The company said that it thereby reduces its energy requirements in this area by 86% as compared to 2005. The savings achieved are equivalent to the annual energy requirement of around 1,400 households.
According to Volkswagen, it has made progress in terms of costs, energy efficiency and the environmental balance sheet by replacing more than 52,000 fax machines, printers, photocopiers and scanners with fewer than 17,500 multifunction devices throughout the group, and then integrating these new devices into a unified IT infrastructure.
Seven energy-efficient standard devices take the place of 832 different models of office equipment. Thus group IT at Volkswagen reduced the pool of devices by 66% and eliminated around 35,000 single machines.
Volkswagen added that the new devices automatically report problems and toner levels to a service center, which enables optimal route planning for the maintenance personnel. The advantages include: repairs and maintenance are carried out as needed, storage of consumables on site is no longer necessary, and toner cartridges are always changed in an environmentally friendly way without non-specialist staff needing to get involved.
A survey revealed that the office staff regarded the conversion as positive; 72% said that their printing, scanning and copying situations had improved. They also value the reliability of the devices (81%) and the quality of the printing, scanning and copying results (94%).
The project to reorganize the office infrastructure was planned and implemented by group IT at Volkswagen.
Klaus Hardy Muhleck, head of Group IT at Volkswagen, said: “Volkswagen orients its information and communication technology on criteria for sustainability. The multifunction device project, which is now complete, was a major and successful step. And there is more to come.”
