05/27/2014
Digital archiving as full service
Bremen 27/05/2014 – Since 1999 S-Bahn Berlin GmbH which is a full subsidiary of DB Regio AG as part of DB Mobility Logistics AG is using with big success the ECM system scanview from Allgeier (formerly known as AUTODIGIT) for efficient digital administration of the comprehensive construction data about its three current type series of suburban trains. In 2013 it became necessary to digitalize elder construction data for out-dated suburban trains that are used only for special purposes. For this reason the company contracted with Allgeier ScanFactory as an expert and full service provider in this sector. The transparent characteristic of the archive enables to liquidate completely the construction department of the S-Bahn Berlin and moreover to strongly accelerate the processes of engineering, construction, and maintenance for the out-dated trains.
The SQL database of scanview settled at the company location at Berlin Schöneweide manages more than 140,000 technical documents for suburban trains currently in use. Amongst are large-sized drafts of motor train sets, specific vehicles, and product specifications. Remaining 25,000 technical documents for elder discontinued train series have not been digitalized after the introduction of DMS in 1999 but have been archived separately in transparent form.
“However, those old train series originating from pre-war time today occasionally are used as museum vehicles or are converted into special vehicles. Besides we urgently need the archive space for other purposes. Thus we decided in 2013 to digitalize the remaining documentations as well with the help of an expert for scan services” explains the IT project manager and engineer for DB Systemtechnik from S-Bahn Berlin, Joachim Wegner, the initial situation.
Allgeier made it with good pricing and expertise
At the beginning of the selection procedure the essential project requirements have been listed in a catalogue. At the next step the company called for offers from three specialized scan service providers with references and particular experiences with document management. “At the end the offer from Allgeier IT Solutions was ahead of the game. They have the best pricing and as manufacturer of scanview the highest expertise in our established document management system. Likewise the positive experiences made with Allgeier IT Solutions over the last 15 years of cooperation and the resulting good mutual trust have contributed to conclude our decision” gives Joachim Wegner reasons for the decision made in the first quarter of 2013.
The challenge – consistent high scan quality for sometimes strongly yellowed documents
At the beginning of the project the six large lockers of the archive (W (width)/H/L: 200/150/150 cm) containing over 25,000 drafts and designs at the Berlin location Schöneweide have been lifted from the 5th floor onto the truck from Allgeier and have been transported to the ScanFactory at Bremen. To scan the documents at a format from DIN A4 up to DIN A0 was not the real challenge at this point. Each provider was supposed to manage it easily. “But the major problem was to rework on the documents for the archiving and to index correctly ensuring an efficient and fast search in the digital archive” points out Joachim Wegner. “You had to analyse each single digitalized document for the specific indexing of the S-Bahn. Amongst others you had to enter draft number, denomination, versioning or document’s attributes like release status, etc. via electronic file card.”
Due to the age of the documents they were sometimes strongly yellowed and a particular scan procedure was necessitated during the digitalization process of ScanFactory for guarantying a consistent high scan quality. During the scans the documents have been corrected on brightness and legibility, flattened, and cut according to the DIN norm. So the large format printer or plotter of the construction department is able to output the documents 1 to 1. In addition the own quality management of the service provider armed each draft with a barcode ensuring integrity and correct order of the documents and preventing duplicates. Finally the indexed and digitalized construction drafts are transmitted to the digital scanview archive.
Saving time and space and disburden the working process
Nowadays after the digitalizing progress the work of the engineers mainly focusses on measurement, testing, maintenance and construction processes. “Sometimes it was a daring feat to get an old document at DIN A0 format quickly and safe out of the archive into the construction department and to bring it back for careful archiving. Searching and gathering the needed information from the appropriate draft then took up to one hour. Today, just by click we can call from the archive system the documents we need using standard index search and then print it out directly at the plotter” describes Joachim Wegner the situation perfectly satisfied. “Due to the good results of digitalization we finally have decided to donate the all original technical drafts and design charts of the old train series to a museum society.”
During a second project the scanview ECM and archiving system at the S-Bahn Berlin shall be upgraded to the highest version. All individual configurations and add-on scripts used for the export functions, system view, filing system, etc. will be maintained after the planed release upgrade. “If within the next years a new suburban train series is released on market we will be happy to rely on Allgeier ScanFactory, our reliable and professional scan service partner” states Joachim Wegner.
About S-Bahn Berlin GmbH
The S-Bahn Berlin is an entire subsidiary of the DB Regio AG and was founded in 1995. More than 3,000 employees are working in the company as important part of the DB Mobility Logistics AG, where mobility and logistics activities of the Deutsche Bahn AG have been focussed. The construction department of the S-Bahn Berlin was moved from the S-Bahn Berlin GmbH to the headquarters of DB a couple of years ago Regio and later on to the DB Systemtechnik GmbH. The department now is a reliable and capable partner for technical assistance of the suburban trains within the public railway transport system. Every working day, up to 1.3 million passengers travel with S-Bahn Berlin and 330 kilometres of line network with 166 stations are served by 15 lines connecting the city with the surrounding area. Departures at short intervals, an area-wide network of customer service centres and ticket outlets, as well as helpful staff on the platforms at central S-Bahn stations all form part of the comprehensive service offered by the company.
About Allgeier IT Solutions
Allgeier IT Solutions is headquartered in Bremen, Germany and was founded in 1977 as Allgeier Computer GmbH. The company forms part of the listed group Allgeier SE and concentrates on the development, marketing and implementation of comprehensive solutions and services in the areas of Cloud Solutions, Enterprise Content Management, Business Solutions, Compliance & Security and Business Services. Its comprehensive range of services consisting of fully integrated IT solutions and IT services provided on a one-stop shop basis positions Allgeier IT Solutions, with its nine locations across Germany and a satellite operation in Vienna, Austria, as an expert and reliable IT partner for both medium-sized and large corporations. A pan-European partner network supplements the broad geographic base of its sales and service network. Allgeier SE generated revenue of EUR 478 million in 2013, and operates more than 100 locations in Europe, Asia and America. Allgeier was selected as ‘Best System Company 2013’ as part of the annual customer survey conducted by COMPUTERWOCHE and ChannelPartner.
