Xcel Energy Leverages BMI’s Digital ReeL for Microfilm Conversion
Approximately 13,500 microfilm rolls digitized at BMI’s California microfilm scanning facility; Rolls included plant-specific engineering/operational records dated January 2006 and older; On-site installation of Digital ReeL to create self-service stations
BMI Imaging Systems, a leading provider of microfilm conversion and document management solutions, announced, that Xcel Energy has selected BMI Imaging’s Digital ReeL as its microfilm conversion solution.
“Xcel Energy’s records from 2006 and older were archived on 13,500 microfilm rolls”, states Rebecca Wessman, Procedures and Records Management Supervisor. “We clearly needed a way to digitize our microfilm repository.”
Wessman states, “We are eliminating all the older microfilm reader equipment and cabinets of physical microfilm. It will free up a lot of prime real estate in four key locations and save money that was previously dedicated to maintenance, ink, and power.” In the past, staff would need to help researchers trying to learn how to access records on physical microfilm. With Digital ReeL, users access the application from their own workstations to digitally search and access records.
One of the challenges with microfilm conversion projects is image quality. In many cases, the physical microfilm is old and worn, causing some of the images to be difficult to read. Those poor-quality images are then digitally converted with a microfilm scanning project. Digital ReeL’s grayscale enhancement feature enables users to optimize image quality using contrast and brightness adjustments to create a high-quality image. Users can save, print, or email the record directly from the application.
Read the full case study here.
About BMI Imaging
BMI Imaging Systems, Inc. has been at the forefront of the document management industry since 1958, first with microfilm and now with scanned images. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with an additional production and sales facility in Sacramento, BMI serves over 500 commercial companies and government agencies, converting an average of 3 million images per month. BMI consists of 60 production specialists and support staff, many having worked for the company for ten years or more.
BMI has developed a wealth of experience in several vertical markets (e.g. healthcare, government, education) and offers customized document management solutions in a competitive and changing marketplace. Scanning paper documents or physical microfilm is usually the most visible task in achieving a full document solution.
Identifying record types, determining indexing methods and leveraging content in existing legacy systems are all skills needed to modernize an agency’s document management systems and processes. BMI’s systems integration team has decades of experience to achieve this goal. Internally developed software tools, over 400 to date, are regularly employed to solve complex image and data challenges. Jobs that require analysis, data extraction, multiple service offerings and custom development are those that separate BMI from other providers.