Cost Controls

Personnel

ost management is a central feature and rationale for records management. In cost productivity for staff, staff spend less time on records issues. For example, instead of a person from the office driving to an out-of-building location, unlocking a door, going into a room with many boxes piled high, and searching, there is a simple delivery request to records management staff who promptly bring the needed record to the office.

Equipment

By reducing the need for storage of records in offices, filing equipment--as much as 60%--is moved out of offices, making more room for productive functional activities. This action also reduces the number of staff hours needed for filing activities. IMA can show you how this reduction works.

Space

A consolidation of inactive records into centralized, low-cost, high volume space means that active office space is more staff-friendly instead of being needlessly crowded. In 1998, the federal government found that one cubic foot of records could be stored in a records center for $1.59 annually while the same cubic foot cost $23.10 to store in typical office space and equipment. The records management program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville--begun by IMA's president--saves the university some $333,000 net per year. IMA can make this "miracle" work for you.

Cost Study

Choice of filing systems drives the type of supplies needed. Filing supplies, including folders, labels, boxes, can be recycled after first use. Folders and boxes in good shape can be emptied at the records center and put back into economic use--upon demand--by offices. Purchase in bulk makes good use for the economy of scale.

Document Production in Litigation

Numerous court cases rest on information from records created and maintained by one or both parties. Failure to produce records required by an opposing party can lead to disaster. As an example, Piper Aircraft lost a $10,000,000 default judgment when it destroyed records instead of producing them (Carlucci vs. Piper Aircraft).