Case Study

PCB Technical Solutions

PCB Technical Solutions (PCB)  specialise in commercial and retail HVAC and Mechanical projects. They are experts in the design, installation and maintenance of Heating, Ventilation Air Conditioning and Mechanical services.

Formed in 2013, they have customers ranging in size but including high street brands and from industries including, retail and commercial through to residential and manufacturing. 

They provide close control systems, cold rooms, manufacturing process equipment and ventilation systems.  This includes full and bespoke HVAC design through to the service and maintenance of their products 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

PCB engaged with DocTech back in 2018 with the primary purpose of helping them to manage document approvals within their finance processes.

The solution needed to help them improve the processing of project and none project costs as well as encompassing purchase invoices and credits. There was also a requirement for integration with their finance system Sage.

Difficulty Managing Approvals

PCB knew they needed to make document-based improvements to their approval processes.  The were mainly paper based and having hard copies of important documents made it difficult to obtain approvals. 

With HVAC project managers spread across the country, paper processes weren't working for them.  The staff involved in document approvals very rarely set foot in the office and so documents needing approval sat on desks waiting to be actioned.

Prior to them using DocuWare, supplier invoices were a particular concern as waiting for approvals meant they could go unpaid for long periods causing issues to supply chains and supplier relationships.

The leadership team felt they needed an online approval system which could offer transparency and that staff could access no matter where they were.

PCB Technical Solution's Financial Controller highlighted the issues they faced around paper documents going missing in the accounts department:

"It would be someone's time wasted searching for the missing document and if it became a big enough problem then the account would be put on hold as we'd not paid."

Too Much Paper

With many documents requiring legal storage for six years the volume of paper work PCB was amassing also became a problem for the business. 

Not only were documents difficult to find, but they were stored in an attic which meant employees had to climb a ladder to find what they were looking for.  It wasn't practical and very disruptive to the working day.

HVAC is a heavily regulated industry.

PCB Technical Solutions are audited by BESA who need to check a variety of documents.  These audits became problematic due to the sheer volume of paper documents involved.

To improve their processes, PCB opted for the cloud-based DocuWare document management system from DocTech.

DocTech's Solution

With a cloud document management system, PCB were able to scan and archive 80,000 paper documents into the software that were previously stored in their office.  Having these documents stored digitally has freed up space and made information instantly available to authorised users, as well as offering transparency of the whole process.

Digital Document Approvals

With access to the system from anywhere with an internet connection, project managers out on site are able to approve documents without having to go into the office or log onto a computer. 

Approval stamps can be applied to supplier invoices or any other documents from a mobile device, enabling quicker payments and slicker processes.  Coding and cost centres are all part of the process. 

It has also been useful for project managers when looking to price the next job.  A simple full text search within the digital document pool shows what was previously charged meaning phone calls or emails back and forth to the office are no longer required.

PCB Technical Solution's Financial Controller told us:

"When I make a payment, I can immediately look at what's happening.  When querying a delivery charge I can check the information in the document management system and instantly go back to the suppler with an answer.  We now look much more professional."

When deciding on a service provider, PCB chose DocTech and their document management software DocuWare, as the solution looked user friendly and the price was good on comparison.

"It did everything we wanted it to do as well as offering a flexible way of doing it."

Simplified Document Searches

The system offers far more than PCB’s initial requirement. For example, all subcontractor information including training forms and certificates are automatically indexed in the system using DocuWare's Intelligent Indexing data capture tool where they are stored by name, date and document type. 

DocuWare’s digital document pool enables the remote based project managers to carry out critical searches independently – for example when needing to verify that a sub-contractor is insured for working at height. 

In another area of the business, all documentation relating to PCB's fleet of vehicles is stored in DocuWare so they can easily check and receive notifications when any vehicle documentation such as insurance, MOT, drivers' licences or certificates are expiring.

The organisation now also digitally stores all their HR documents and have applied different levels of security so staff are only able to view documents within their set permissions. 

PCB Technical Solutions Financial Controller summarised by telling us:

"DocuWare has been a major benefit to our business and we plan to use it more.  During the pandemic it was amazing and I don't know how we'd have coped without it".