We are delighted to announce Allied Office Machines are sponsoring a local charity Romsey Opportunity Group.
Romsey Opportunity Group supports children under five with physical, emotional and sensory disabilities and their families in a play based setting.
The charity has been open since 1971 and continues to provide facilities for babies to pre-school children with special needs. It gives the children the opportunity to learn and develop through play, as well as provide information, support and valuable respite for their families.
The group is run by a committee and staffed mainly by a team of volunteers which meets twice a week on a Tuesday and Thursday morning between 10am-12pm at the Appletree Centre, Princes Road, Romsey.
The use of the building is provided courtesy of Hampshire County Council but they receive no other funding. Sessions are kept free thanks to on-going fundraising.
Steve Drayson, MD at Allied Office Machines, commented: “We are always happy to support a local charity and give back to the local community. The Romsey Opportunity Group is one of the few special needs centres in Hampshire where they cater for the youngest age group, zero to five years”
Sue Fisher, Trustee & Volunteer at Romsey Opportunity Group, added, “ Allied Office Machines have kindly donated a printer/scanner which will help us produce our newsletters and run the administration side of our charity more effectively”
Our Allied Office Machines Lightbulbs team has taken part in the Rowans Hospice Corporate Quiz.
It was an enjoyable, well organised evening and lots of funds have been raised for this worthy charity.
Our team has done well and finished in a joint 4th place. We are looking forward to the next one!
Rowans Hospice provide palliative and end of life care to the highest quality for those living with a life-limiting illness in the Southeast of Hampshire. Their highly trained hospice carers help to improve quality of life for the patient by easing physical symptoms as well as offering psychological, spiritual and social support to both patients and their loved ones.
Based in Portsmouth, Window Warehouse is the south coast’s leading manufacturer of quality uPVC and aluminium windows and doors to the domestic and commercial sectors.
Allied Office Machines have been a trusted technology supplier to Window Warehouse for many years. The partnership has started with Allied providing printers and copiers and grew into supplying software solutions and cybersecurity.
When their previous delivery notes scanning system was no longer supported Allied recommended a software replacement GlobalCapture. This solution has a flexible licencing model which is also more cost effective and highly scalable, so it can expand into other departments.
The delivery notes are created with a barcode from the main system and printed. Once they are signed by the customer, they are scanned back into the system which completes the electronic document trail for each job. This enables the company to resolve any queries quickly and efficiently and speeds up invoicing and payments.
GlobalCapture® is a software solution that automates manual tasks and transforms documents into business intelligence.
Andy Bulcock, IT Manager at Window Warehouse explained: “ On Allied’s recommendation we have selected GlobalCapture to update our delivery notes scanning process. The next stage is to automate this process even further and replicate it all electronically. The proof of delivery will be completed via the drivers’ mobiles where customers sign for the job. The confirmation will be sent automatically into the system which means the invoice can be raised even sooner ”
Steve Drayson, MD at Allied Office Solutions added: “We are very happy to assist Window Warehouse in their digital transformation and provide the business technology they need to support their growing company.
Picture: Andy Bulcock from Window Warehouse and Frankie Girardelli from Allied
Hampshire based Allied Office Machines are proud to announce they have extended their sponsorship of Winchester Rugby Club.
Allied Office Machines have been supporting Winchester Rugby Football Club since 2003 by donating multifunctional printers to help run the administration of the club.
Steve Drayson, MD at Allied Office Machines, commented: “We sponsor Winchester Rugby Club as we feel sport plays an important role in the local community and encourages young people to be more active. Especially in this digital age, where everyone spends too much time indoors on their devices. We wish the Club the very best of luck in this season and beyond”
Winchester rugby club continues to progress and currently runs four senior men teams, a ladies team and over 600 boys and girls in the age grade teams. They are supported by 150 volunteers who help to provide rugby for the benefit of the community. The 1st XV secured promotion last season as did both the 2nd XV and 3rd XV highlighting the strength in depth that has been developed over recent seasons. The 1st XV are now playing in the Regional 2 South Central League and as they enter the second half of the season stand 2nd in the table.
Robbie Sanderson, President at Winchester Rugby Club, added, “Winchester RFC are delighted to extend their twenty year partnership with Allied Office Machines. Allied provide the necessary printing equipment for our increasingly busy club office and making life easier for our back room team.”
Picture L-R: Robbie Sanderson (President WRFC), Steve Drayson (MD at Allied Office Machines), Steve Barrow (Chairman WRFC)
At Allied Office Machines we are constantly looking to improve our green credentials and create a sustainable approach to the way we do business.
Our partnership with Ricoh helps with this as sustainability is built into their product design and prevalent throughout their value chain.
Ricoh have undertaken a series of initiatives in the areas of energy efficiency, resource conservation and human wellbeing to minimise the environmental impact of their devices. As a result they are pleased to introduce their new range IM C Series.
Energy savings
The IM C Series boasts industry-leading low Typical Energy Consumption (TEC) values and automatic eco-mode energy saving (0.3W) when in sleep mode. By using an innovative new toner that fuses at a lower temperature, IM C Series significantly lowers energy consumption. Sleep mode power consumption has also been reduced, helping you achieve a smaller carbon footprint with lower costs.
More recycled plastic
Designed for sustainability throughout its lifecycle, the IM C Series is made using 50% post-consumer recycled plastic while PET toner bottles are produced from 100% recycled plastic. Plastic packaging is reduced by 54% thanks to a more sustainable material and no excess packaging.
Waste management
Waste management is also a focus as our operations generate paper, plastic and metal waste, which we strive to consume less and recycle more to reduce our environmental impact by:
Encouraging individual responsibility for recycling initiatives and providing recycling facilities for paper, printer toners, plastics and metal
Refurbishing older equipment and providing these as a service. Refurbishing means we return the condition of the equipment to nearly new.
The products we can no longer refurbish are donated to Southampton Special Purpose Workshop, a Hampshire-based company helping adults with special needs. SSPW strips out all materials from the equipment which are then recycled.
In addition, we offer a free toner cartridge recycling service to all our customers with 90% of all used toner cartridges being recycled.
Read more about the new Ricoh range here and our Corporate responsibility and sustainability here
Martyn Pegram, Account Director at Allied Office Machine, has completed the super popular London Marathon. He managed to raise £1968 for a local charity The Rainbow Centre.
Martyn at the start of the London Marathon
Here is Martyn sharing his experience with us:
“It’s fair to say that my Marathon training was less than perfect. I had a sixteen week plan, which was disrupted twice. First I damaged my Achilles and had to rest for five weeks. Then I had twisted my stomach muscle, which took me another three weeks to recover from. This meant I only had half the allocated time to train. When I could get out, I did enjoy making videos to highlight what I was doing and who I was doing it for. With only two weeks to go I hadn’t gone beyond ten miles. However I did not want to risk another injury.
The day itself was an awesome experience. The crowds. The noise. The anticipation really gets you going. I set off with all manner of things in my mind “Don’t start too fast”, “Focus on the mile you’re in”, “Run your own race” and my favourite, which was “Finish line, not finish time!” I felt OK at the start, nothing too bad, nice and steady. I took water at each stop and only had a couple of sips (as per advice) but it’s amazing how so little water makes you want to visit the loo so much!! 🙂 So I stopped at virtually every toilet stop on the way.
6.5 Miles in is the Cutty Sark. The crowd there is loud. I still felt fine and I was thinking, this is virtually 25%. But not long after that my muscles were burning and I started to struggle coming up to 8 Miles.
Just after Mile 9, my left calf went and it was horrid. I tried to stretch it, but it was agony. Part of me thought, ‘You’re not even halfway, so find a medical tent and stop’. But then I thought about the video I’d seen from the Rainbow Centre. In this video Eniko (one of the staff) said, they were asking the children to do something every day, which was like the equivalent of them asking her to climb Kilimanjaro. It really kept me moving forward, as I was only doing this for one day.
Completed!
At Tower Bridge I tried a mini slow jog over it – perhaps I knew the cameras were there! – and then I crossed it and turned right and saw the halfway marker. There’s a board with messages for the runners and I had some – once again it kept me going. This was the longest homeward stretch, but I thought I just had to finish now no matter what.
After that point the crowds are smaller, but equally raucous. Singing “Sweet Caroline” at a pub on route with all those people was great. That bit seems to go on forever, with my calves burning I could feel the blisters on my toes and heels – I think mainly due to the rain earlier in the day. It certainly wasn’t because I was going too fast.
At Mile 21 I needed some treatment and they asked if I needed to stop. Not a chance was I going to stop now. I kept thinking of the kids at The Rainbow Centre and all of those people who had sponsored me – I didn’t want to short change anyone. The last 2 miles was mainly stragglers, so more and more of the crowd, who could see my name on my vest, were encouraging me. The crowd really are fantastic.
With just the 385 yards to go, I was cursing Queen Alexandra – I could have finished already!! I was limping and devoid of energy, but the grandstand crowd all chant for you and there’s another board with messages. I was in absolute zombie mode and really emotional.
When I crossed the finish line I checked three times that it was over and then collapsed on the floor, shattered and in agony. After a little bit of medical, I got my medal and t-shirt.
I’m so pleased to have done it and very thankful to the Rainbow Centre for giving me the opportunity to take part in something so incredibly iconic, but just like Sir Mo Farah, that’s my last London Marathon. One and Done!
My favourite part of all though was to go in and visit the Centre afterwards and to have a picture taken with the children and staff. I know that the near £2000 that I raised will really help them and that, for me, made every step of the Marathon worthwhile.
Children and staff at The Rainbow Centre
Perhaps my experience will inspire others to get off the sofa and raise some funds for this amazing charity.”
The Rainbow Centre is a Fareham-based charity supporting people across the Wessex region with neurological conditions including Cerebral Palsy, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke and other acquired brain injuries. As a non-governmentally funded organisation, they are dependent on the generosity and fundraising endeavours of their brilliant community which help to fund the neuro-rehabilitation provided by the Centre.
The Rainbow Centre had eight amazing London Marathon runners who collectively raised over £10,000.
Martyn Pegram, Account Director at Allied Office Machines, is training hard to complete the world’s most popular marathon next month to raise funds for a lovely local charity.
Based in Fareham, The Rainbow Centre is a supporting children and adults with neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s, MS and stroke and their families.
Martyn commented: “ I am not a natural athlete but my partner, who ran the London Marathon last year, has inspired me to get off the sofa and help others. We have been working with The Rainbow Centre and I am familiar with all the great work they do there in helping children with complex neurological needs. As a father myself, I can appreciate how enormous this support is for the whole family. The Rainbow Centre does not get any funding, they solely rely on donations. Therefore anyone who can, please donate a few pounds to this worthy cause.”
Inigo Churchill, Operations Director at The Rainbow Centre, added: “ We are extremely grateful to everyone who has sponsored Martyn, it really is very much appreciated. He is looking to raise £1500 and every penny donated will go towards supporting the children and adults in our care. Here are some examples of where your money will go:
£70 could pay for a whole week of snacks for the 54 children that attend The Rainbow Centre.
£220 would pay for one of our Saturday sessions, which are for older children that attend mainstream school during the week.
£490 would fund an entire session for our early intervention class, helping families to learn the very best way to help their child from early diagnosis.”
Based in Fareham, The Rainbow Centre is a charity supporting children and adults with neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s, MS and stroke and their families.
The Rainbow Centre has awarded their copier contract to Allied Office Machines.
Inigo Churchill, Operations Director at The Rainbow Centre explained: “We were signed up to a long term contract which was expensive and difficult to terminate. Our main requirements were to maintain the same level of printing and scanning capabilities for less money and have a transparent and flexible contract. We went out to the market and selected Allied Office Machines. Dealing with them was very simple and easy. We liked the fact they were a small local company who provide a premium service.”
Steve Drayson, MD at Allied Office Machines added: “Allied Office Machines are an ethical family-run business where we pride ourselves on providing the best advice and solutions to all our customers. Our initial recommendation after reviewing the exiting contract was to leave it to run a little longer, as there was a significant cost associated with terminating it. However, we are now delighted we can provide The Rainbow Centre the technology support they need so they can concentrate on helping their clients. Our consultant Martyn has even signed up to run the London marathon to raise funds for the Centre.”
Photo – Martyn Pegram from Allied Office Machines and the children from The Rainbow Centre
Dorset based WRES is a privately owned company with a heritage spanning more than fifty years. They combine the established traditions of value, service and workmanship with today’s latest technologies to manufacture precision fabrications and sheet metal components.
In the manufacturing process, hundreds of work orders and delivery notes are generated every week. In line with their ISO certification, these documents need to be signed by the operators on the shop floor during production and stored within their business system. This was a manual, labour intensive task where all documents had to be individually scanned and manually linked to a customer record on the system.
There was a team of people storing the paperwork using small scanners on their desks. This had to be completed as well as their other day to day duties which often lead to backlogs, at times up to three months’ worth.
After a review, ControlSuite from Kofax together with a Ricoh IMC4500 multifunctional copier was proposed as a solution.
Westley Hamar, Director at WRES, commented: ” Prior to installing ControlSuite software our finance team spent hours each day scanning in signed work orders and delivery notes. Now the whole task takes minutes. They just scan the documents in a batch, the software reads the barcodes and stores it into our system. The team is delighted they no longer need to complete the old labourious manual process.”
Steve Drayson, MD at Allied Office Machines, added: ” At Allied, we always try to add value for our customers and offer a solution that really fits their needs and ultimately improve the efficiency of the way they work. After our consultant visited WRES it became clear that we would be able to automate part of their scanning routine, saving the company time and money whilst making their work order process more effective. We are very pleased with the result.”
Photo – Westley Hamar from WRES and Steve Drayson from Allied Office Machines
Southampton Special Purpose Workshop (SSPW, www.sspw.co.uk) is the longest established private and independent day service provider for adults with special needs in Southampton. It was founded in 1993 by Jim Parker as an alternative to the traditional day services. The main workshop in Portswood is divided into four areas: woodwork, garage, craft and a canteen. The group also includes a farm in Durley and a shop in Woolston.
SSPW always tries to find meaningful, useful and enriching activities for their clients. To help with one of these activities, Allied Office Machines donate all their old photocopiers to SSPW. The clients take part in the whole process where they come and collect the copiers, load them onto a trailer and take them back to their workshop. Here the equipment is stripped down and all metal components are prepared for recycling while the clients learn about the different types of metal and copier parts. Once completed, all the metal parts are sold to a scrap yard.
This generates an income for the recreational fund, which is used to fund trips to museums and other fun activities chosen by the service users.
Sean Parker, Service Manager at Southampton Special Purpose Workshop, commented: “We have been proud to provide the day service for the last twenty-five years and many clients rely on us. It was very difficult with Covid where we had to close our doors. We still offered doorstep visits, phone calls and activity packs as our service is vital for some of our vulnerable clients. It is great to be fully open again and provide the full range of services which enhance our clients’ lives.”
Steve Drayson, MD at Allied Office Machines, added: “We are very happy to donate our old equipment to SSPW. It’s reassuring to know that the old upgraded equipment is not only put to good use but is also fully recycled and helps to fund the worthwhile activities for the clients of SSPW.”
Photo – Jamie Paulton from Allied Office Machines and SSPW team
Based in Fareham, 
Dorset based 
Southampton Special Purpose Workshop (SSPW,