The Printer

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2019/1126/1095148-dail-printer-investigation/

Over the weekend it emerged Oireachtas officials spent €808,000 on a state-of-the-art printer for the campus plus costly structural works to accommodate the new equipment.

Internal e-mails confirmed the price of the Komori printer in addition to €236,000 worth of structural works to fit it into the building, due to the need to tear down walls and embed structural steel to give it the height clearance needed to operate.

However, when the printer arrived at the Oireachtas on 5 December last year, it became apparent the printer, which is 2.1 metres high and 1.9 metres wide, would not fit into the space.

The printer was subsequently placed in storage at Ballymount Industrial Estate at a cost of €2,000 a month, before it was eventually put in place on 28 September this year.

Is this a joke? The cost I have on my buildings insurance to rebuild my house isn’t anywhere near the amount they spent on fitting this printer into a space!

And my printer cost 40 euro from currys. Why is a printer that much money?

Anyone?

JeffKenna

I'm more appalled by the fact it hasn't been used yet due to HR issues!!

JeffKenna

JeffKenna wrote: »

I'm more appalled by the fact it hasn't been used yet due to HR issues!!

Seriously? What reasons did they give for not using it?

granturismo

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

...

And my printer cost 40 euro from currys. Why is a printer that much money?

Anyone?

I dont think Curry's supply this printing press;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE1oj7OodRM

Bob Harris

Apparently the staff need to be upskilled to use this printer and want more money as a result. Until then they refuse to use it.

171170

Bob Harris wrote: »

Apparently the staff need to be upskilled to use this printer and want more money as a result. Until then they refuse to use it.

Most intelligent ambitious employees would jump at the opportunity to be upskilled, free of charge, but not this particular bunch of Luddite Civil Servants!

What I fail to understand is why the printer had to be squeezed into the basement of the building on Kildare Street. Surely the OPW could have located a more suitable location nearby. It has a massive property portfolio in Dublin 2.

granturismo

granturismo wrote: »

I dont think Curry's supply this printing press;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE1oj7OodRM

I don’t see where I can lean over and scan my boobs on that one. Curry’s one is easy to use for that

jimgoose

Can you photocopy your arse with it after being at the brandy-and-Baileys in the Dáil bar?

SEPT 23 1989

The dimensions of the printer are written clearly on the back page of the brochure

After the twentieth high level meeting did no genius “official” read it?

They really are as thick as pigsh1t

whippet

171170 wrote: »

Most intelligent ambitious employees would jump at the opportunity to be upskilled, free of charge, but not this particular bunch of Luddite Civil Servants!

What I fail to understand is why the printer had to be squeezed into the basement of the building on Kildare Street. Surely the OPW could have located a more suitable location nearby. It has a massive property portfolio in Dublin 2.

There has always been a printing press in Kildare street. To fit out a new building to house a press like this would cost a hell of a lot more than the work to fit this one in.

However .. it does not excuse the fact that neither the supplier or government agency identified the problem before ordering it.

I’m involved in supplying somewhat similar equipment and the presales work done on customer sites alway start with how do we get the kit inside the door and positioned.

There isn’t anything new about civil servants looking for training (read payrise) for doing anything different ... we have our lovely unions and every government since the foundation of the state pandering to them to thank for this

Snow Garden

This FG government must be the most wasteful ever. New Politics?

Harry Palmr

Not sure what the permanent staff of the Oireachtas and a tape measure has to do with the government of the moment.

It is a perfect summation of the public sector - no one will pay any price for their ineptitude of course and sure what's a few million anyway? (measure twice, cut once)

liosnagceann75

Apparently it was put in so the Healy Raes will be able to print off their Christmas cards and Calendars on a bigger scale.

Tea Shock

We are the country after all that designed a new port Tunnel that couldn't accommodate the height of the newest generation of lorry's! And that was Bertie's government. It's hardly surprising!

jmayo

liosnagceann75 wrote: »

Apparently it was put in so the Healy Raes will be able to print off their Christmas cards and Calendars on a bigger scale.

You might laugh, but I fooking bet if the Healy Raes were in charge of it, it would have been done long ago and for a lot lot less.

Granted they would have gotten the contract to move it in and free printing for a year for everyone in Kilgarvan

goat2

At least, the Healy Raes would have measured the door frames first, It shows and is frightening that we have people that bought a printer too large, running our little country,

jmayo

Tea Shock wrote: »

We are the country after all that designed a new port Tunnel that couldn't accommodate the height of the newest generation of lorry's! And that was Bertie's government. It's hardly surprising!

They explicitly decided not to bother making it high enough for certain trucks.

What about them completing the M50 even though they knew they had to come right back and start again to make it three lanes wide?

Or the Luas lines that weren't connected?

Or the national childrens hospital ?

Or our latest waste of money the National broadband plan.

We, as in the authorities in this country both as in elected representatives and permanent public servants, could not fooking organise a p**s up in James Gate.

James Brown

I'd be okay with it if they can justify it's use. I do not believe they can.
This is an industrial level professional printer.
How would this be cheaper than going around the corner to Reads? There's your fuppin' money tree. Shower of tits.

Idbatterim

Matt Barrett wrote: »

I'd be okay with it if they can justify it's use. I do not believe they can.
This is an industrial level professional printer.
How would this be cheaper than going around the corner to Reads? There's your fuppin' money tree. Shower of tits.

I can imagine it being discussed for years, keeps people busy and gives them a sense of importance :rolleyes:

kennethsmyth

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

I don’t see where I can lean over and scan my boobs on that one. Curry’s one is easy to use for that

I think I need to see a test print of that...ye know to check alignment etc.

kennethsmyth

goat2 wrote: »

At least, the Healy Raes would have measured the door frames first, It shows and is frightening that we have people that bought a printer too large, running our little country,

I'm not a civil servant and not affiliated to any. But there might be more to this, I've read that the tender had the dimensions etc. in it but maybe the print company ignored this element.

Naahhhh....I'd say they delegated all responsibility to a level that nobody had any responsibility and therefore carried on regardless.

4068ac1elhodqr

Hopefully the ink refills will fit through the door, and be cheaper than those little Kodak/Espon/HP types (which cost more than champagne and blended caviar per 5ml).

Importantly, you will be able to print mono when black ink is full and only the colour is out/dry.
My Kodak refused to print once, then the chip got 'modified' so now will print anyway.

the_pen_turner

What are they printing. Surely any large quantity stuff is outscourced

4068ac1elhodqr

Print to PDF : Save the trees (of which planting targets have been missed in recent years).
Link to these PDFs via QR Codes where needed, for fast downloading.

blanch152

Matt Barrett wrote: »

I'd be okay with it if they can justify it's use. I do not believe they can.
This is an industrial level professional printer.
How would this be cheaper than going around the corner to Reads? There's your fuppin' money tree. Shower of tits.

Who was the wise man who said it shouldn't be about keeping private business (like Reads and developers) happy and that the State should get on with doing things itself(like printing and building houses)?

893bet

Comparing an commercial printer to a 40 euro one from Currys.

Just lol.

James Brown

blanch152 wrote: »

Who was the wise man who said it shouldn't be about keeping private business (like Reads and developers) happy and that the State should get on with doing things itself(like printing and building houses)?

Are you that desperate to score points in a game only you are playing? Pretty pathetic.
I'll spell it out for you:

Buying houses to use as social housing is more expensive than paying contractors to build social housing. As you know, because we covered this, nobody is talking hiring bricklayers to hang around depots or giving them jobs for life with pension. You and I literally have had this conversation. Why pretend we haven't?
It's about outsourcing what's in the cheaper and best interest of the tax payer.

Have an opinion for once in your life and defend it. The attack dog with zero contribution of your own is beyond tiresome. Do you think buying this industrial type printer was a good idea for the tax payer?

purifol0

Professional printer on Joe Duffy today said an industrial printer of this type has to be run 12 hours a day every day to make economic sense.

Not only did they buy that modl but also bought all the uncesscessary bells and whistles along with it, upping the cost by about 300k.
the total cost was to the tax payer so far is 1.1 Mil, and we havent got it running yet. Sign off on the printer and costs was done in 2017, and the they budgeted the maximum amount of 1.5M and this vote was passed.

James Brown

purifol0 wrote: »

Professional printer on Joe Duffy today said an industrial printer of this type has to be run 12 hours a day every day to make economic sense.

Not only did they buy that modl but also bought all the uncesscessary bells and whistles along with it, upping the cost by about 300k.
the total cost was to the tax payer so far is 1.1 Mil, and we havent got it running yet. Sign off on the printer and costs was done in 2017, and the they budgeted the maximum amount of 1.5M and this vote was passed.

Likely the person doing the buying has a connection to the seller. FF use to pull that kind of thing all the time.

goat2

was it to be a specialised printer, or for A4 paper, how could a printer cost that, they could have housed 3 families with that much money

Kylo Ren

800k on a printer and I bet you still need to replace the magenta ink even though all you want is bloody black and white.