Do Printers Typically Need Manual Drum Orders?

I dealt with a similar issue and found that my supplier couldn't track drum levels either! They suggested keeping a few spares onsite since the replacement wasn't too pricey. That way, you avoid downtimes and loud complaints from everyone about having to find another printer!

My experience with Lexmark was similar; they only reported when maintenance kit life fell below 5%. A lot depends on whether the SNMP settings can provide that info. It might be a good idea to keep a few spare drums on hand just in case, especially for your large setup.

Have you checked if the drum data is accessible via SNMP? If it is, you might be able to set up a script to alert you or them when a drum is running low, which could save you the hassle of manual requests.

I used to work with FM Audit and from what I remember, it primarily tracks toner replacement, not drums. So, unfortunately, not uncommon. You might want to consider looking into different services that do provide automatic drum management.

I recently switched vendors away from FM Audit to a new program. The transition has had its hiccups, like needing to provide manual meter reads for multiple machines. It can be quite annoying, so I totally get your frustration.