About SSTC Institute

Established in 1978, SSTC Institute (SSTC) is a Private Education Institution (PEI) providing quality education to local as well as international students. It is also an Approved Training Organisation-Private Education Institution (ATO-PEI) approved by SkillsFuture Singapore. SSTC offers a range of Preparatory, Business, and other Higher Learning programmes that offer a pathway to undergraduate degrees with partner universities in the UK and USA. As an approved Cambridge International School, SSTC offers the full range of basic education based on the Cambridge curriculum with a focus on the IGCSE and International Advanced Level certifications. SSTC’s School of Professional Development conducts corporate training programmes for businesses and government agencies. As an environmentally friendly business, the institute was awarded the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark Award (Platinum) in 2017 for its green and sustainable practices.

Print Capacity Planning

As one of the few institutions that print learning materials in colour, SSTC Institute required efficient and high-quality printers that could deliver exceptional performance with minimal downtime. It also needed reliable finishing capabilities such as binding, laminating and cutting to stay ahead as a high-quality education training provider.

In addition, the institute was a fast-growing business that experienced an influx of students even during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. To cope with the higher demands for learning materials, the business required high-performance print machines to deliver print output at high volumes. Automated, value-added functionalities on these machines would also save the institute time and labour in scanning and saving large volumes of past year examination papers for archival purposes. To accommodate changing workstyles and maximise employee well-being and productivity, SSTC Institute was also keen on a smarter, smoother and more flexible all-in-one document sharing platform and printer for administrative use.

- Wayne Ho, Executive Director of Operations at SSTC Institute

Advanced Print Solutions

Partnering with FUJIFILM Business Innovation Singapore (FUJIFILM BI SG) was a welcome change for SSTC Institute compared to its previous printing vendor. Besides stronger customer engagements and services, SSTC Institute was able to benefit from superior machine knowledge and expertise. SSTC Institute has renewed its machine contract with FUJIFILM BI SG twice since 2011, adopting the latest series of Enterprise Document Solutions (EDS) machines and Graphic Communications Solution (GCS) machines each time.

In its latest round of contract renewal in December 2020, consultants from FUJIFILM BI SG identified the business’ pain points to ensure that its recommended solutions directly addressed these issues. To assist the business in keeping up with increasing print demands in both colour and monochrome output, FUJIFILM BI SG recommended the PrimeLink C9065 and B9110 machines to bring the school’s operational efficiency and productivity to a whole new level.

The B9110 is a heavy-duty production machine with inline finishing that would enable SSTC Institute to shorten turnaround time when printing course notes, documents and examination papers at high volume. It is designed to support high-quality monochrome printing on-demand, enabling the business to print any quantity at any time. Images and text are consistently delivered at a high resolution of 2400 x 2400 dpi, which is only possible by drawing images simultaneously with 32 laser beams. Other features such as the use of fine particles in FUJIFILM Business Innovation’s Emulsion Aggregation (EA) toner, as well as the Edge Enhancement tool, further ensure the clear and smooth reproduction of photographs, thin lines and small text. Besides high-speed and high-quality printing, the B9110 would enable SSTC Institute to enjoy seamless operations due to the high resistance against paper jams and the ability to replace cartridges and refill paper even while printing is in progress. As the B9110 printer offers flexible feeding and finishing options, the business opted to add on the Finisher D6 with Booklet Maker, which would enable the business to quickly and easily create and auto-staple booklets of up to 100 sheets.

The powerful PrimeLink C9065 multifunction device was added to SSTC Institute’s print fleet, for a higher level of quality and finishing for the school’s coloured course materials, booklets and prints. PrimeLink C9065 is an all-in-one, versatile production printer that prints up to 65 ppm in colour at a high resolution of 2400 x 2400 dpi, with easy set-up and automated workflows to accelerate turnaround. Besides print, the PrimeLink C9065 would allow SSTC Institute to automatically send up to 270 scanned images – to their computers or via email – per minute. This would allow the team to scan and archive past year examination papers easily and quickly, enabling staff to focus on higher-value work such as preparing teaching materials, or customer service. Each PrimeLink C9065 was further complemented with a C3 Finisher with Booklet Maker and the Finisher D6 with Booklet Maker to enable SSTC Institute to produce booklets of up to 60 and 120 pages respectively. To ensure that the machine operates at superb speed and accuracy, the PrimeLink C9065 offers advantages such as the GX-i print server, which reduces RIP load and features a RIP Accelerator Board to maintain image quality through high-speed lossless compression.

Thirdly, the versatile Epson SureColor T-Series 5270 was introduced as a cost-effective printing solution for a variety of large-format prints. Instead of outsourcing the printing of signages, architectural plans, rendering graphics and posters, the school would be able to print them in-house at highly competitive rates. Using Epson’s all-pigment UltraChrome^TM XD ink, the Epson SureColor T-Series 5270 ensures a higher ink penetration on paper, tested high lightfastness, as well as rub and water-resistance. It also employs PrecisionCore technology to ensure that lines as thin as 0.02mm are printed with as little error as +/- 0.1%, making it ideal for CAD and 3D renderings. With the Epson SureColor T-Series 5270, the school would be able to deploy its high-quality prints for various uses with a peace of mind, while reducing the need to reprinting and incurring costs.

FUJIFILM BI SG also spared no effort in searching through multiple suppliers to offer the best solutions for all of SSTC Institute’s office requirements. The IDEAL 6660, for instance, is a professional guillotine that executes cuts conveniently and safely through automatic clamps and quick access programmable controls. The machine operates smoothly and lowers the risk of accidents through the use of a patented safety drive and a light beam safety curtain, making it ideal for fast-paced businesses like SSTC Institute. To support quick and reliable book binding, the Perfect Binder was introduced to offer versatile book binding solutions for hard and soft cover books of up to 500 pages. This is ideal for educational institutions as students are often required to bind their course materials or print digital textbooks. A top-grade, high volume and durable laminating machine also completed SSTC Institute’s print set-up.

To better support SSTC Institute’s administrative staff in all facets of their jobs, FUJIFILM BI SG recommended the ApeosPort-V C6676 as a complete document sharing solution and printer. The ApeosPort-V C6676 features excellent scalability and customisability, offering a comprehensive range of functions that streamline management tasks and secure confidential information. For instance, it offers mobile computing functions that enable staff to easily upload and share documents on a secure, cloud-based platform, eliminating the need to print bulky and confidential documents. Staff may also access, view or print documents from smart devices in office or while on-the-go, making it easier and more productive when performing individual and collaborative tasks.

Raising Standards and Productivity

Since implementing the PrimeLink C9065 and B9110 machines, SSTC Institute has doubled its print capacity and delivered high-quality course materials at various print quantities on demand. The production printers were so robust, intuitive and fast that teaching and administrative staff at SSTC Institute, who were non-commercial printer experts, found them simple to operate. Staff were further supported by functions such as alignment adjustments, colour calibration and efficiency boosting workflows to keep jobs moving with less wasted time and materials.

As the number of incoming print jobs continued to grow, the team was able to leverage the variety of automated finishing options to bind books, create booklets and laminate book covers and certificates seamlessly. Depending on the number of pages required, the team could select the ideal finishing workflow for each book. For instance, thicker books of up to 500 pages could be more professionally bound on the Perfect Binder, while booklets of up to 60 or 120 pages could be stapled using the finishers on the PrimeLink C9065 and B9110 machines. Book covers were printed on thicker A3-sized stock, which would then be further cut to size and laminated for A4 or A5-sized books.

The new print environment has thus enabled SSTC Institute to stay productive, save time and reduce errors while generating large volumes of teaching materials on demand. The quality of its printed learning materials has also earned the business the reputation of providing high-quality learning materials for the best educational experience. Furthermore, by leveraging the Epson SureColor T-Series 5270, the school was able to create an exceptional learning experience for students with a variety of large-format prints. For instance, being able to print activity posters and teaching aids on demand have enabled teaching staff to reinforce learning and promote student engagement. By widening its printing capabilities with these printers, SSTC Institute is able to enjoy timely, seamless and effortless delivery of various print runs.

Finally, within days of implementing the ApeosPort-V C6676, the business has reimagined the future of work for its administrative and teaching staff. Staff can better focus on their work on hand and be assured of fast, easy access to shared information on-the-go. The change has also created a new progressive and flexible work model at SSTC Institute that allowed the business to build and maintain resiliency amid uncertain times, as well as recruit and retain top talent for a flexible and purposeful digital workforce.

- Wayne Ho, Executive Director of Operations at SSTC Institute