Magazine Article | March 1, 1998

Open-Architecture Document Imaging, Storage & COLD Software Allows Petroleum Company To Build On Legacy System

For many of Dade Behring's customers, next-day delivery is not good enough. The $1.3 billion laboratory instrument manufacturer often has to ensure same-day delivery. Integrating technologies with its new SAP system helps Dade Behring deliver the goods on time.

Business Solutions, March 1998
Written by: Nancy Senger
Giant Industries, Inc (Scottsdale, AZ) is a regional refiner and distributor of petroleum products. Giant owns and operates two crude oil refineries, crude oil pipelines, an ethanol production plant, a finished product terminal and a transport fleet operation. It also owns and operates a chain of 148 service stations/convenience stores in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. Giant is the parent company of Phoenix Fuel Co., Arizona's largest independent petroleum products distributor.

Upgrade Needed For Growing Company
In 1989, Giant Industries purchased a $600,000 proprietary imaging and COLD system that was rapidly becoming obsolete by 1996. Giant needed to upgrade to the latest, most efficient technology, but was apparently unable to do so without purchasing a new system. Alternatively, Giant attempted to find an IT solution using open-architecture products that would work with legacy systems and also provide cost-effective upgrade paths in the future.

After reviewing several products, Giant chose imaging, storage, and COLD software from OTG Software. The major factors in the company's choice were OTG's ability to handle both COLD and imaging in a single application and the software's open architecture. Another factor was the seamless integration of the OTG software with Giant's in-house legacy hardware and software.

Tying The System Together
Giant used OTG's ColdExtender® for report and data output to optical storage, ApplicationExtender® for document imaging, and DiskExtender® for optical storage. Giant has now image-enabled its accounts receivable (AR), accounts payable (AP), and general accounting departments. The AR and AP processes have also been integrated completely in that ColdExtender generates COLD copies of the various AR and AP invoices and shipping documents. Upon any inquiry from a service vendor, invoices can be accessed quickly and easily from the desktop.

COLD Generates Financial Statements
Additionally, the general accounting department balances the financial statements between the AR and AP departments, and is responsible for generating company-wide financial statements. These statements are now COLD-produced using OTG software.

Speeding Document Retrieval
Giant's new OTG-based imaging, COLD, and storage system is significantly faster than the older proprietary system. Document retrieval time has been reduced from approximately 20 seconds to less than five seconds. In addition to increased performance, the maintenance for the OTG software is significantly lower. With the old system, Giant paid $5,500 per month for a maintenance contract. With the OTG system, Giant will save $56,000 annually in maintenance costs alone. Giant estimates that the payback period (ROI) for its total investment in OTG software will be about 18 months.

Expansion Planned For System
Giant also plans on upgrading its license to 50 users and expanding OTG's imaging and storage applications to other areas of the company. These areas include legal, tax, human resources and manufacturing.