In a partnership agreement with Afrox, Metrofile has upgraded an imaging system which gives the chemical giant better control over the handling of documents throughout the organisation, reducing the instance of lost data, as well as giving both staff and clients better access to information that pertains to them.
Metrofile`s relationship with Afrox extends back 10 years.
Mike Steyn, account manager at Metrofile, says the main motivation for the agreement was "to keep Afrox at the forefront of its game". The locally developed system, MetroImage, is an upgrade to the previous Exsol DIS 6 application Afrox was using.
The company agreed to be a beta test site for Metrofile and in exchange received a substantial cost benefit. Andre Keyter, Afrox systems manager Witwatersrand, says a similar product sourced abroad could have cost millions; instead, Afrox now has a system that exceeds the offering of its global counterparts.
Steyn says because Afrox was aware it was a beta site, it was prepared to bear the risks associated with a project of this nature. However, no major difficulties were experienced.
MetroImage is a digital document management system that enables corporations to store and retrieve paper documents as well as index and reconstruct COLD (mainframe) files in electronic format. Documents are scanned and indexed to a database, from where they can be managed. Its modular design incorporates client/server functionality for LANs/WANs and a fully Web-enabled model.
Steyn says Afrox had outgrown DIS 6 and its supporting infrastructure, which could not cater for Afrox`s future growth, as its throughput volumes had ballooned, adversely affecting performance and frustrating users and customers. "The volumes now being put through the system attest to the success of the product," says Steyn.
Says Keyter: "The application became more and more widely used across the organisation, beyond the initial scope of requirements. We simply outgrew DIS 6. With MetroImage the architecture is more stable, robust and faster."
MetroImage was customised for Afrox, but its principles apply to the logistics industry. "Our understanding of the previous system and our knowledge on how to migrate the old system to the new was our biggest strength, as Afrox could not afford to lose any information," says Steyn.
Keyter says Afrox previously had a nearline CD jukebox solution, and needed to progress to an online solution. The requirement was to migrate the current database - three years worth of documents, amounting to 20 million records - from CD to storage area network. MetroImage allows the archiving of documents online or to near-line media, such as optical disc, CD-ROM or DVD. It also gives users high-speed document retrieval, making them easy to locate and access from all storage systems. An intuitive GUI allows users to perform extensive searches on the database.
Steyn says Afrox is using MetroImage to scan in documents related to the proof of delivery of gases, cylinders and other products to clients. These are scanned regionally at locations in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Vanderbijlpark. They are indexed accordingly and the digitised information is replicated to the nerve centre at Germiston each night. Here it is kept for future reference.
Employees at Afrox`s customer service centre use the application to retrieve proof of deliveries so they can fax/e-mail them to customers in the event of account queries. Customers can also use the application to view documents remotely via its Web interface.
Keyter says the customer service centre processes all documents related to customers, as well as handling correspondence of a legally binding nature, such as letters regarding price increases. There are 200 people in the customer service centre, while 103 branches throughout the country are linked via intranet. They all need to be able to fax and e-mail multiple documents electronically.
MetroImage allows sharing of scanned images by any number of users. Images may also be routed to other users across a LAN/WAN or sent over the Internet. The product ships with built-in security features that prevent unauthorised access. Once a paper document is captured it may be filed away for safekeeping, or destroyed. Afrox currently makes use of Metrofile`s offsite storage facilities.
Keyter says the system allows Afrox to provide customer-specific Internet access to documents. "We have to verify that only the customer that owns the documents has access to them. That was the limiting factor in the older system."
The result of the new installation is a more robust, stable, scalable solution that will cater for Afrox`s immediate and future needs, says Steyn. "It offers improved access and retrieval times, as well as better design and architecture, lending itself to reduced administration. It also minimises the instance of misplaced images, as there is now complete data integrity."
Share
Metrofile is the South African market leader in the management of business content, and is committed to help customers reduce costs and improve productivity in processes that are centred on documents and corporate records.
All companies have a combination of paper and electronic documents, and are forced by law and customer requirements to secure the availability of the documents for the duration of their lifecycle. For most organisations, the volume of documentation is growing at an exponential rate, and is becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
Metrofile, which also has an international presence, is uniquely positioned to provide consulting and implementation of full lifecycle paper and electronic records management solutions from storage and conversion through to destruction.
Editorial contacts