Logistics Industry Case Study

This case study is about a FileHold customer, Oregon Transfer, a long-established business in the Logistics / Trucking industry. We wanted to learn more about how FileHold is being used and to understand the business benefits that are being achieved. FileHold asked their Director of IT, Steve Jeffrey, to answer some question about their implementation.

About FileHold Customer Oregon Transfer

Oregon Transfer Co. is a family-owned, full-service third-party logistics (3PL) company. They were established in Portland, Oregon in 1868 and are the oldest and largest logistics company in the region. Their customers consider them the premier operator in the Northwest and one of the leaders in the logistics industry.

Oregon Transfer owns and operates food grade and light industrial warehouse facilities with storage and handling services for a variety of food, beverage, consumer-packaged goods, industrial and general merchandise. Their facilities are secured and monitored 24/7 and they provide transportation services to and from their multiple facilities.

The Special Projects Division of Oregon Transfer offers value-added services including shrink-wrapping, module-display building, kitting, repacking, etc. These programs offer flexibility, efficiency and level of service that are difficult to achieve with in-house programs.

Q - What were the business problems that drove you to look for Document Management Software?

A - We were consuming a great deal of space and time putting a lot of paper into filing cabinets (e.g. invoices, etc.) Like many organizations, we wanted to reduce the amount of paper we were creating but to do so we needed a way to manage the increased volume of electronic documents we would be generating. To reduce all of this paper we needed:

  • A central repository to organize and store electronic documents.
  • A solution for indexing, tracking, searching and retrieving the electronic documents (e.g. contracts, audits, etc.).

Q - Why did Oregon Transfer choose FileHold?

A - We did an extensive search of the market and found that FileHold had the core functionality we needed. It was affordable yet had all of the features we were looking for:

  • Easy indexing, searching, retrieval.
  • A cabinet structure that allows for good organization of documents.
  • Flexible/robust setup for document metadata and schemas.
  • A document workflow system we could configure - very useful.
  • Good security for file handling, managing users and integration with active directory.
  • Reasonably priced in comparison to other DMS vendors.

Q - How are you using FileHold?

A - FileHold is used across our entire operation. For example:

  • Our accounting department is using it for filing invoices, W9s, benefit payments, claims, etc.
  • The sales department is using it for customer contracts and customer rate documents.
  • The HR department using it for employee correspondence, job descriptions and policies.
  • The operations department using it for audit reports, compliance, equipment inspection, incident reports, etc.

Q - What business benefits are Oregon Transfer receiving?

A – We are benefited across the organization by saving paper and money through reduced printing.

  • The central repository has made it easier to manage and organize documents.
  • The ability to quickly search and retrieve important documents has saved a lot of time looking for documents.
  • The electronic document workflow feature has increased efficiency through enhanced document flow and a faster approval process.

Technical Summary

Prior to purchasing the licensing, a test environment was installed at Oregon Transfer and a Proof of Concept (POC) was conducted to determine if the software was easy to use and did everything as advertised. The initial license was installed in August of 2016. Oregon Transfer provided a virtual server using VMware, Windows Server 2012R2 and SQL Server 2016. Optional features include integration with Active Directory and server-side OCR that makes PDF and TIF documents fully searchable.

The remote install took one hour (FileHold has a two-hour server installation guarantee), which was followed by 2 hours of Systems administration training and one and a half hours of Library Administration training. Since installation one major release upgrade has been delivered as a part of the ongoing FileCare program that includes unlimited technical support and all product upgrades.

To learn more about how FileHold can help your organization to go paperless and streamline the flow of information contact [email protected].