In today’s modern workplace, traditional organizational archives are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Gone are the dusty, dim-lit storage rooms, floor to ceiling shelves full of paper and stacks of cardboard boxes bursting with files and folders.  Enterprises are learning to effectively manage the growing mass of documents they generate and use modern scanning technology to digitally archive vital documents fast and efficiently.

Like most offices that value productivity, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environment Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) office in San Fernando, Pampanga, has embraced the benefits of going digital.

The Environment Management Bureau is a line bureau of the DENR mandated to formulate programs and appropriate environmental quality standards for the protection of the environment. The bureau ensures the implementation of these programs and standards through its regional offices, which issue hundreds to thousands of permits and clearances each year.

The records section of DENR-EMB’s San Fernando office receives and safekeeps all applications for permits and clearances in the municipality, such as the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) or Certificate of Non-compliance (CNC), among others.

Cristine Dunca, a staff for the branch’s Property in General Section, emphasized that one of their major roles is to find new technology to improve the document archiving system in their records section.

In the past, hard copies of applications would be filed into folders and placed in ceiling-high shelves. To retrieve a file, staff would need to check a logbook and go through thousands of folders stacked upon one another, unidentifiable with its fading labels. File safety also became an issue when hard copies were lost and, in some cases, eaten by termites, which made it extremely difficult for the staff to recover records.

 

This was when the EMB San Fernando office decided they needed a change, which came in the form of the Epson WorkForce DS-310 and DS-530 scanners.

“We considered its quality, durability, affordability, and its environmental friendliness,” Dunca said. “We began exploring Epson products in 2018 and found that their scanners would help improve the workflow of our records section.”

Compact and lightweight, the DS-310 is portable and can easily fit into small spaces, allowing the branch to use their desk space more efficiently. With scanning speeds of up to 50ipm and automatic feeding mode, large volumes of documents are scanned continuously.

The versatile DS-310 has a dedicated card slot for plastic cards, and a maximum scan size of up to 215.9 x 1,117.6mm, proving that it can cater to the variety of document sizes that the DENR-EMB San Fernando branch receives for different permit and clearance applications within the municipality.

The DS-530 is another versatile workforce scanner of the DENR-EMB San Fernando branch that complements the DS-310. Boasting a scan speed of up to 70ipm, the DS-530 handles a wide variety of media between 27-413 gsm, allowing the branch to scan anything from papers to plastic cards efficiently and seamlessly. Different groups can also access the same file through ethernet connectivity, making the different departments more aligned and the workflow smoother.

“Thanks to Epson, we can provide our clients with efficient service and fulfill the Environmental Management Bureau’s goal of safeguarding the environment,” said Ma. Theresa Pangilinan, Head of Records Section, DENR-EMB San Fernando, Pampanga.

The digital revolution may have ushered in the age of the paperless office, but for many businesses in the Philippines, massive quantities of data are still generated in hard copy. Government bodies, like DENR-EMB, still create mountains of paper records through form-filling, reporting, accounts, book-keeping, and much more.   It is clear then, that a digital archiving system that holds, protects and integrates documents in a central, secure location is an essential component of modern business practice.

To know more about Epson scanners, visit: https://www.epson.com.ph/scanners.

Epson survey highlights state of adoption, transformation focus for Filipino SMEs

According to a new survey commissioned by leading printing solutions provider Epson, more than eight out of 10 (86%) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Philippines identified digital technology adoption as the way to improve business processes, especially customer experience. SMEs in the country shared this belief more than other respondents in the region, second only to Indonesia. Across the region, over half of respondents (55%) reported being at the very early stages of digital transformation.

The survey titled, “SMEs striving for Digital Transformation amidst many hurdles,” captured the perspectives of more than 800 SME decision-makers in the six largest Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries by GDP, including 154 respondents in the Philippines. It captured respondents’ perspectives on technology adoption, the maturity stage of digital transformation efforts and the challenges facing these businesses.

 

“This survey highlights the tremendous interest that SMEs in the Philippines have in using technology to improve business functions, especially in areas impacting the customer,” said Eduardo Bonoan, Epson Philippines General Manager for Marketing. “Although SMEs in the country have generally begun to adopt digital technologies, more work is needed to help and encourage these companies to extend digital technologies further beyond customer-facing areas of the business.”

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Epson survey highlights state of adoption transformation focus for Filipino SMEs

Transformation initiatives focused on the customer

Nearly three quarters (74%) of Filipino respondents have embarked on the digital transformation journey and have mainly focused these efforts in the marketing and sales as well as customer interaction and servicing portions of their businesses.

In the retail sector specifically, 31 percent of Filipino SMEs in the retail, food and beverage (F&B) and hospitality sectors have deployed mobile projectors over interactive models, which can be used in malls and other environments to attract and deliver a superior customer experience.

SMEs in the Philippines are also moving closer to tracking and making decisions based on information available in real time. More than half (56%) of respondents reported being able to do this in the Philippines while another 51 percent noted that their organisation can make quick decisions across departments and business processes on most occasions – outpacing their regional counterparts.

Impediments to technology deployment

Despite this enthusiasm for digital transformation, respondents in the Philippines across industry sectors agreed that the upfront cost of new tools and technology, and the perception that replacing old processes and systems would be too difficult, were barriers to adopting new technologies.

Overall, respondents indicated a preference for products that were more reliable, performed at a consistently high quality and connected seamlessly with back-end systems. However, about three out of four Filipino respondents (76%) also considered the environment when making printer purchases. This consideration was higher than the regional average of 69 percent.

 

“In order for digital transformation to reach maturity in the Philippines, SMEs need greater awareness of the total cost of ownership beyond the initial investment,” Eduardo Bonoan, Epson Philippines General Manager for Marketing. “With access to information and industry support, SMEs can overcome the perception that deploying new technology is beyond them.”

Environment to play a big part in technology adoption

It is also notable that Filipino SMEs are sensitive to environmental issues. When choosing a printing solution, over two thirds (76%) consider the impact on the environment, and 78 percent are mindful of the effect of heat and dust particles on the health of their staff.

 

“We are committed to sustainability and showcasing innovations that help customers reduce their impact on the environment, such as heat-free printing solutions, and support SMEs with solutions that meet their business and productivity needs,” Eduardo Bonoan, Epson Philippines General Manager for Marketing.

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Fostering digital transformation today requires more than the adoption of new technologies. It means creating environments where businesses can leverage innovation to deliver meaningful change that drives positive business outcomes. With SMEs at the heart of the economy, they need to be empowered with the right tools to tackle the next steps towards being a sustainable business.”

Epson rolls out upcycling initiatives

Strengthening its commitment to protecting the environment, leading tech company Epson Philippines tied up with various organizations to promote upcycling through eco-initiatives that aim to contribute to solving the country’s waste management problems.

Waste pollution is one of the biggest environmental problems in the Philippines. In Metro Manila alone, around 9,212 tons of waste end up in rivers, estuaries, and other bodies of water, including the Manila Bay, according to a report released by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Epson seeks to promote upcycling, also known as creative reuse, to help prevent these wastes from polluting bodies of water. This process transforms waste or unwanted products into new materials of better quality and environmental value.

Greening the future by upcycling one junk at a time 01

In November, Epson conducted an upcycling workshop for the kids and teachers of the Alay Pag-asa Christian Foundation, Inc., a community-based, non-government organization that conducts child-centered programs for the youth and their families.

Epson invited upcycling facilitator Annaliza Dela Cruz to teach the kids how to turn old denim jeans into colorful bookmarks. Art materials and other supplies were also donated to the beneficiaries of Alay Pag-asa as gifts in time for the Christmas season.

Epson also renewed its partnership with the Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) to conduct an eco-seminar for employees. The company previously invited some officers of DENR-EMB’s Environmental Education and Information Division and volunteers for a seminar on the art of upcycling. This initiative aims to educate and inspire the attendees to live a more sustainable life inside and outside the office.

This time, Epson employees learned how to upcycle used plastic bottles and other office waste materials by transforming them into desk organizers, ornaments, pencil cases, and coin purses with the help of Upcycle Philippines founder, Adavieve Mella.

As part of its CSR program, Epson Philippines and DENR-EMB also launched the 2nd EcoVision Film Competition (Documentary Edition), an inter-school video-making contest that aims to tap the creativity of university students in raising public understanding of environmental conservation through short documentaries.

With the theme ‘Upcycling Heroes,’ the entries must feature a Philippine-based organization or individual who champions or performs Upcycling as a tool for environmental sustainability.

“We are glad to, once again, partner with DENR-EMB, as well as with other like-minded organizations and individuals in conducting our 2019 – 2020 eco-initiatives. Our eco-initiatives serve as our simple contribution to Epson’s overall environmental vision to be an indispensable company that uses its efficient, compact, and precision technologies to achieve sustainability,” said Donna Ferro, brand and communications head of Epson Philippines.