KAJIMA BUILDS EXTENSION TO DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO PROVIDE UNIVERSAL EMAIL ACCESS
Electronic document management has helped global construction company, Kajima Europe, improve access to project information for its mobile workforce. Ninety percent of Kajima Europe employees work off-site and email is the primary tool for sending and receiving information. While one employee may initially receive updated construction plans, co-workers require access to the latest contracts, plans and project alterations.
Prior to managing its email systems, construction details could be lost or overlooked as they were often stored in an individual inbox. When a more effective document management solution was required Kajima turned to Ricoh, as it already used many of its copier solutions in-house. The simple installation and user-friendly web browser offered by eCabinet answered Kajima’s system requirements.
Kajima were looking for a system to intuitively capture information and provide end-users with the functionality to sort, search and arrange information on the system as required. By integrating the eCabinet technology into Microsoft Outlook, public email folders relating to specific projects can be created and accessed by the authorised personnel. This helps to ensure that email data is freely accessible and all project documents can be viewed if a construction query arises.
Commenting on the solution, Anthony Harrison, IT manager at Kajima Europe said: “With a roving workforce, IT needs to be able to ensure all hours access to relevant information. By deploying the Ricoh technology, we are on our way to ensuring that we can deliver on our strategic IT vision for right time, right person, right place information access, with a solution that has gained end-user confidence from the beginning. Critical to deployment was its plug and play nature as it only took two hours to install and after a few network choices, it was up and running.”
Kajima Europe has constructed some of the largest and most well known buildings in Europe, including, Stockley Park, Heathrow, the Sony Centre in Berlin and the Japanese Embassy in London. In the construction industry, contractual documents need to be stored for up to five years, in case issues arise relating to costs or structural changes, for example. By increasing the amount of email and paper information stored online, Kajima can ensure that it has access to all relevant contractual documents, agreements and obligations, which helping to speed up the query process.
At this stage in the roll-out process, Kajima Europe has fifty employees utilising the eCabinet solution, on an £54 million project. Looking ahead, Kajima Europe intends to open up access to 150 users, who work on its key construction projects.
About eCabinet The eCabinet document management solution is a plug and play application that requires relatively low levels of user training to provide businesses with an effective and secure storage facility for all documents entering, created within, or passing through a business. It can automatically capture information from fax, printers, photocopiers, email and other office appliances without user intervention. Using web browser technology, employees can perform key word or date searches to quickly retrieve all relevant documents on the network.
About Kajima Europe Since its establishment in 1840, Kajima Corporation’s leading role in the construction industry has been a basis for Japan's growing prosperity. Its history as a pioneering construction company delivering the architectural feats demanded by the changing eras has been made possible by strong technological capabilities fostered by solid research and development programs. Today, the company focuses on improving technologies and creating new construction methods for application in the next century. One such recent development is Kajima’s ‘Lifecycle Engineering (LCE)’. LCE involves approaching a project from the viewpoint of giving consideration to underlying factors (e.g., energy costs for building use, building maintenance in the years following construction, etc.) as well as contemplating the basics of construction.
About Ricoh Founded in 1936, Ricoh Corporation is one of the world’s top ten IT companies. Ricoh UK is one of the leading pioneers of imaging technology, with a dedicated research and development programme that brought us the first DVD and RW drives and media, as well as innovations such as the first black and white copier. Ricoh now holds the UK and Europe’s number one position as manufacturer of digital office copier-printers. Ricoh’s product range of black and white and colour imaging solutions includes laser printers, digital connectable copier-printers, scanners, multifunctional devices, network utility and document management software. Ricoh’s technology enables businesses to improve the quality and productivity of their office communications.
Environmental protection is a key company priority and Ricoh UK is proud to be accredited with ISO 14001 for its environmental management systems.
Information on Ricoh and its products is available at www.ricoh.co.uk