Swiss Post Solutions wins Co-op deal to digitise mail

Swiss Post Solutions (SPS) has secured a deal with The Co-operative to revolutionise the way it handles incoming and outgoing mail, document management and archiving in the UK. Central to the five-year contract, worth more than £5m, will be the digitising of all incoming mail and progressively digitising large stores of archived paper files.

The project will provide “more efficient document processing by deploying state-of-the art technology from SPS,” the company said, adding that it will “deliver significant operational benefits and cost savings by altering the way information is processed within the business”.

The services will initially be provided across The Co-operative Group’s head office estate in Manchester, before a gradual re-location to SPS’s Document Processing Centre at Salford Quays, beginning later this year.

SPS will process up to 2m items of external and internal mail per year. Once the mail has been digitised it will be delivered to staff across the group.

Kevin Foley, resource & planning manager, The Co-operative Group, said: “Information needs to be accessible by the right people at the right time in order to make the best business decisions.

“Centralised processing and digitisation will improve our operational efficiency and will facilitate the introduction of flexible working practices across the business ahead of the re-location to the new head office.

“We selected SPS to deliver this critical service due to their track record in managing both analogue and digital services, and their ability to manage the digital transformation of business processes.”

Existing archived files will be converted to electronic format, saving on space and in turn cost and allowing employees much faster and easier access to information.

A reduction in the use of paper has considerable operational benefits for The Co-operative Group but it is also consistent with the Group’s focus on sustainability.

The current head office buildings’ working practices are often paper-based with considerable space being used for the storage of these documents. The transformation project is designed to facilitate smarter and more flexible working practices, and equally importantly, a less paper-reliant office environment ahead of The Co-operative Group’s move to its new eco-built head office in Manchester in 2012. The office will be one of the most sustainable commercial buildings in Europe.

Foley added: “Our organisation has traditionally had a significant reliance upon paper-based processes, resulting in large volumes of paper entering, circulating around and being stored within our buildings.

“Very early on in the design process for the new head office building, we recognised a fantastic opportunity to address this legacy issue and to introduce a more sustainable and scalable solution for the future.

“We have targeted ourselves with an 80% reduction in paper storage which will ensure the optimum utilisation of space within the new building, improved workflow opportunities and reduced duplication, whilst clearly supporting our commitment to the environment.”

Jonathan King, CEO of Swiss Post Solutions UK & Ireland, welcomed the opportunity to be working with The Co-operative Group: “We have established an excellent track record in managing digital transformation projects of this nature and size, and look forward to delivering to The Co-operative Group a market leading service in document lifecycle management by handling physical and digital documents in a truly integrated process.”