The PC standard is posted on the Xerox Office Group's Premiere Page on the Dell Website, which lists recently negotiated pricing. A buyer in Weiner's group places the order. "We used to place orders here and there," she says. "Now, we try to place one order at the end of the month when we can sometimes negotiate a lower price based on volume." At other times, Dell will approach the Office Group with discounted pricing if the company is willing to place an order for a higher volume of PCs at a certain time.
The Office Group has had a PC asset management program in place for more than one year. An auto discovery tool tracks desktops and laptops as well as software installed on each unit. A database tool tracks the systems as they go through the company's incoming process. Each PC carries an asset tag, which is checked as part of physical inventory every year.
The group also has a plan for disposing of desktop and laptop PCs. After three years, they're used in the company's labs. Once they've run out of useful life, the end user support group posts the units for sale on the company intranet. "The sales are cash only and they've been very successful," says Weiner. "Laptops sell instantaneously."
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