In New York City, where real estate comes at a premium, storing decades of paper documents can be costly. Rooms filled with boxes of drawings, records and other hard-copy documents occupy valuable space that organizations could use more effectively.
To reclaim this space and improve access to information, more organizations are converting their physical archives into digital records. This growing demand has made CASO, an experienced document management services company, busier than ever.
CASO helps organizations digitize and manage large volumes of documents, including small- and large-format originals. While reducing physical storage requirements is an important benefit, many CASO customers place even greater value on the efficiency of digital archives. Centralized records are easier to find, share and access, helping organizations streamline their daily operations.
“We were blown away with the Contex scanning solution with Zero Turn workstation. I always wished I had this kind of setup.”
Dylan Askinasi, Assistant Vice President of Operations, CASO
In 2019, CASO won a contract for a major onsite scanning and archiving project in New York City. The project involved converting a substantial collection of hard-copy documents into digital files over a planned period of 14 months.
As a longtime Contex customer and reseller, CASO was already experienced in handling large-scale document conversion projects. Its team regularly archived thousands of small- and large-format documents for clients.
However, just two months into the project, the customer requested that the remaining work be completed in half the originally planned time.
Meeting this accelerated deadline would require a significant increase in scanning productivity. CASO needed to process far more documents per hour without compromising scan quality or placing unnecessary strain on its operators.
The challenge was not simply to scan faster. It was also to reduce the time spent handling, positioning and organizing large-format drawings throughout the scanning process.
CASO found its solution in a Contex HD Ultra X 60-inch large format scanner combined with the Zero Turn Scanning Productivity Center from National Azon.
After seeing the configuration in a demonstration video, the CASO team recognized its potential to transform their high-volume scanning workflow.
The HD Ultra X scanner delivers scanning speeds of up to 17.8 inches per second, allowing an A0-sized document to be scanned in under three seconds. Its advanced scanning software further reduces processing time through automated alignment and file naming.
However, scanner speed was only part of the solution.
The Zero Turn workstation was designed to minimize unnecessary movement when handling large-format documents. Instead of repeatedly turning around to collect, position and stack drawings, operators could manage the scanning process from a more efficient working position.
As Dylan Askinasi, Assistant Vice President of Operations at CASO, explained:
"Before the Contex and Zero Turn configuration, we had a lot of waste in the scanning process. Shuffling drawings, keeping things stacked – for every three steps, that doubles the length of time in the scanning project."
The new configuration addressed these inefficiencies by combining fast image capture with a more ergonomic document-handling process.
Doyle Cryer, a scanning expert from National Azon, assisted with the installation at the customer's location and provided additional guidance to help CASO optimize its workflow.
The result was a solution that improved both scanning productivity and working conditions for the operators.
The combined Contex HD Ultra X and Zero Turn solution delivered a major increase in productivity.
CASO's scanning rate rose from approximately 15–20 images per hour to 77 images per hour, representing a reported productivity improvement of 400%.
This increase enabled CASO to meet the customer's accelerated requirements. The team expected to complete the project four months ahead of schedule, allowing the customer to reclaim valuable New York City office space sooner than originally planned.
The improved workflow also reduced repetitive document handling and unnecessary physical movement, contributing to better working conditions and greater operator satisfaction.
For CASO's customers, the advantages of digitization extend well beyond freeing up floor space. Moving physical records into a centralized digital archive makes documents easier to retrieve and allows multiple employees to access information without relying on a single physical copy.
As Askinasi pointed out, some organizations can reduce their storage requirements so significantly that they can move from two floors to one.
The success of the New York project also opened new business opportunities for CASO. Following the productivity gains, the company planned to introduce the scanning configuration at its satellite offices in San Antonio, Pittsburgh and Reno.
With a more efficient large-format scanning process, CASO was better positioned to respond to additional requests for proposals and take on demanding document conversion projects.
The case demonstrates how combining high-speed scanning technology with an optimized document-handling workflow can significantly reduce project time, improve operator efficiency and help organizations make better use of their valuable office space.