Prounis Consulting Group
Information Solution with ScreenScan

28 Units Installed to Service Major Investment Firm

Problem

A major financial services firm to perform an ondemand records search involving millions of documents hired Prounis Consulting Group. Ultimately, these specified records would be grouped according to names and dates for use in litigation. PCG's first task was to devise an ondemand solution to find almost a million records scattered across a sea of 225 million pages that were stored on microfiche and microfilm. Over a million sheets of microfiche and over 10,000 rolls of microfilm (with approximately 200 pages of account statements on each roll) had to be searched manually. Since more than 1,000 documents had to be referenced each day through a multi-step research process, speed was of critical concern in determining a viable solution.

Solution

To expedite the herculean task, Mike Prounis, CEO of PCG, researched a variety of hybrid systems including ScreenScan Systems. A demonstration of the retrofit-scanning device quickly convinced Prounis' client that ScreenScan's quality, speed and cost-effectiveness ideally suited the application. Because its unique scanning screen can be attached to traditional reader printers, microfiche and film can be accessed on a reader/printer, scanned, then exported as a TIFF file, PCG integrated relational database software, so that digitized documents can be grouped by name and date according to specifications, and submitted to the official claims administrator. The above process using ScreenScan takes much less time and is less expensive than the alternative method of printing out each document and grouping them together manually before scanning. "By converting fiche or film directly into TIFF files, ScreenScan speeds up our process tremendously," commented Prounis.

While high-speed processors scan entire rolls of film, ScreenScan's on-demand selective search functionality made it preferable in applications where only specific images are needed. Soon after purchasing one ScreenScan unit, PCG had practical proof of its efficiency. "We were able to assure the client that we had found a more efficient process," said Prounis.

Twenty-eight workstations have been set up on the project. PCG was able to purchase many used reader-printers at minimum cost. Although some of the units were over 20 years old, the ScreenScan units were compatible with all of the models acquired. "Overall, the compatibility has been excellent and the savings considerable," remarked Prounis.

The stations are frequently used around-the-clock to meet the client's litigation deadline. Now that PCG is halfway through the project, the customer is considering whether to continue the process and utilize the equipment in-house for everyday business once the project is completed. Prounis said PCG will continue to use ScreenScan in future applications. "ScreenScan has provided us with an excellent product and backed it up with service and support," said Prounis. "We definitely expect for this to be a service we will continue to offer our clients."

By implementing the ScreenScan solution, PCG has become a forerunner in providing documents for legal discovery in an electronic format. Its pioneering efforts provide an important demonstration of the pivotal role hybrid imaging systems like ScreenScan may play in future litigation procedures. "This is a vital concern in the legal world today; how to take documents, process them and convert them to an electronic format for the discovery process," noted Myron Eagle, President of PCG.

[BACK]