ACA Pacific deploys capture technology from Kodak Alaris to enable local government council in Australia to go digital

Overview

ACA Pacific is the sole distributor of Kodak Alaris' range of document scanners and imaging software in Australia and New Zealand. The value-added specialist IT distributor has partnered with Kodak Alaris for 25 years, providing the company's information capture solutions to its extensive network of channel partners, backed by pre- and post-sale support, superior account management and professional services.

Challenge

The rollout of Microsoft SharePoint across a local government council in South Australia created a pressing requirement to digitize files dating back several years within the Information Records and Management Department.

A team of six working within the department were charged with back-scanning all legacy records as well as conducting day- forward scanning, so moving forward, the department would be fully digital and all records integrated with SharePoint. The council's key criteria included seamless integration with SharePoint, ease of use and speed of throughput.

Solution

“The digitization project was far from straightforward,” Sushil Gajwani, National Sales Manager– Document Imaging & Data Capture Solutions at ACA Pacific explained: “The physical records included building applications, plans, correspondence from residents, and various other forms, and contained a varied mix of document types, ranging in size from small dockets through to drawings up to A0 size.”

The council was looking for a solution that would enable them to convert all hard copy records to digital files, which required a combination of technologies. After evaluating the size, quality and condition of the hard copies, ACA Pacific recommended the Kodak i4250 Scanner and Kodak A3 Flatbed Accessory, as well as Kodak Capture Pro Software from Kodak Alaris. In order to support the requirement for scanning plan drawings up to A0 size, ACA Pacific also provided a Colortrac Smart LF SC36e scanner which was installed on the same host PC, meaning the entire capture workflow solution could be used by anyone in the department.

Benefits

ACA Pacific designed a sophisticated workflow that provided all users with access to the dedicated production scanning station, thus minimizing time spent on the scanners, helping them to achieve the highest productivity from a single device.

“The information capture solution provided was designed to seamlessly integrate and enable the team to easily and quickly scan entire records including file covers, bound booklets and delicate fragile documents, from small dockets through to A0 size plan drawings,” Gajwani said.

The Kodak i4250 scans at 110 pages per minute/220 images per minute and is equipped with a 500-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF). Operators can place multiple files in the stack and let the scanner run at capacity, which has significantly improved productivity. Previously the department did ad-hoc scanning using a multifunctional device, which was time-intensive and inefficient – with the new solution an entire record can be fully digitized and accessible in SharePoint in under 15 minutes.

Sophisticated paper handling features such as Intelligent Document Protection, which detects staples, paper clips or other blockages, ensures the scanning process runs smoothly, while auto image rotation and skew detection ensures that images are the right side up and straight, reducing the need for rescans and post-imaging manual adjustments.

The Kodak A3 Size Flatbed Accessory is playing a key role in making the digitization process slick and efficient, adding the ability to scan bound, oversized and fragile documents. This is particularly valuable when it comes to scanning records' cover pages which contain a barcode identifier – the scanner reads the barcode values and then delivers data from the rest of the file directly to the right application. Once digitized, records are sent directly to SharePoint and are available to all users across the organization within minutes with the required metadata as a text- searchable PDF.

Engineered to work seamlessly with any scanner from Kodak Alaris, Kodak Capture Pro Software quickly convert batches of paper into high quality images - the foundation for accurate, streamlined data extractions and decision-making. ACA Pacific deployed the Kodak Capture Pro Software solution across the department, providing six indexing licenses installed on the users' PCs to enable all staff to complete quality assurance, verification and indexing at their own workstation, helping maximize hardware utilization and increase productivity six-fold. The workflow involved staff scanning documents on the main scanning PC, then simply closing the batch and completing the required verification and indexing at their desk.

Both the scanner and Kodak Capture Pro Software are extremely intuitive and easy to use. “We provided training at the implementation stage and the operators became very proficient using the solution within a very short time. In fact, the solution was demonstrated and deployed within just six weeks,” Gajwani said.

Since implementation, there have been no issues requiring additional support from ACA Pacific. Customer feedback has been extremely positive, with users and the management team applauding the solution for its robustness and reliability, superior end-user experience and perfect price/performance ratio. To read more case studies, please visit www.AlarisWorld.com