Christmas 2014 and beyond

To all our visitors and customers, please note our Christmas trading times for the remainder of 2014 and the New Year 2015:

22/12/14 - Open
23/12/14 - Open
24/12/14 - Closed
29/12/14 - Closed
30/12/14 - Closed
31/12/14 - Closed
02/01/15 - Closed
05/01/15 - Business as usual






We would like to extend our thanks to all our existing customers, new contract customers and all visitors to our website for a great 2014 and we look forward to a mutually beneficial New Year 2015!

On behalf of all our staff, we wish you all a very merry & peaceful Christmas and a happy new year!

Warning! Order 2015 diaries and planners in the next month!!

Eh?! - 2015 diaries already?

Unbelievable as it sounds, 2015 diaries generally start selling out from stationery suppliers by August!  If you haven’t put your order in by then, you might have to settle for a different size or colour to your first choice.

If you haven’t order by September there’s a chance we won’t be able to get what you need at all.

Seriously.  All of the major suppliers under stock on diaries, calendars and year planners.  Every year we end up having to send someone out by September/October scouring local retail shops or internet auction sites to buy up the extra bits our customers need because all of the bulk suppliers have sold out.   

If you order after all regular supplies have sold out we will still do everything we can to source an alternative product but the chances are it will be more expensive.

Have a look on our website to be able to filter down to the exact desk diary, pocket diary, year planner or calendar you need or give us a ring on 01924 233 770 for advice.  You can place your order online, by phone or by emailing your account manager.

Tour de France, a sheep's eye view

There's great excitement here about the Tour de France starting in Leeds this weekend.  Everywhere you look at the moment there are yellow spray painted bicycles, Tour de France bunting and sculptures.

Yorkshire sheep have a makeover for the big day.

The statue of Harold MacMillan in Huddersfield is currently carrying a baguette under one arm and anything that stays still long enough has been painted in the colours of the Tour de France jerseys, as a flock of sheep near Otley found out...

But my favorite story about Le Tour in Yorkshire so far is that Sony are attaching video cameras to sheep so that we can get footage of the Tour going past from the sheep's perspective.

Yorkshire sheep ready to film the action.

Five sheep from Hewell Hall farm in Harrogate have been selected to do the honours.  The waterproof action cameras mounted on special harnesses for the sheep to wear and can be operated by remote control. 

These little cameras are actually quite clever.  They have a wide array of mounting options, making them perfect for filming cycling, snowboarding, motorsport track days and anything else traditionally difficult to film from a point of view angle.  They come with 4K Ultra HD resolution which was previously unheard of for such a small action camera.  You can use them to film 130 feet under water, so they should have no trouble coping with the Yorkshire weather.  If you fancy a Sony GoPro Action Hero camera, they are, of course, available to buy on the Scorpio website.

Is there still a need for paper catalogues?

Even though our website offers countless benefits over the traditional catalogue, the Scorpio catalogue is still used every day in the Sales Team office.

The website allows us to search pretty much however we need to; by keyword or category.  Sorted by relevance, price or alphabetically.  We can save favorites so we don't need to search for them at all.  Then, once we find the right item, we just click to add it to the order without having to copy codes onto an email or read them out over the phone.  We use it as our first port of call now to find items.

However, there is something about flicking through a catalogue that just can't be replaced by technology.  You're much more likely to spot those gems you didn't know the name for or didn't even know they existed, but they are exactly what you need!  There are things in there that you had no idea you could order from your stationery supplier but now you know, its a lot easier than having to put through a specific procurement request to use a one off suppler.

So here's a few bits and bobs that you might not have spotted if you only deal with the website:

Velos Eyeletter 950 20220049 Parallel action mechanism for punching and eyeleting, ideal for binding documents, presentation folders and D.I.Y. applications. First, punch the hole then place and clinch the eyelet. Extra eyelets available all 4.7mm diameter.	Pentel Chalk Marker Chisel Tip Pack of 7 Assorted SMW26/7  Pentel Chalk Markers have a liquid chalk formula which imitates real chalk, but has a far superior performance and is ideal for use on blackboards, whiteboards, glass, ceramic, metal and non-porous surfaces. Assorted Colours.
Chartwell Watershed Book 6x4 inches Ruled Red 2291  Chartwell Watershed Waterproof Ruled Book. Specially designed books for the most demanding environments. Features synthetic, tear resistant, waterproof paper, wirebound with a tough plastic cover which is impervious to water and chemicals. 101x156mm.	Leitz Rapid Sure Ring Reinforcer 25100411 Rapid Hole Reinforcer. Provides extra strength to papers kept in binders. Simply press the stamp over your punched hole for instant reinforcement. Automatic hole alignment. for perfect placement. Easy refill, just press the side button to reload.
HP Iron-On Transfer A4 Pack of 12 170gsm C6050A HP Iron-on Transfers. Iron-on, cool peel transfers make it easy for you to design your own T-Shirts, caps, bags - just about anything you can iron! C6050A A4 to fit Deskjet 600/700/800 series 170gsm. Pack 10.	Motorola Talker T60 Two Way Radio MR446 radios - license free. Up to 8km range (subject to terrain and conditions). Free Calls. Rechargeable NiMH batteries (supplied). 8 channels + 121 codes. Scan/Monitor. 5 Call Tones. Room monitor. Single Pin Headset Connector. LCD display with backlight.
Wallace Cameron Alcosense Breathalyser 5001113 Alcosense Breathalyser, Twin Pack 5001113. Can be used to test multiple times or several people accurately in a short period of time. Accurate. Quick results. Easy to use. Compact and sleek design. Low cost and reusable. Easy cleaning and maintenance.	Defibtech Lifeline AED Defibrillator Semi-automatic Portable Ref 5001112 Lifeline AED defibrillator, simple to use for non-medical personnel and is now becoming standard equipment for schools, offices, shops, shopping centres, sports centres and public places.

If you would like a copy of the old fashioned paper catalogue, give us a ring on 01924 233 770 or email info@scorpio-uk.com.

World Cup Fever Hits Scorpio Offices

 The England flag is flying in the window of the Scorpio offices..

715.1 million people were estimated to have been watching the 2010 World Cup.  I’ll be honest I wasn’t one of them.  Football really isn’t my thing.  I am, however, very excited about the World Cup this year.  We’re running a sweepstake in the office and I’m feeling lucky!  I’ve drawn Mexico and Italy.  Watch this space for a surprise World Cup winner this year!

Lucky Diane in the Warehouse Dispatch Team drew England so she’ll not have any problems finding people to cheer with her.  I can’t help feeling a bit sorry for James from the Sales Team who was incredibly excited about the sweepstake.  He’s looking a little disappointed with his draw of USA and Honduras.. Like I say, I’m not an expert on football but I googled the odds and Honduras is 4,000/1.  I can see why he’s looking a little bit glum!

Generacide

A proprietary eponym, or to use its more ordinary name, generic trademark, is a brand name or trade-mark which has fallen into common use.  The world of office supplies is full of them.

We have all sorts difficulties here at Scorpio with a customer asking for the cheapest version of Blue-Tac, Jiffy Bags or Sellotape, to name a few.  When you have a very strong trade name, you tend to find companies have to be quite diverse in finding ways to describe similar products, knowing that their customers are just going to call them by their major competitor’s brand names regardless.  Search on our system for Post-It and you will only get 3M Branded Post-It notes.  If we want to find an alternative brand, we have to search for repositionable, sticky, self adhesive, removable, or quick notes.

And if you want to find cheaper, non branded alternatives to some of the generic trademarks, here are some suggestions to try in the search box:

Sellotape	Sticky tape, clear tape, transparent tape, adhesive tape, Polypropylene tape
Bubblewrap	Bubble film, bubble roll, bubble pack, bubble wrap
Post-it	Repositionable notes, sticky notes, self adhesive notes, removable notes, quick notes
Tipp-ex	Correction pen, correction roller, correction tape, correction fluid, cover-u-p, cover up, corrector
Biro	Ballpoint, ballpen, ball pen
Jiffy bag	Padded bag, padded envelope, padded mail sack, bubble envelope, postal bag, protective mailer, bubble bag, protective envelope
Blue-Tac	Reusable adhesive, re-usable tack, sticky tac, repositionable tack, adhesive putty

What happens to toners when they are sent for recycling?

Did you now that approximately 2 litres of petroleum can be used to create one brand new toner cartridge?  If you then throw your empty cartridge in the bin it will end up in landfill, where it’s estimated it will take between 450 and 1000 years to break down.

The responsible thing to do is not to throw your spent cartridge away but to send it back for recycling.  More and more of our customers are taking up this option and Scorpio provides a recycling scheme for anyone who uses our cartridges.  If you would like to find out more about the scheme, please call 01924 333 770 or email info@scorpio-uk.com.

So what happens when your used toner goes for recycling?  Firstly they are stripped down and cleaned.  Some of the parts can be reused to make new cartridges.  The rest are separated out into valuable materials.  Magnets remove stainless steel and ferrous (iron based) metals, and aluminum is extracted using eddie currents.  Plastic can be ground down into plastic chips which are then used as packaging material or re-melted into new plastic shapes, anything from pens to park benches.

There’s even a new type of asphalt being developed that uses toner powder extracted from used cartridges to improve road surfaces, so you could soon find yourself driving on toner based road.  Approximately 99% of the components in a toner cartridge can be re-used, so it is vital we keep them away from landfill.

The next question is, “Which type of toners should I use if I want to reduce my carbon footprint”?  ‘Drilled and Filled’ cartridges are the simplest way to recycle toners, which is good for the environment, but they can be unreliable and cause problems to your printer.  This is why, despite the environmental and cost advantages, Scorpio UK doesn’t sell them.  We know that our customers want to save money and reduce carbon footprint but NOT at the expense of the quality and functionality of the toner.

Instead, we look to high quality alternative toners which offer cost savings, environmental benefits but crucially, they work in your printer!  Hytec cartridges conform to ISO 14001 environmental standards and while they are brand new cartridges, they are made where possible with recycled materials.  However, Hytec do not compromise on quality and are a very different product to their ‘drilled and filled’ counterparts.  Instead they focus on nurturing a culture of environmental understanding through all stakeholders at levels of their business.  Their policies and operations are regularly assessed with a view to prevent pollution, reduce environmental impact and where possible, provide environmental benefit.

Crucially, these cartridges also have a returns rate of less than 0.05%.  They offer print quality to match, if not exceed the originals and they don’t break down.  If you want to help the environment but can’t afford to compromise on quality or price, this is the option we suggest.

Welcome to our new contract customers

We are pleased and as always, excited to share the news that through the skill of our sales and marketing teams we have been awarded several sizable contracts in the first quarter of 2014. 

The broad spectrum of organisations included in the recent intake, ranges from a Huge NHS OJEC contract covering specific Trust areas, several government administrative bodies and, private sector organisations - from sports supplies manufacturers to cloud based software providers. 
 

Our hard working, knowledgeable sales and marketing teams personnel combined with highly versatile, integrated order management software allows Scorpio to assimilate seamlessly to the purchasing requirements of public and private sector organisations with a wide range of different needs. 

Our order management technology works with all of the large procurement catalogue platforms to enable new customers to reap the benefits of our high quality, low cost supply of OEM and alternative toner and ink units, stationery and paper without having to make costly and inconvenient changes to the ordering system they are currently familiar with.

This further embeds Scorpio as a serious contractor to our most important UK organisations and cements the fact that our business can contend at any sizeable level in today’s competitive market.

3D Printers available from Scorpio

Who would have imagined when Scorpio started trading in 1989, the year the world wide web was invented, that 25 years later you would be able to buy a 3D printer straight from our website?

There is talk of them being used in future space expeditions, so that rather than take spare parts, they take the printer and print off anything they require.  Surgeons have been pioneering techniques to print out reproduced human cells into tissue structures.  A man recently had his face reconstructed by a surgeon printing out exact replicas of missing bone fragments.

These ideas are some of the most exciting of our generation.  However, they have had little relevance to items we might use in our day to day lives.  This is all starting to change with the introduction of affordable 3D printers for home use.

We are very excited to introduce our first 3D printer for sale, the CUBE X 3D.  This is an entry level printer, Windows compatible with ten ready to print programs for you to start to creating objects.  It works by laying down layer upon layer of a plastic material which come in cartridges.  Each layer is 0.1mm thick and the cartridges are available to purchase from us as well as other suppliers.  It also includes software to allow you to print anything your imagination allows in any size up to 275mm x265mm x 240mm; as large as a basketball.

For further information or to place an order, please visit our website.

Could you help save Kelly Durkin's life?

This is a change of subject from our usual blog posts but this story is too important not to share.

Kelly Durkin, married to Mick and a busy mum to of Ryan, 14 and Connor, 12 has been fighting cancer of the cervix and pelvis for some time and it has now spread to other parts of her body.  At the age of 37, NHS doctors now say that there are no more options left for Kelly.  However, she and her family aren’t ready to give up.  There is a pioneering treatment in Germany that could be the chance she needs.

First, they need to stabilise Kelly’s health so she is well enough to make the journey.  They are raising funds to buy life prolonging drug Avastin, which is not available on the NHS and costs £3,500 every few weeks.  Hopes are that this will buy Kelly more time and give her the strength that she needs to fly to Germany. 

She will need a special air ambulance to get there and to continue taking the Avastin.  The main barrier to all of this is cost.  Kelly’s friends and family aim to raise the £60,000 which could save her life and we would like to appeal to you help in any way you can.

There are a number of fundraising events coming up near the East Keswick (Leeds) area.  If you would like information on these dates or to donate online please go to: http://www.gofundme.com/78892w

 If you’d like to read more on Kelly’s story, please see http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/battle-to-save-leeds-mum-s-life-1-6491469

March Public Sector Budget Surplus Spend

Our public sector colleagues in procurement will be particularly focused on one issue this and every March.  The annual budget needs to be spent in the next few weeks or there is a risk it will be cut next year.  The system may lack a certain amount of logic and has, at some point, been a source of frustration for all involved with the process.  However, there is no getting around it, and so we find ourselves in the midst of 'March Madness' once more.

It is a strange month for Scorpio because it can be very difficult to predict sales.  Obviously, some Trusts will have spent their budgets and will be holding out until next month.  Other Trusts will have a surplus to spend and, as printer ink and toners are one of the most sensible commodities to invest in, we often see a large peak in sales at this time.  Rest assured, we are prepared and have the warehouse facilities to handle unexpected fluctuations in ordering.

Compared to other items of the same value, printer ink and toners are relatively small and easy to store in large quantities.  Our one year warranties mean that our customers feel confident to order in advance, knowing that there will be no problems when they come to use them.  Printer ink and toners are always going to be required so it is a safe investment if you can buy in bulk now against price rises in future.

If you are struggling to stay within your budget and are running low on stock, do contact your account manager to discuss how we can help.  We understand how difficult it can be at this time of year and we are prepared to be flexible to make sure you have the essentials to keep your department running.

Bringing a younger perspective to our Sales Team meeting

A few of you will know that husband and wife members of our sales team, Samantha and Nick Lazenby are now proud parents to 16 week old Blake.

Blake and Nick contributing to this week's Sales meeting.

Today, Blake made his first appearance in the board room but was looking a little unsure about the prospect of following in his Mum and Dad's footsteps...

Blake was very forthright in his initial contribution to the meeting but soon settled down when he was offered a bottle of milk.  From this point on, the meeting was very successful!

What is a standard size envelope?

This is a question we get asked surprisingly often. The sizing system for envelopes can be confusing.  How do you know if you need a DL Wallet or a C5 Pocket?  We can explain all...

The most common envelope for business use is the DL wallet.  This will fit a piece of A4 paper folded three times and is commonly used for sending letters. ‘Wallet’ just means it opens at the widest side, so in this case, the top of the envelope. ‘Pocket’ is the opposite. DL stands for ‘Dimension Lengthways’, although the abbreviation is favoured and the longhand term is very rarely used.

The other common envelope sizes are the ISO 216 ‘C’ sizes, based on the ‘A’ paper standards, so C4 will hold an A4 sheet of paper unfolded, C5 will hold an A5 piece of paper and so on. Sizes range from C0 to C10.

For a quick reference we have provided a graphic for you to print out and keep by your desk.

Envelope Size Guide

 If you need any further information on envelope sizes or any other office supplies, call our sales team on 01924 233 770 or visit our website: www.scorpio-uk.com

25 years on

Scorpio Computer Supplies Ltd would like to wish all our staff, customers, suppliers and contractors a very happy and prosperous new year, 2014.

We would also like to express our thanks to our many loyal customers, some of whom have been trading with us since 1989, and to extend a warm welcome to all our recently acquired customers. We look forward to a continued, mutually beneficial trading relationship in the coming year.

Technology and the business climate has changed dramatically in the last 25 years and we like many businesses, have had our fair share of recessionary problems, certainly in the last few years during a troubled global economy however, 2013 was a storming year for us and 2014 already looks set to be a continuation of this.

We continue to embrace changes in our industry, in technology and in procurement attitude to bring you, the customer the very latest in IT and office consumables available in today's marketplace.

We look forward to the next 25 years.