In a world where information is growing faster than ever and often remains unseen or under-used, Iron Mountain is transforming how organisations unlock the value of their data. We're making it quicker for our customers to get to their data by completely changing how we manage complex documents.
Iron Mountain services a wide range of sectors—from retail to central government—but the healthcare sector posed the most significant difficulty due to the sheer complexity of the documentation.
The vast majority of the UK customer base involves medical records, specifically GP records known as "Lloyd George" wallets. These files present a "heavy-prep" challenge:
Fragility: Documents are often decades old, yellowed, and delicate.
Complexity: Files contain mixed media of various sizes that have not been stored correctly over time.
Damage: Records are frequently ripped, torn, or stapled, requiring significant manual intervention before they can be fed into a traditional high-speed scanner.
The journey to try and take those, prepare them so that they can be scanned at a very high speed, is really what we compete against and the problem that we look to address.
Before partnering with OPEX, Iron Mountain utilised scanners that required a significant upfront outlay on manual document preparation. This separated the workflow into two distinct, labor-intensive stages: "Prep" and "Scan".
To overcome these inefficiencies, Iron Mountain partnered with OPEX Corporation to deploy their Falcon® scanning workstations at their Lutterworth and Rugby campuses.
The OPEX Falcon technology allows operators to prep and scan documents in a single interaction. This "One-Step" process eliminates the need to pre-sort and tape documents, significantly streamlining the workflow.
Market coverage: OPEX already possessed a strong footprint and proven track record within the healthcare sector.
Flexibility: The equipment is versatile enough to handle diverse document types across all sectors Iron Mountain services, allowing for a flexible workforce.
Automation: OPEX provides top-drawer automation that aligns with Iron Mountain's goal to automate wherever possible.
By integrating OPEX technology, Iron Mountain successfully moved preparation and scanning to the same stage. The impact on operations has been measurable and transformative:
Higher quality assurance: Combining the steps means operators can catch errors and adjust image quality in real-time, improving the final digital output.
Operational savings: The time required to prep and scan has been significantly reduced, leading to measurable cost savings and better staff deployment.
Staff Well-being: The ergonomic design of the workstations supports the physical health and mental well-being of the staff, contributing to higher retention rates.
Business growth: The efficiency of this solution has been instrumental in Iron Mountain winning new NHS business, including contracts with the Manchester Foundation Trust and United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
We have been able to create a digital ecosystem that really gives us scope for growth and flexibility... and we are able to unlock our customers' data in a way that we never have before.
The partnership continues to evolve. Iron Mountain has recently been awarded a large digitisation program aimed at enabling "Digital First" experiences within GP surgeries. OPEX equipment will be stationed on-site to facilitate immediate digitisation, while Iron Mountain's facilities act as disaster recovery and backup.
Through a relationship built on collaboration and shared goals, Iron Mountain and OPEX are redefining what is possible in records management.