Metrofile has scanned 220 000 mine labour cards onto DVDs for iProp, allowing the company to realise a return on investment to the factor of three within a year.
iProp was formed when Rand Mines Properties (RMP) changed its name. It inherited from RMP the responsibility for administering and paying death benefits to the families and beneficiaries of 220 000 former Rand Mines workers.
Richard Bennet, marketing director of iProp, says the miners` employee cards, which are used to pay claims, took up 130m2 of storage space and went back in time 40 to 50 years.
Stephen Darling, Metrofile account manager, says the cards dated back to 1954. "These were cards that the miners would fill in when they joined a mine. The card would follow the worker to each mine at which he worked. TEBA, the recruitment agency for the mines, administered the cards so they could be used to claim pensions.
"However, some transient workers would return to their homes in Mozambique or Lesotho, for example, never to be seen again. They had nothing to prove where they had worked, because the cards were sitting at mines that had closed down. Then iProp took over administration of the pensions."
Says Bennet: "We sold the risk of future claims to an organisation and invested the cash to pay the claims at a later date. They are all for small amounts, ranging from R200 to R500, and the cost to store the documents exceeded their total value. We had a permanent staff member tasked with managing and sifting through 220 000 documents to find one when a claim fell due. The situation became impossible."
New legislation was passed, which made it legal to convert documents of this nature into electronic format. iProp chose Metrofile to scan the documents onto DVD. "In comparison with competitors, Metrofile`s offering was unique," says Bennet.
Over a period of two to three months, the documents were scanned using Alchemy search and retrieval software, of which Metrofile is the local distributor. They were then cleaned up and saved onto seven DVDs, searchable by mine name, person`s name or person`s mine number.
Says Bennet: "In some cases, one person would have worked at three different mines, so his name would appear more than once. With the new system, at the push of a button, we can identify and retrieve all documents and contracts relating to an individual. The scanned image is far superior to the original."
Darling adds: "Because the cards have now been taken offsite, iProp has realised savings on storage costs and the staff member required to find the cards. Previously it would take anything from weeks to months to retrieve the documents from TEBA. Now they can be found in seconds, because the system is electronic. All that is needed is the worker`s mine number or surname and the card comes up electronically on screen."
He lists the following benefits a company can gain from the Metrofile electronic document storage solution:
* Retrieval of information is fast and efficient.
* A 99% reduction in space used will be achieved, with no more need for filing cabinets, files and shelves.
* Information can be distributed quickly and easily without having to make photocopies. Documents can be retrieved across a network. Information can be printed, faxed or e-mailed from the desktop.
* No more misfiled or lost documents, as they cannot be erased from the CD-ROM.
* Valuable working hours are no longer spent on sorting, filing and re-filing paper records. Staff can be used for more productive tasks.
* All enquiries can be executed accurately and without delay.
* Outstanding debtors amounts can be collected quickly.
* Master CDs can be stored offsite or in a fireproof safe.
Bennet says the total value of the contract was R136 000, but because iProp sold the defunct cards for R2 000, the net cost was R134 000. He expects to realise ROI on the contract to the factor of three by the end of 2003.
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Metrofile, a company in the JSE Securities Exchange-listed MGX group, 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 around 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.
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