Application Study : Salter Paper

'Tracking paper is not a waste'

If someone were to engage you in conversation regarding the ‘paper shredding industry’ you’d probably be , at best, bemused but more than likely totally puzzled. However, you may be surprised to discover that a thriving industry has developed around the ever increasing demand for security shredding of paper. Perhaps it’s not quite as surprising if you pause briefly to consider what is confidential to you and your organisation. Draft memos, customer correspondence, price lists, computer printouts, accounts, payroll - the list is endless. Some of these document types are covered by the Data Protection Act 1984 and must be destroyed as a statutory obligation, and some are documents that could embarrass a company, or worse still have damaging financial implications, should they fall into the wrong hands.

Most sensitive documents currently end up in waste bins where a discreet rummage could be very revealing to a disloyal member of staff looking for ways to make trouble for the organisation. When waste bins are emptied they generally enter a chain that completely lacks security - the cleaner, the janitor, the dustman and finally the rubbish tip. Some organisations recognise this potential security breach and utilise office shredders. The problem with standard office shredders is that they can only handle very limited quantities of paper and yet still manage to be both noisy and dusty. The consequence is that they are generally unpleasant to use and so staff find excuses not to use them. Perhaps of more significance is the fact that office shredders produce neat strips of paper that, with a little time and effort, can be reconstituted ( and yes, some information is regarded as that valuable that individuals have been known to do this ). So what is the alternative ?

Companies such as the Salter Paper Group can provide an impressively secure method of paper disposal. Operating out of offices in London and Hull, Salter are members of the United Kingdom Security Shredding Association (UKSSA) an organisation whose members comply with a code of practice that stipulates strictly monitored methods of operation, providing absolute assurance of confidentiality and security.

The secure shredding sequence commences with the supply of a high security container, appropriate for the organisation’s need. This could be anything from a smart, lockable desk-side vault to a large container. It’s probably easiest to imagine the container as a post box. Tamper-proof security seals guarantee that the confidential material is 100% safe from the moment it’s deposited in the security vault. On collection by a UKSSA service provider, the seals are carefully checked and the full vault is transported to a security shredding plant. Once shredded, a certificate of destruction is completed and forwarded to the client as acknowledgement that the process has been safely and securely completed.

Some data is so sensitive in nature that it is critical for the client to ensure total destruction. For this reason, various service enhancements have been introduced by Salter over their fifteen years of operation. For example, Salter’s own collection personnel are security vetted, covering a ten year period of their personal history. Wherever possible, new technologies are employed to provide further levels of reassurance - customers can even view their material being shredded by means of close circuit television !

In common with other industries, but with security rather than supply chain efficiencies foremost in their minds, Salter’s management team determined that product traceability was a valid service enhancement. Salter wanted a system that could track both the collection and delivery of waste paper containers to their clients and the collection of the full sacks containing waste paper. Salter invited a number of companies to present viable solutions to their problem. The company eventually chose Belgravium, a Bradford-based manufacturer of data capture hardware. Belgravium are best known for their radio based products, which are used principally by large manufacturing and warehousing operations, but the company has an enviable track record in developing bespoke data capture solutions . As Adrian Jackson, General Manager of Salter Paper Group explains, “ although we weren’t interested in a radio-based solution, we could see the obvious parallels between traceability in a fixed warehouse environment and the use of similar technology for tracking external product movements. Belgravium convinced us that they had the development capability to produce a hardware and software solution that would exactly fit our requirement. “

The system that Belgravium developed for Salter was a variant of their radio-based TLS 5000 system but with the adoption of a batch-mode terminal with 4.5Mb of memory that logs collection and delivery throughout the shift of the security operative. At each clients site, a printed receipt is produced on a printer through a vehicle-mounted charge and communications cradle. When the vehicle returns to the security shredding depot, the data is downloaded to Salter Paper’s host computer via a further fixed office communications cradle.

Before using the terminal, the operator must sign on to the system via the entering of a personal identification number. Having logged on, the remaining processes are menu-driven. From the main menu screen the operative can choose to collect sacks or vaults from a client, drop new vaults off at the clients premises, drop full vaults or sacks off at the shredding depot or download to the host computer or sign off.

On collection or delivery of customer sacks or vaults, the operator is firstly prompted to enter a customer number and collection note number which are recorded in the data terminal’s data file. The operator scans the vaults and sacks as they are loaded. The scanner keeps totals of how many of each size have been loaded; this information is printed on the receipt. The previous three vault or sack records are always displayed on the terminal’s screen. If the operator attempts to scan an item more than once the terminals in-built buzzer sounds and the operator is prompted to scan a different item. A one button press on the terminal can produce a receipt via the on-vehicle printer.

A further option allows the operator to leave and log empty vaults on a customers site, to aid Salter’s tracking. The operator is asked to enter the customers identification number and is then presented with a simple screen format for scanning and confirmation of scan.

When the operator wishes to unload the vehicle, they must scan the vaults and sacks as they are unloaded. Vaults and sacks that weren’t scanned onto the vehicle can’t be scanned off and duplicates are also checked for and a discrepancy report printed. When the vehicle has been unloaded, the operator can download the data collected to Salter’s host machine. To do this they place the terminal into the charging cradle and chose the download option on the main menu. If the transfer is successful all data will be removed from the terminal if not, the data is held until a good transfer has been made or the data is deleted from the system function menu.

The system went ‘live’ in November 1998 and Salter Paper Group are delighted with the service level enhancements that have resulted. Adrian Jackson comments, “ We know just how rigorous and secure our disposal procedures are but it’s vital for our clients to be equally reassured. The Belgravium TLS 5000 system provides true traceability and proof of delivery, valuable service components that have helped us consolidate our position as leading operator in this sector. The degree and accuracy of product tracking now available, via the system, has also helped secure ISO 9002 accreditation. The data collection units themselves have been well-received by our operatives because they’re small and ergonomically well-designed. “ Salter are always evaluating new technological developments and are currently examining the real-time wide area data transfer and vehicle location modules of the TLS system, for possible future implementation.

Further information

Belgravium radio data terminals are used extensively in the warehousing and distribution industries and provide wireless links between mobile staff and a host computer system, enabling real-time information to be provided on the movement of goods.

The company’s services extend beyond pure manufacture to bespoke system design and specification, comprehensive technical support and training. The company’s product quality is reflected in it’s impressive blue chip user base which includes the UK’s largest vehicle mounted radio terminal installation - with over 100 units in use.