Profiting Without Paper

The May 2009 issue of Information Week Canada features an article by Richard Bray called "Pushing paper, right out the door: How an Ottawa company wound up in a paperless place." The article focuses on the pains and successes that OCM Manufacturing experienced during the transition to a paperless office. After their first paper-based attempt at ISO 9000 certification failed and hundreds of thousands of pieces of paper had to be destroyed Michael Julian, CEO at OCM, decided that the second attempt at ISO 9000 compliance
was going to be a lot different, it was going to be completely paperless! Post-transition Julian says "Ask anybody around here, they wouldn't ever want to go to a paper system, in both ISO documentation and in manufacturing documentation."

"The bottom line benefits of eliminating paper have meant money in the bank. Since the paperless push began, OCM Manufacturing has eliminated at least three administrative positions, while doubling in size and doing twice as many transactions. Communication
is improved, because with electronic document everyone is literally on the same page and information is always available to authorized personnel, no matter where they are." – Richard Bray

Some of the motivators for converting to paperless workflow include:

* Increased efficiency - controlling document versions and workflow can give an organization a competitive edge,
* ISO certification - document management is a key piece to ISO certification,
* Controlled internal & external document standards - ensure employees across your organization are using the most recent versions of documents,
* Audit preparedness - the Intelex Document Management System automatically archives old file versions for year-round audit preparedness, and
* Corporate Social Responsibility- environmentally friendlier business practices translate in to social responsibility, consumer loyalty, and cost savings.