A month after IKON Office Solutions assumed management of the University's Copy Center on Kangaroo Drive and Devils' Duplicates in the Bryan Center, officials say they may begin offering new services such as extended hours and additional copying abilities.
Ed Tucker, vice president of North Carolina marketplace sales for IKON, said the company may extend Devil's Duplicates' hours to include weekends in an attempt to capture more business. IKON will conduct studies to see if customers would prefer different hours, with a decision expected in the next 30 days.
"In today's highly competitive environment, we know that we must continue to offer the Duke community access to the latest technology, along with superior customer service," Tucker said. "We plan to add more service offerings to include wide-format color and the ability to develop high-quality digital output for a wide variety of needs."
Tucker promised IKON will continue to provide the best equipment and most highly skilled operators, including enhancing services such as digital copying. He added that the company hopes to improve customer service and compete more with services off campus.
No significant employment changes have occurred since the takeover. Like other employees, Devil's Duplicates manager Ron Cates is now an employee of IKON. Cates said IKON had not permitted him to comment on the change.
Jim Wilkerson, director of Duke Stores operations, said in an e-mail that the privatization has gone well so far.
"We are very pleased with how smooth the transition has been to date and with the quality people, products and services that are part of our arrangement with IKON," he wrote.
IKON is a major provider of products and services to facilitate business communication.
The company has over 600 locations worldwide, including 9 locations in North Carolina alone.
Last semester, Duke officials looked to the company in response to falling profits and a desire for additional services. Over the last four years, profits at Duke's two copy locations have fallen $650,000, largely because of competition with off-campus services and home printers. Officials hope to reverse that trend with the renewable five-year IKON contract.
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