Transform

Shifting the Workload

ERICO (Electrified Railway Improve-ment Company), of Solon, OH, had been attempting to improve its document storage and retrieval processes since 1998. The privately held, 2,000-employee firm makes fasteners for electrical and plumbing systems. Each day ERICO stores about 4,000 documents - mostly purchase orders and shipping documents. Approximately 53 employees handle customer service, distribution and accounts receivable, making as many as 200 retrievals per day, mainly to resolve discrepancies.

"We were going to purchase a jukebox and make this a network application, but the big question was, 'How are we going to find the staff to do the scanning?" says Pete Rein, ERICO's planning and systems design manager.

Service provider NCD, of Eastlake, OH, took over the entire document imaging process. "It didn't break my heart because I didn't have to be responsible for someone being there to do the scanning," says Rein.

When the plan was to keep the operation in-house, Rein had expected a three-month installation period. "With NCD, we signed the contract and started the next day," he says.

NCD now scans the documents and posts them online within 24 hours on a secure intranet site that is accessible to ERICO employees.

The outsourced approach has been in place more than a year, and Rein says satisfaction remains high. "We survey our customers twice a year, and they are very pleased with our responsiveness," he says.

If for any reason NCD cannot continue service, the operating contract specifies that all information will be delivered to ERICO on CDs.

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