When an international off-shore company closed a UK site, the headquarters co-ordinated the closure, inheriting the archives and organisation of storage for their large items in the warehouse. Archive-Vault’s records management expertise and storage solutions supported the client and streamlined a complex situation.
When sites have individual archiving processes, inheriting another archive is never easy, but the pressure is really on when that site is due for imminent closure.
This was exactly the case with our client in the off-shore industry. When one of their sites closed, the UK headquarters inherited its archive. Some of this was already stored at our facilities in Norfolk, but there remained a huge amount of documents that needed to be archived. A warehouse filled with bulky items, including equipment, also needed to be emptied and alternative storage found for its contents.
The Operations and Logistics Manager met with Archive-Vault to help execute a plan of action to empty the site within the deadline.
The Challenge
Taking control of another archive is not a straightforward business, but this project was particularly challenging due to the tight timeframe. The archive would also need to be reviewed and organised after the move.
This was a significant job, so our client contacted us for advice and support. We organised a site visit and identified the following key issues:
Bulky items – The site had a warehouse that was filled with bulky items, such as invaluable equipment for the industry. With the site now closing down, these items needed to be securely transported and stored elsewhere.
Lack of knowledge – With individual sites using separate archiving processes, headquarters were unsure what information had already been sent for offsite storage. This created a sizable information gap, and increased the probability of files being lost, duplicated or unnecessarily stored. It also meant that finding important documents could be a time-consuming process.
Imminent deadline – With the closure date fast approaching, we knew we had to act quickly and efficiently to remove all items from the site by the deadline. The items were not referenced, we had to identify the weight and dimensions of each item in order to accurately arrange the transportation.
The Solution
Once we had identified the key priorities, we dispatched vehicles to collect the large items and safely transport them back to Archive-Vault. When the deliveries arrived, we gave each item its own unique barcode and reference. We also took a photo of each item so that it could be easily located and viewed on our online client portal.
Creating a new archiving system was the next priority. To begin the process, the client determined what information they would like to use as a reference. Once the reference fields were decided, they were rolled out across all of the archive, including the items already in store.
The client also established retention periods for the types of documents they were looking through, this meant that a destruction date could be added to each document.
To complete the project, our client made regular appointments with us to review their archive boxes and large items, so having the new archiving system in place meant the reviewing process would be a lot more streamline.
The client now has access to our Online Portal, which allows them to view and manage their entire inventory anywhere, anytime. Our clients can make requests and download destruction reports too, which gives them full control of their off-site storage.
The Results
By the end of the project, our client had successfully removed all items off-site, ahead of their deadline and before the site officially closed. All items have been safely transported to Archive-Vault, and each now has a unique barcode and reference. The review of the older archiving is underway, leaving our client with a detailed inventory and retention dates on each item.
The client is now staying data compliant, saving staff time and reducing overall costs.
Want to discuss your records management needs? If you would like to find out more about our secure storage solutions for your organisation, you can get in touch with us by calling 01603 720722 or emailing info@archive-vault.co.uk.
*Due to the nature of our business, our clients must remain anonymous.
