More efficient production of tender documents The demand for generating tenders more quickly is a given in today's engineering industry. And it's no different for Shepherd Engineering Services (SES), one of the UK's leading building services companies. Yet until recently, the time it would take SES to process an enquiry was a major considerarion as to whether it could accept it in the first place. That changed with the Océ solution, comprising Océ Engineering Exec®, the Océ 9800 and Océ Services. It gives SES quicker access to documents, allows centralised document production and streamlines working processes.
'The Océ solution has allowed us to effectively discount the copying logistics as a determining factor as to whether we accept the invitation to tender.' (Martyn Ferguson, Office Services Manager, Shepherd Engineering Services, York, UK)
Bottleneck 1: slow document exchange When employees in manufacturing or assembly wanted drawings, they would walk to the central print room and request them. It could be as long as two hours before they received the drawings causing significant downtime on the floor.
Benefit 1: instantaneous document retrieval The 8-A0-per-minute print speed of the Océ 9800 and on-line document retrieval with Océ Engineering Exec® software have reduced the time needed to process enquiry packages through the SES print room by 80 per cent. The system capacity is such that it can handle all document requirements at the head office in York and be used to print drawings for SES regional offices and sites. These documents are delivered on-line via Océ Engineering Exec®, giving SES the economy and control of centralised reproduction.
Bottleneck 2: delays in producing tenders General Electric needed to provide customers with up-to-date drawings-some 2,200 to 2,400 documents per shift. The manual ordering, production, assembly and mailing of these sets could take up to 8 hours. So customers often had to wait for drawings. Which also slowed the approval process.
Benefit 2: more-efficient mailing process Every document SES receives is scanned and saved into the digital archive. To retrieve a document, an employee simply types in a contract number or the name of the document originator. The document immediately appears on screen for viewing or printing. SES uses the Océ 9800 for bulk copying, while small-format or one-off copies are produced on other machines. Océ Engineering Exec® even keeps track of each project's printing costs for inclusion in the bid.
The Choice for Océ SES called on Océ to help improve the process. After analysing all aspects of SES's business, Océ recommended the Océ 9800 multifunction system and Océ Engineering Exec® archiving and print management software. The solution answered SES's needs for: • Intuitive software (because some employees lacked computer experience) • A highly productive printer • Professional consultancy • Easy integration into existing working procedure • Responsive after-sales service
Solution at SES
