Cross Keys Homes Saves £100,000 a Year with Toshiba Print Rationalisation

Cross Keys Homes is one of the leading providers of social housing and affordable homes across Peterborough, with a development programme set to deliver more than 2,500 new homes over five years. Winner of Development Programme of the Year at the 2018 UK Housing Awards, the organisation is committed to excellent housing services and active community engagement.

The Challenge

Cross Keys Homes needed to modernise its print infrastructure to meet three core objectives: rationalise the number of devices across its sites, bring annual print costs down significantly, and provide employees with secure, convenient access to printing wherever they work. The existing estate was oversized for the organisation’s needs and the contract was delivering poor value for money.

At the same time, Cross Keys Homes wanted to engage stakeholders at every level — ensuring that the needs of individual teams and departments were accounted for in any new solution, not just the headline cost figures.

The Solution

Toshiba carried out a comprehensive audit and discovery phase, assessing the existing estate and mapping it against actual usage patterns and business requirements. The findings showed that the printer fleet could be reduced to 15 devices across all sites without compromising functionality or convenience.

Employees would access the new Toshiba MFPs at Head Office or local hub locations using secure fob authentication, ensuring that print jobs are only released when the user is physically present at the device.

Rather than asking Cross Keys Homes to commit upfront, Toshiba proposed a proof of concept with two machines trialled at Head Office. This zero-risk approach gave the organisation confidence in the solution before signing off on a full rollout. The contract was awarded directly through the Procurement for Housing framework, simplifying procurement for the finance team.

The Results

The new Toshiba print infrastructure delivered an annual saving of £100,000 against the previous contract — a figure that immediately caught the attention of the board.

Employees now benefit from high-speed print and scan technology with secure fob access, whether they are working from Head Office or a local hub. The streamlined estate is simpler to manage, easier to support, and aligned to the organisation’s wider objectives around efficiency and cost control.

The approach Toshiba took throughout the process stood out. Rather than a hard sell, the team listened, engaged with stakeholders, and produced a clear, concise audit summary that resonated with directors. The proof of concept removed risk and gave the organisation an opportunity to validate the solution in a real-world setting before committing.