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July 17, 2003

Worldwide Fertilizer Producer Implements EDMS

Harrell’s Fertilizer Implements Electronic Document Management System supplied by Document Advantage Corporation.

Harrell’s Fertilizer, a worldwide producer and distributor of custom fertilizers for golf courses, sports turf, and the horticulture industries, announced the implementation of a cutting edge electronic document management system (EDMS). The EDMS will become an integral part of Harrell’s work processes streamlining operations, such as order entry, payables and receivables, resulting in improved service to their customers. Harrell’s who is accustomed to the use of technology in their own product success - contracted with Document Advantage Corporation (DocuVantage) of Winter Haven, Florida to install and implement the electronic document management system.

DocuVantage’s solution includes an integrated suite of products based on the Optix® Electronic Document Management software. A complete Optix® system includes Document Imaging, Workflow, WEB, Text Retrieval, Document Management and Control, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and COLD capabilities. The Optix® document capture and retrieval, indexing, and workflow will rapidly improve turn-around time, eliminating duplicate invoicing, and creating accountability for each team member that takes part in the accounting processes.

“Harrell’s goal is to be the easiest company to do business with. The implementation of the Optix® Document and Workflow management tools will greatly improve employee efficiencies throughout the company which will in turn allow them to better serve the customer. The ability to provide information more quickly coupled with the simplification of employee functions translates to happier employees, and faster, more accurate customer service,” said Harrell’s Director of Information Technology Alex Barcia.

Dave Wiggins, CTO of DocuVantage says their team thrives on working with forward thinking companies like Harrell's. “Harrell’s is able to experience the efficiency gains first hand with the technical team partnership they have formed during the implementation and the DocuVantage team is able to forge a working relationship within the clients IT department that will ensure a stable environment as the application grows.”

Initially, DocuVantage and Harrell’s programming teams have ensured solid integration between the document management system and Harrell’s Great Plains accounting software that will eliminate the confusion and over-communication between headquarters and satellite offices when dealing with the identification and correct posting, payments and historical information of Harrell’s Accounts Payables documents.

Additional improvements to Harrell’s processes are in the design stages, including streamlining the Accounts Receivable Department as well as implementing an extranet for their suppliers and customers. DocuVantage looks forward to assisting them as they continue to grow and is proud to be a part of their winning combination.

About Harrell’s

Harrell’s Fertilizer is a worldwide producer and distributor of custom fertilizers for golf courses, sporting turf and the horticulture industries. Established in Lakeland, Florida in 1941, Harrell’s production of fertilizer now exceeds 60,000 tons annually and is shipped all around the Southeast, across the Caribbean, Central and South America as well as the Middle East and the Pacific Rim. Harrell’s operates in Alabama and South Carolina with headquarters in Florida.

For more information please contact Alex Barcia, Director of Information Technology - abarcia@harrells.com

About DocuVantage

DocuVantage is an industry leader in Electronic Document Management, specializing in the design, installation and support of upgradeable systems that are able to grow with the new technologies of tomorrow and currently provides automated solutions to a wide variety of industries. DocuVantage uses the Optix® integrated suite of products as its system base because of its proven flexibility, functionality and successful track record. For more info please visit www.docuvantage.com

July 17, 2003 | Comments (0)
Posted by DocuVantage

July 16, 2003

Hillsborough County Awards Another EDMS

Hillsborough County Planning and Growth Management (PGM) Department has contracted with Document Advantage (DocuVantage) Corporation of Winter Haven, Florida to implement a Document Management System to automate the department’s business processes and workflows. DocuVantage has partnered with Salone IT on this and other County projects.

The PGM Department performs planning activities to implement the County’s Comprehensive Plan, including the administration of the Land Development Code and Building Codes.

Generating approximately 2,369 million new documents annually, the documents are currently prepared by hand with many of the documents stored on microfiche. In addition to labor costs – with many employees working weekends to keep on top of the volume of paperwork – the PGM Department generates over 655,000 copies per year and incurs nearly $25,000 in courier services transporting files to and from remote offices.

In addition to the labor involved in maintaining, filing and retrieving over 30 years of documentation which include building and site plans, permits, and vital engineering information, the PGM Department must follow workflow and handling strategies to meet mandates on reporting and responding on applications and appeals.

After a needs study performed by the Strategic Automation Plan Project; a committee formed by the PGM Department, DocuVantage bid on and was approved to implement the Optix® Electronic Document Management System. This system will provide:

· Workflow, document flow and approval path,
· Action Plans for distributed versus centralized document management,
· Distributed scanning from 4 remote sites and the downtown head office, plus satellite offices,
· Online editing, updating and adding of data to the electronic forms with both manual and automated validations
· Check-in and check-out system to track location of documents, plus audit time constraints and accountability,
· Handling of all phases of the documents from creation to archiving,
· All meeting legal and regulatory provisions.

DocuVantage’s solution will store and retrieve 2 to 6 million documents online. Compared to several days to retrieve documents under the current manual system, the new system will provide for retrieval of online documents within seconds. The system will furthermore provide secure web access to the internal staff.

Supporting the many types of files the PGM Department deals with including Autocad and large format documents, the system will allow for annotation, redacting, highlighting, date and time stamping and more.
The PGM Departments evolution from hard copy to the electronic document management is estimated to take from two to four years in which time DocuVantage will provide 24/7 service and complete training to the management and personnel, plus online tutorials and help system.

Optix® was developed in 1988 by mindwrap, inc., formerly Blueridge Technologies; pioneers in the development of some of the largest document management systems ever designed. Dave Wiggins, CTO of DocuVantage was part of the original Optix® development team. A complete Optix® system includes Document Imaging, Workflow, WEB, Text Retrieval, Document Management and Control, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and COLD capabilities. Optix® also includes a mobile version and wireless capabilities.

For more information please contact Dave Wiggins at 863.326.6360 or visit us at www.docuvantage.com

July 16, 2003 | Comments (0)
Posted by DocuVantage