Press Releases

Sears Updates Document Management System and Streamlines Workflow for Architectural Drawing Management

DAYTON, OHIO (Feb. 3, 2000)—What would you do if your company needed to upgrade its document management system to manage hundreds of thousands of architectural drawings? You probably would do what Sears did…turn to an expert on Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS).

Sears Facilities Planning department turned to Dayton, Ohio-based Document Imaging Solutions, Inc. (DIS) to help them manage more than 123,000 existing facilities drawings, plus all those being generated on a weekly basis for new or remodeled stores and a variety of other smaller projects. Sears Facilities Planning department includes three major areas—Planning, Construction, and Visual Presentation—responsible for virtually every facet of how a store looks.

DIS helped Sears Facilities Planning department categorize its drawings into six document types depending on the information they contain. A project team consisting of representatives from both DIS and Sears, designed, developed and implemented an EDMS incorporating the various document categories. For example, all of the documents created with floor plans are categorized as “Planning” documents. A workflow process designed to assist in the Planning change approval cycle was also implemented as part of this project.

In addition to Step2000 software, several other technological components make up this document management and workflow solution. Communication of potential changes and modifications are frequently handled on-line through the integrated Myriad viewing software from Informative Graphics Corporation in Phoenix, Ariz. The technical side of the Step2000 implementation starts with an Informix database (version 7.24) on an IBM AIX (version 4.1.4) RS6000 server. The EDMS software runs on a Compaq Proliant NT server, and each of the end-user workstations is running the Windows NT Operating System. The network connects everything through a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

Sears, Roebuck and Co. with headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Ill., is a leading U.S. retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and services, with annual revenue of more than $41 billion. The company serves families throughout the country through 858 department stores, 2,100 specialized retail locations, and a variety of online offerings accessible through the company’s Web site,www.sears.com.

Dayton, Ohio-based Document Imaging Solutions, Inc. (DIS), is a privately held systems integration company focused on providing high quality, cost-effective Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) and Automated Workflow solutions, system solution components, related professional services, and scanning conversion services. More information about DIS is available at www.DISolutions.com.

Contacts for this Press Release:

Victor Vlad
Document Imaging Solutions
a Vanguard Systems Company
330.758.8788
Vvlad@DISolutions.com