Working in the public sphere, the Vanderburgh County Clerk’s office deals with a constant inflow of new people and information.
Working in the public sphere, the Vanderburgh County Clerk’s office deals with a constant inflow of new people and information. That entails loads of paperwork continually arriving and needing somewhere to land. The County Clerk, Carla Hayden, was confronted with a serious structural issue. Hayden described the old system as “inefficient, hazardous, and outdated”. The space to store everything properly was there, however the old method of storage was not best suited for it. Some short term files had to be saved offsite, another huge inconvenience for her employees, as well as being expensive. The county needed something onsite, well sorted, and safer to relieve the trouble of looking for files.
The search for a company that could deliver a proper file management system began, and Tri-State Systems was one of the first to show promise. One factor that Hayden was most pleased with was that Tri-State Systems could offer a quick purchase agreement. Jason Elikofer, the president of Tri-State Systems, also proved that he had the connections and flexibility to deliver exactly what the county would need. After starting out with no idea where to begin, Tri-State Systems was able to make a seemingly difficult decision a flawless transition.
Hayden commissioned high-density mobile shelving as well as file and book storage. The book storage included easy roller shelving, economical and specifically designed for preserving the binding of heavy books. The first phase of the project was the installation of four shelving units, and it more than tripled the space they had before. On top of that, once all of the files were reorganized, labeled, and shelved, they didn’t even take up two whole shelving units. Hayden says they were thrilled with the results, and later added two more shelving units to the system. Because of all of the extra space, Hayden was able to move a majority of the offsite files back into the building. She says that this move saves the county about $10,000 dollars a month. Her employees are now safer, and much more pleased with the ease that they can now locate the files they need.
Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline has delivered a standard of excellence for over a hundred years to its customers all across the Midwest.
Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline has delivered a standard of excellence for over a hundred years to its customers all across the Midwest. However, with growth and time, they quickly noticed that their efficiency was being hindered by an inability to find and access the information they needed in a timely fashion. As business services manager Josh Komarek put it, “We had an environment where we couldn’t always find what we needed. Security just wasn’t there. Paper records vital to running the business were not in a secure space.” The ultimate goal was to have on onsite storage solution that was accessible, organized, and protected from natural disasters.
For Southern Star, the decision to go with Tri-State Systems was a simple one. Unlike competitors, Tri-State Systems does not offer the typical cookie cutter solutions that force a client to adapt a set up that may not actually be the best for them. Komarek believes that Tri-State Systems keeps the competitive edge that allows them to customize the file management to the needs of the customer. The right product does not work for every company, and personalization is key. On top of that, Tri-State Systems has many partnerships with established service providers, as well as extensive knowledge on what needs to be done to resolve a problem.
After the installation of a high-density mobile racking system with manual turns, 15-foot high-storage, wide span racks, and open file shelving, Southern Star noticed a definitive change in productivity and operation costs. Now, the over 7,000 boxes containing files are promptly found and obtained, a much better method compared to the endless rifling through unorganized cabinets. Southern Star was also able to save tens of thousands of dollars by choosing Tri-State Systems. Without their current system, the company would have had to overspend by doubling their current building space in an attempt to securely store their vast compilation of records. Tri-State Systems solved all of Southern Star’s file management problems swiftly, using their reliable team and valuable connections.
Case Study 4: Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline Partners with Tri-State Systems for File Conversion
Client:
Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline is a leading transporter of natural gas to America’s heartland, with about 6,000 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline in the Midwest and Mid-Continent regions of the United States. The pipeline system, facilities and employees are located in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Texas, with headquarters in Owensboro, KY. SSCGP has provided over 100 years of continuous, quality service since our formation in 1904. Highly sought after due to consistently strong performance, desirable location in America’s heartland, and quality of service, they have been owned by various entities and undergone several name changes over the last century, but their reputation for safe, reliable quality service has remained constant. They are a locally managed private company owned by General Electric and Caisse de depot du Québec.
Tri-State Systems:
Founded in 1968, Tri-State Systems is the industry leader in hybrid records and information management with over 40 years of expertise, knowledge and strategic partnerships. Tri-State Systems has scanned millions of documents at 99.9% accuracy for various fields and maximized real estate and space by imaging files and documents and converting to digital images and electronic storage to reduce paper and boxes.
Project:
Tri-State Systems has performed multiple projects for Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline in order to convert multiple file types to easily accessible digital images, including DOT Sheets, large format DOT drawings, various sized maps from 8.5”x11” to 24”X36”, and microfilm. These projects each have their own specifications as to which department they are for, within SSCGP, as well as different naming and indexing requirements for easy and convenient searchability within the company. This can include capturing the drawing number, project number, drawing type, drawing date and department for each image. These projects included the imaging of over 14,500 large format drawings/maps, 14,000 DOT sheets, and over 12,000 standard folder level images. Our current project in process of microfilm to digital, converting both 16 and 35mm film, is estimated to image over 1.3 million images.
Case File 3: File Drawer to High Density Shelving Conversion
Four drawer file cabinets were the go to solution for this client’s case files for more than a century; however, the Clerk’s Office dealt with daily issues as a result. The issues included the clumsiness of drawer files, inefficiency with accessing files, misfiles and inefficient use of valuable floor space. Like many other Clerk’s Offices these issues resulted in increased cost to maintain the mission critical records. This client did not have space for expansion despite increasing records volume and something had to be done.
The Solution: Tri-State Systems has worked with the Clerk’s office supplying file folders and services throughout the years. Tri-State Systems experts performed a thorough survey of the existing situation and developed a detailed plan for current and future records. The proposal included removing the four drawer files from the space to make way for a high-density mobile storage system. After the installation was complete, files were loaded onto open shelf case file carts and transported to the system by the installation team. The new system uses less floor space with increased storage capacity and allows for time and cost savings related to filing of records.
Case File 2: High Density Shelving for Circuit Court
This Clerk was challenged with county records being stored inefficiently in boxes and spread across multiple areas making access to these records time consuming. With vital records being in several locations this increased exposure to damage or loss. There was no where else for the county to expand and store mission critical files.
The Solution: Tri-State Systems collaborated with the Clerk’s Office to develop a plan for a high-density file storage system. The Clerk’s office now has centralized, easy access, open shelf storage with plenty of space for current records and future expansion. The system has allowed the county to store more files in a smaller foot print with easier and faster access and less exposure to injury when compared to handling boxes and exposure to damage or loss. All of these benefits led to cost savings.
Case File 1: County Clerk Project
Like most counties, this client purchased static/non-movable roller shelving as they needed and the roller shelving would end up along walls in nearly any area they could find. You could find books in many separate rooms and on various levels of the building. Along with the large volumes of books other types of media continued to add to what was becoming an overwhelming storage issue.
The Solution: Tri-State Systems team understanding the business of the Clerk’s office knew exactly how to help. The plan was to get the books organized and centralized into the given space using high-density mobile storage. The logistics to make all that happen was part of Tri-State Systems tested and proven methods, skilled labor and specialized carts and equipment. The new system is user friendly, cost effective and has given back valuable floor space for other purposes.