INNOVATION AWARD
For the second year in a row, a Lexmark product was in the spotlight at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Lexmark has been named an International CES Innovations 2011 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree for the new Lexmark Genesis all-in-one inkjet printer. Products entered in this prestigious program are judged by a panel of independent industrial designers, engineers and members of the media to honor outstanding design and engineering in cutting-edge consumer electronics products across 35 product categories.
The Innovations entries are judged based on the following criteria.
Genesis was featured at CES Unveiled: The Official Press Event of the International CES in January. The Lexmark Platinum Pro905 won the same award last year. The Innovations Design and Engineering Awards have been recognizing achievements in product design and engineering since 1976.
Design for Environment Seminar
Global awareness of environmental and social issues related to the manufacture and use of consumer goods has increased exponentially over the past five years. Governments are responding to this concern by mandating environmentally preferable purchasing for government agencies and enacting laws that require manufacturers to operate in a more sustainable manner. Likewise, business consumers are requiring that suppliers offer products that help their companies achieve environmental objectives.
Lexmark must meet legal and consumer requirements related to environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Designing our products to exceed these requirements gives Lexmark a competitive advantage.
Toward that end, Lexmark hosted a design for environment seminar and networking lunch.
Topics addressed included:
PACKAGING INNOVATION
Roll Off Packaging Transition
In 2010, Lexmark packaging specialists worked to minimize the packaging for the C79X/79X models roll off. While successful from a protection/usability perspective, previous designs used a lot of material. The goal for the X79X roll off was to reduce the amount of material needed and lower the tooling investment, while maintaining the ease of unpackaging. The cushion for the bottom half is now corrugated fibreboard which is curbside recyclable. Foam blocks are now built into the pallet providing cushioning on bottom drops. This allows the product to rest directly on the top deck of the pallet making it easier to roll off and requiring less material. We continue to refine this design with the hope of an all-corrugated design that would allow for easier and more complete recycling.
X46X Packaging Reduction
Reductions in packaging have resulted in an average density increase of over 20 percent per pallet across our product lines compared with the previous packaging. The result is avoiding the use of over 700,000 pounds of pinewood.
Inkjet Ship Clip Redesign
In 2010, Lexmark engineers redesigned the "ship clip" used on some Lexmark inkjet cartridges. Lexmark design requirements call for cartridges to be subjected to severe shipping, handling, and storage tests to replicate worst case scenarios and the "ship clip" must ensure that the cartridge arrives to the customer with all of its ink intact. The new "ship clip" passed all tests while utilizing 70 percent less plastic, requiring less energy to produce and eliminating the need for a plastic shrink wrap band which was necessary on the previous design. Over the next five years, this improvement is expected to eliminate the need for more than five million pounds of plastic and more than 30,000 miles of shrink wrap material.
Product Energy Innovation
At Lexmark, we continually strive to update our products with innovative features that make them more energy efficient. For example, Lexmark’s C79x / X79x product family features Lexmark's highest-speed instant warm-up fuser – the fastest color belt fuser on the market – as well a dramatic reduction in ready mode power consumption and an 87-percent reduction in time to print from sleep* versus earlier models of this product.
Lexmark has also introduced a new machine power architecture that allows different parts of the machine to be turned off while in sleep mode, thereby reducing power consumption. Hibernate mode is a new, ultra-low mode that helps reduce energy consumption when a product is not in use for extended periods of time. Users can program their products to automatically enter and exit Hibernate mode at chosen times of day and days of the week.
| Lexmark At Work Results | |
| Device reduction | 65 percent |
| Energy reduction | 51 percent |
| Paper reduction | 48 percent |
| Cost reduction | 39 percent |
LEXMARK AT WORK
The Lexmark At Work network is a living case study that demonstrates the dramatic benefits of Lexmark technology, solutions and services.
How it works
Instead of sending print jobs to a single printer, they are sent to the Lexmark At Work print queue. One can then go to any printer on the network, scan a badge and select from a list of their jobs. That way one can print only what is needed. If a printer is tied up with a lengthy print job, simply move to another machine and print the documents.
* 23.8 seconds versus 180 seconds