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InoTec’s first SCAMAX 8x1 devices were delivered to customers in the fourth quarter of 2014. The device has now been put to the acid test by a very successful and recognised German scan service provider: SAGA GmbH offers tailored solutions for electronic archiving and digital information management. SAGA GmbH, a scanning service provider from Düsseldorf, combines the ‘best of two scan worlds’ in one project: the benefits of an open scan track with those of a compact high speed document scanner.

Whilst on the lookout for a machine that could achieve a higher throughput, Ludwig Nickel, CEO of the Düsseldorf-based scanning service provider, quickly got in touch with InoTec. There is a long and trusted business relationship with the scanner specialist from Germany. The entire scanner infrastructure of SAGA is made up of models of various SCAMAX series.

REAL TEAMWORK
After a pilot series was ready, InoTec and SAGA agreed upon an intensive test run. This took place within a period of two weeks at InoTec in their German headquarters in Wölfersheim and one week at the SAGA headquarters. The team was made up of qualified scan operators from the Düsseldorf-based scanning service provider and employees of the InoTec research and development department. During this time the scanner ran continuously and had to process highly heterogeneous documents. The resulting findings were entered into a task book, which InoTec engineers used to optimise the scanner functions.

"The cooperation between InoTec and SAGA was real teamwork. The end result is a scanner, which delivers the best of both scan worlds: It combines a very high throughput and maximum operator comfort with a compact design and a very low cost of ownership", explains Ludwig Nickel.

A model of the new SCAMAX 8x1 series went into production from mid-October 2014. The first project was the digitisation of 70,000 files with 4 million sheets. The nature of the documents presented just as much of a challenge as the allotted time period. A large part of the documents originated in the 1940s and 50s, are heavily yellowed, torn and made up of very thin paper. According to the customer agreement, the documents had to be made available as soon before Christmas as possible. Today, Ludwig Nickel is able to look upon the successful result with pride: "The InoTec high speed document scanner passed its practical test with flying colours. All documents were delivered to the customer on time, even though the volume was 35 per cent higher than originally projected."

MANY ADVANTAGES
After the experiences of the test phase and the production operation, Ludwig Nickel appears to be convinced of the technological concept of the new scanner.

Firstly, there is the argument for the space required. "The InoTec high speed production scanner requires the space of a large tabletop unit, whilst an open scan track would take up at least triple the office space," says Ludwig Nickel. Furthermore, the InoTec device is pleasantly quiet when running and does not create dirt, which is beneficial for the health of the employees. He also praises the simple operation and use. This allows the scanner settings to be applied via the touchscreen attached to the right of the scanner in just a few, logically grouped steps.

Maintenance work is also straightforward. The scanner housing automatically opens and closes with the touch of a button. In this way, you receive immediate access to the central components, which require cleaning. "The SCAMAX 8x1 is completely cleaned by our scan operators in five minutes," says Ludwig Nickel.

According to the SAGA CEO, the central argument for the InoTec production scanner is the high speed of 300 sheets per minute. This is ensured, amongst other things, by a patented feeding system as well as a largely failure-free paper flow. The SCAMAX 8x1 has a document redirection with a large radius in order to put as little strain on the paper as possible. The scanner also uses a special glass by Schott, which is particularly scratch and break-resistant. Thanks to this, staples are no problem for the device.

In order to enable continuous production on the scanner, the InoTec engineers developed a dual input hopper tray consisting of two document trays, each with a capacity of 1,000 sheets. Whilst one document tray is in use, the second can be loaded with new documents. Once a stack has been completely electronically captured, the empty document tray is automatically pushed to the side and the newly filled one is moved into position. All this facilitates continuous feeding to ensure uninterrupted scanning.

FUTURE PLANS
Current projects in the mailroom and e-invoicing are now being transferred to the SCAMAX 8x1, step by step. Whilst eight employees are working on the document preparation, one employee is sufficient to operate the high speed production scanner.

Nevertheless, Ludwig Nickel is already thinking about the next step. "It would be ideal to have a second 8x1 device for optimum reliability. This allows us to strengthen our promise of being able to safely carry out even time-critical projects with a high document volume 'right in time'."

As the UK distributor for InoTec, Genus will be exhibiting at this years AIIM Forum UK taking place on 24th June 2015 at the Ibis Hotel, Earls Court, London.
www.genusit.com