CASE
The Nanto Bank, Ltd.
Promoting Paperless Offices
by Introducing an Image Filing System
Nanto Bank has adopted a "Vitality Creation Plan" as part of its mid-term management plan, and is
working to improve business productivity and BPR throughout the bank. The restructuring of the
document management system is intended to reduce the administrative burden and increase
competitiveness by redirecting resources to sales and marketing. Therefore, at the same time as
introducing Kokuyo's document management system, Kinbun, the company also took steps to go
paperless, adopting an image filing system that combines Primagest's high-speed scanner ImageValue
20 and image search system Image Focus, which began operation in April 2016. We recently interviewed
the company about how it worked to streamline its document management operations.
Document storage left to sales branches
Reduce administrative burden by restructuring the document management system.
Increase competitiveness by redirecting resources to sales.
General Affairs Department Mr. Yoshio Yamaguchi
Mr. Yamaguchi
Although there had been a list of documents created by this department for some time,
new documents were generated by branches and each department, and the types and
retention periods of all documents in the bank were not fully understood. The method of
filing paper documents was also not standardized, and it was left up to the branches.
Furthermore, as the number of financial products handled increased, such as investment
trusts and insurance products, there were many documents that were not registered, and
the retention period sometimes differed from branch to branch. A thorough investigation
of the documents posted on the bank's LAN and other systems revealed that the number of
documents, including duplicates, had increased to approximately 10,000.
In order to improve these issues, we worked to unify document management standards and
rebuild the document management system.
Effects of Introduction
Keys to Solution Implementation
Centralized management of paper document file management with standard rules
reduced administrative workload by reducing the number of documents in sales
branches and eliminating the need for filing
The ease of use, flexible and secure search permissions, and scalability of the
image filing system were all highly evaluated
Mr. Yamaguchi
The introduction of the new system has resulted in the shortening or elimination of
storage deadlines, a change in awareness of paper storage, and a 20-minute reduction in
the amount of time spent on paperwork at branches per day.
The secret of success was to start small, by limiting the scope of the new system in
order to ensure its steady penetration. Now that we know that the system can be used
safely at our branches, we will be able to expand the scope of digitization and promote
efficiency in the future.
In this respect, we feel that the image filing system we have introduced this time has
the advantage that even if we add a wide variety of forms to the target documents, there
is no need to change the registration screen or system definitions, and we can expand
the system without additional investment.
Improvement Details
Shortening or Elimination of Storage Deadlines,
Changing Attitudes Towards Paper Retention
Short-term retention boxes were newly established to eliminate the space squeeze
caused by paper retention. Currently, approximately 200 types of documents fall into
this category, which contributes to reducing the number of documents retained at
sales branches and at the same time reduces the administrative workload by
eliminating the need for filing. Imaging and the use of short-term retention boxes
have reduced the amount of time spent filing paperwork.
Administrative Management Division
Deputy Group General Manager Ms. Keiko Kimura
Mr. Nakayama
Once the document management system and image filing system were put into operation, it
became easier to review retention periods and methods. Branches have begun to ask if it
would be possible to shorten the retention period, and I believe that awareness of
documents in the field has changed. I feel that a movement to streamline operations by
not creating more documents than necessary is beginning to take root.
Ms. Kimura
At first, there was some confusion about the change in office workflow, but once they
became accustomed to it, they commented that files with uniform labels attached to them
were easy to find and that it was helpful to eliminate unnecessary documents from the
branches.
Browsing image data is like searching on the Internet; just enter a keyword and a list
of candidates will appear, eliminating the need to search for them. No sales office has
ever said, "We can't figure out how to use this system." The displayed images are vivid,
easy to read, and look good even when printed.
Going Forward
Image Retention of Forms and Other Documents to be
Expanded in the Future
As the first step of the digitization initiative, 42 types of return forms and 18
types of deadline forms were scanned and imaged with the high-speed scanner
ImageValue 20 installed in the operations center, and all originals were disposed
of. The company plans to increase the number of forms to be scanned and to add
approximately 100 types of forms in the future.
Administrative Management Division
Deputy Group General Manager Mr. Ryusuke Nakayama
Mr. Nakayama
In July 2016, we started to image tax returns using multifunction printers at our
branches, and by registering them in the image filing system, they can now be searched
on the same platform. The management of financial statements by individual company is
also a burden for our branches. We would like to image these as well and explore ways to
utilize them.
Nanto Bank, headquartered in Nara Prefecture, is one of the top regional banks in the
Kansai region. It has deposits of 4 trillion yen and loans of 3 trillion yen. As a
Vitality-Creating Bank, Nanto Bank focuses on creating vitality in local communities by
providing high quality financial services.
Website: http://www.nantobank.co.jp/
