CHALLENGE • When Michigan-based commercial property management and development company Ramco-Gershenson was planning their move to a new location they decided to make improvements to their property management fi ling system. Records for each commercial property were stored in nearly 50 vertical fi le cabinets and the numbering system did not correspond with the property numbers kept in the company's database. Records were diffi cult to locate and space management in the new facility was a priority. Many of the property records were inactive and taking up valuable storage space. A new fi le room manager was also concerned about risks with non-compliance and viewed the relocation as an opportunity to bring the company's records management into the electronic age.

SOLUTION • A SYSTEC records management consultant took charge of planning and implementing the fi le relocation and redesign of the company's central fi ling system. The fi rst recommendation included designing a numeric labeling system that corresponded with the property management database. The consultant also recommended a document management and bar code software system that would provide the ability to track the location of records as well as manage retention schedules for inactive files. They also suggested a high-density mobile storage system to maximize current and future filing capacity. The relocation team mapped the location of records in the old building, moved designated files to inactive storage and packed and transported active fi les to the new location. An on-site team transferred documents from the old top-tab fi les into new side-tab Red Wallet folders, which incorporated new numeric labels corresponding to the property database. The team also loaded the new mobile storage system and conducted a final inventory. Each file number and location was then entered into document management software.
The result was an effi cient, space-saving, well-organized file room that increased productivity and accountability while reducing the risk of regulatory non-compliance. File room manager Ian Kologek, declared the project a success, saying, "This ability to track and report on information throughout its lifecycle has spurred a level of accountability and professionalism that just could not exist without such a system."  
* The new filing system has certainly kept us more organized. We've greatly reduced the number of misplaced fi les and our cost of doing business. Plus, SYSTEC followed up well after our transaction to see if we needed anything or additional training.that's service you don't see very often," noted Rick Adams, Operations Manager of ACCO Engineered Systems.