Quality Associates, Inc. (QAI) helps union client go digital, manage and electronically consolidate 600,000 pages of member files.
Background
Chartered in 1915 and headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, Road Sprinkler Fitters Local Union 669 (Local Union 669), is dedicated to the education and training of its over 12,500 apprentice and journeymen members in the continual evolution of fire sprinkler systems installation. As a nationwide local United Association union, Local Union 669 has members across 48 states served by more than 70 employees in the field. The mission of Local Union 669 is to furnish the union’s partnering contractors with journeymen and apprentices that have the aptitude, knowledge and skill to install a quality fire protection system.
The Challenge
Local Union 669’s office staff were drowning in paper files—more than 70 vertical filing cabinets represented about 600,000 pages of member information, as well as contractor files and other miscellaneous documents —with more paperwork (and file drawers) being added to the facility every day. Not to mention, if a paper file was missing, employees would have to spend valuable time searching through the filing cabinet to find it. Moreover, staff working at the Columbia headquarters and satellite locations across the country needed to access and collaborate on those same files to ensure a quicker response time for members.
“This was a major undertaking on the Road Sprinkler Fitters Local Union 669’s behalf and it was a cultural shift. The QAI team helped us transition from a manual, paper process to a largely automatic, electronic process. I now see much greater efficiency within our office with less down time and more time that’s better spent assisting our members. The process was thorough, transparent and seamless and working with QAI was tremendous.”
Robert Cooper – Financial Secretary: Road Sprinkler Fitters Local Union 669
Solution
To handle the document conversion process, Local Union 669 turned to Quality Associates, Inc. (QAI), a Konica Minolta company. QAI provides enterprise-class services and solutions for content management, document imaging and Intelligent Information Management (IIM). QAI first assisted the union in sorting and purging irrelevant and miscellaneous files that didn’t need to be electronically preserved—sparing Local Union 669 unnecessary expense.
QAI then transported the documents from the union’s headquarters to QAI’s secure, high production facility located in neighboring Fulton, Maryland. Over a four-month period, QAI scanned approximately 500,000 documents using a multimillion-dollar infrastructure of high-speed scanners, workstations, secure servers, software and networking equipment, all designed to move large volumes of documents through a streamlined process while maintaining the highest level of image and indexing quality.
Results
Today, Local Union 669 has virtually eliminated any chance of misplaced files or incomplete legacy documents following QAI’s digital conversion. Now each file is attached with a unique number, allowing authorized union staff—at headquarters or remotely—to access the system and obtain the information. As a result, the union has amped up its ease of search and share functionalities while dispensing with its many rows of file cabinets and storage units. New union members must still complete a paper document but the paperwork is promptly scanned, converted into an electronic file, uploaded into the United Association system and the paper copy is shredded onsite.
About Quality Associates, Inc.
Quality Associates, Inc. (QAI), a Konica Minolta Company, provides customized solutions and services that turn printed materials and electronic information into useful, organized data that can be readily located and accessed by authorized users. From scanning and imaging to complete, searchable systems that bring information directly to the desktop, QAI offers complete systems integration, support and post-deployment training to ensure success. Founded in 1986 and located in close proximity to both Baltimore and Washington, D.C., QAI has grown significantly over the years into a trusted, experienced Value-Added Reseller (VAR) with an extensive enterprise content management (IIM) supplier and partner network. QAI works with federal, state and local agencies; schools, colleges and universities; chemical and manufacturing companies; pharmaceutical, healthcare and medical research organizations; financial, accounting and law firms; professional associations; and many others. For more information, please call (800) 488-3547.