CaseStudy

From Document Manager Magazine Vol 20 No 02 - March/April

Paint and chemicals giant AkzoNobel has streamlined its HR operations thanks to a combination of scanning and web-based DM

With operations in more than 80 countries and 55,000 employees around the world, AkzoNobel, the world's largest producer of paints, coatings and speciality chemicals, supplies industries and consumers worldwide with innovative products and are passionate about developing sustainable answers for customers. Their portfolio includes well known brands such as Dulux paints and Courtaulds. For the 2010 World Cup, around 750,000 litres of AkzoNobel products were used to provide a protective coating for more than 30,000 tons of steel for the football stadiums in Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.

AkzoNobel chose Panasonic scanners to securely scan, index and store paper-based employee records for its UK employees. The project objective was to provide a system that would securely scan over 4000 employee files and transfer them to a protected, web-based solution on the HR Server at AkzoNobel's data centre.

Gary Winstanley, HR Manager, UK Shared Service at AkzoNobel explains: "The business began an assessment of the critical areas and identified those where vital information could be more adequately protected from potential disaster using an online, secure approach. One such area was our paper based employee records.

"Compiled over many years of business, records that belonged to our longest serving employees can be quite comprehensive and as such producing hard copy duplicates as a backup would have proved time consuming - as well as not being ideal for the environment due to the amount of paper involved.

"We needed an optimal web-based system that would help us protect our existing hard copy from threats such as fire or flood. Alongside the creation of the Central HR Shared Services in Altrincham, the team would require access to employee files centrally to provide support. We took the view that converting our existing paperbased system to a centrally archived electronic version would be the most economical and most productive option."

INTEGRATED SOLUTION
Going forward, AkzoNobel management then required a document solution that would save space, remove the requirement for staff to perform paper-based tasks on a daily basis, and provide shared access - to maximise the daily efficiency of the business.

Wanting to maximise the budget available, AkzoNobel management selected a DocStor document scanning and archiving solution; comprising Panasonic KV-S7065, KV-S7075C and KV-S2048C scanner technology sourced from ImagingXtra. "Panasonic's easy to use interface and intuitive scanner operation permits a simple level of training for the team," says Gary Winstanley. "Additionally, Panasonic scanners integrate seamlessly with the DocStor software to provide us with a total system solution."

Tony Crook of Panasonic adds; "The Panasonic KV-S7075C is a flatbed scanner with automatic document feeder capabilities. Ideal for departmental work environments such as the AkzoNobel project, the unit incorporates advanced features and performance into a versatile scanning solution."

These features include automatic binary/colour distinction which recognises colour and black and white pages, reducing file size and ensuring the most efficient scanning process. High-yield easyto- replace consumables also minimise downtime when in use.

"The Panasonic KV-S7075C is an intelligent scanning solution that ensures quality and outstanding performance with each use, and was a de facto choice for such a critical part of this project," adds Tony.

Additionally, a departmental Panasonic KVS2048C Scanner is used to input ongoing paperwork. Records are scanned, routed when necessary to HR managers, indexed and stored. The Panasonic KV-S2048C is the ideal way to upgrade and complement any department's document management capabilities. With duplex colour scanning and consistently reliable paper handling, the KV-S2048C provides reliable on-going document archiving support for AkzoNobel.

Providing Panasonic Scanners as part of the overall solution assured AkzoNobel management they were purchasing reliable and powerful technology, backed by an internationally recognised household name. Both the Panasonic KV-S7075C and Panasonic KV-S2048C are the perfect technical partner for the DocStor solution.

PANASONIC ADVANTAGE
Progressing the project, FileFlatners Limited were entrusted to securely scan over 2,700 historic AkzoNobel employee files. The process employed the Panasonic KV-S7065 with Panasonic Image Capture Plus software, in conjunction with DocStor's indexing application. The results are then linked directly to a copy of the AkzoNobel employee file, to provide a database lookup to validate each index entry.

The completed images and index data were then securely transferred to the main HR Server for import into DocStor's web based eStor solution. In addition, and as part of the continued evolvement of the company's eStor archive, electronic documents, emails and new employee data are also scanned and uploaded by AzkoNobel staff to further improve working efficiencies and provide simple access to employee records. The highlyeffective eStor archive now saves time and storage space, ensuring an exponential archive solution for the AkzoNobel HR team.

Taking full advantage of Panasonic and DocStor technology, AkzoNobel have already added a further 1300 employee records onto the eStor system. Gary Winstanley concludes; "In operation, the Panasonic scanners have proved to be both reliable and easy to use. The resolution of files produced has also been impressive, allowing us to improve the quality of our older, faded paper files to that of the later ones.

"Overall the project has been a great success and now provides a solid, safe and easily accessible platform for multiple authorised departments to access our employee files - from anywhere in the world."

More info: www.panasonic.co.uk

CaseStudy