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LBM Systems seeks to cut waste
The Stamford Advocate
By Harold Davis
Special Correspondent
March 12, 2008
Businesses receive and generate loads of paper.
According to the Natural Resources Defense
Council, the paper industry in the United States
consumes nearly half of all wood harvested.
The council also reports that the 125 million
office workers in the country on average each
use about 350 pounds of paper annually.
To help companies cut down on that paper trail,
LBM Systems LLC of New Canaan has developed
new software called AXIAR Green.
"Looking at this through green lenses,
this is about saving and reducing what goes
in their recycling bin," said Andy Wellman,
chief operating officer of LBM Systems.
Wellman said that utilizing the new software,
which took six months to develop, offers two
benefits: an improved bottom line and environment.
The software allows for printing on both sides
of a page. The application can set up printing
for off-peak times when there is less demand
for energy. It eliminates the need for pre-printed
forms and can convert documents, normally printed
into PDF documents, so they can be distributed
and viewed digitally.
The software also is compatible for Windows,
Unix, Linux and AS/400 servers. Taking this
route leads companies to spend less on toner
and have less excess paper in the office, Wellman
said.
LBM Systems, a 25-year-old company with a
background in management output software for
print technology, has targeted clients in universities
and the public sector.
Some clients include H.H. Brown Shoe Co. Inc.
in Greenwich, the University of California,
Daiwa Securities in New York City and Mediacom,
a partner company of Grey Global Group in New
York City.
Wellman, who joined LBM Systems 12 years ago
after earning his master of business degree
in business administration from the University
of Connecticut in Stamford, referred to the
company's greener focus as a "re-wrapping" of
the company's existing software.
Wellman explained that AXIAR Green is a graduated
system, meaning companies can start incorporating
features they want and add to them over time.
While there are companies involved in improving
printing efficiency, Wellman said that LBM's
approach is different.
"They only look at cost reduction and
tracking. They're good at catching things after
the crime is done. We like to tie the business
benefit and green together," said the
Newtown resident.
Craig Le Clair, a senior analyst with Forrester
Research in Cambridge, Mass., agreed. There
has been a need to make workplace printing
centers more efficient, said Le Clair, who
wrote a report on the topic in September.
"I think most of the focus in that space
has been on infrastructure and not dealing
with the suppression of paper. This is the
first I've seen someone on the document output
management space, focusing on paper suppression.
It's interesting that a software provider that
has taken that approach," Le Clair said.
Though he said he believes that hardware and
software need to work together to reduce the
use of paper, Le Clair thinks LBM's positions
itself well as an "enabler."
"LBM is an example of intelligence working
underneath the hardware, and it sees the value
of applying it to environmental goals," he
said.
LBM’s web site is www.LBMsys.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, Southern Connecticut Newspapers,
Inc.
Original Source:
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/scn-sa-lbm2mar12,0,2663974.story
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