Loudoun County Public Schools system of Virginia is expanding at a record pace. Loudoun County is the second fastest growing county in the United States. This growth has impacted the school system with a doubling of the student population in the past 10 years. Approximately 3000 to 4000 new students are added yearly and 22 new schools are on the drawing boards over the next 10 years, requiring over 500 additional teachers. All of this activity has and will continue to tax the resources of the Personnel Department located in the Administrative Offices in Leesburg, Virginia. According to Matthew D. Britt IV, Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Services, creating, maintaining and retrieving personnel files is a major responsibility for his department. Mr. Britt reports that the installation of a Hanel Rotomat has been an important first step to conserve space and integrate files into a single, organized location.

Defining the problem.

Personnel records were stored in twenty-eight, 5-drawer cabinets scattered throughout five isolated offices. All of the various records were contained in top-tab folders, within hanging folders. Conventional shelving was not an option due to the prohibitive cost of converting files to end tab folders. This restriction ruled out movable shelving as well. The primary goal was to consolidate all the files into one room.

While Mr. Britt and other department employees were on a field trip to the Memphis, Tennessee school system, they witnessed the success office was having with a automated filing system. Mr. Britt remarked, "I realized immediately that was exactly what we need, what we had been talking about." Loudoun County Schools seeks the solution. Shortly after returning home to Leesburg, Mr. Britt contacted Remco Business Systems, the Hanel distributor for the extended Washington DC area. Systems Representative, Bert Mussman,met with Mr. Britt and his staff to analyze space restrictions and storage requirements. Loudoun County Schools had floor space and budget available for just one initial storage system. Fortunately 18 of its 28 file cabinets housed personnel records for active employees. This was a natural category to isolate into one filing system. The designated room had a generous clearance above the 9' drop ceiling. This space had previously been considered useless. Remco's plan was to utilize this dead space.

A Hanel Storage Systems Rotomat Office Carousel was recommended. The unit measured 12-1/2' tall which meant that over 30% of the machine's storage capacity would actually be above the ceiling level. The efficiency of the Rotomat's space utilization freed up enough floor area in this tiny 10' x 12' room to store the remaining ten cabinets in the same room.

The next step in the procurement process was for the Loudoun County Purchasing Department to issue a formal request for bids. Remco was able to fulfill all the bid requirements, including space requirements, and deliver a Hanel Rotomat 600 - a fully automated system with pull-out drawers for letter hanging folders.

Rotomat proves to be a pleasure to work with.

Mrs. Delores S. Creech, Personnel Specialist, describes working with the Hanel Carousel, "We enjoy the Rotomat system because it's so easy to use and it's accessible to us. It puts files at work level within easy reach." General personnel, medical and legal records for over 5000 active licensed, support staff and administrators are stored in the Rotomat. The system is locked and secured with access limited to the Personnel Department's staff of 18.

The Rotomat receives a lot of use. On a typical day, licensed support staff and others may pull 10 to 12 files for a variety of reasons. However, the peak filing period is primarily after school lets out for the season. From May to September is when staff evaluations, contracts, new hire records and more need to be filed. The activity is so intense that filing is handled continuously throughout the workdays and frequently temporary help is brought in to complete the task. The Hanel Rotomat has greatly facilitated these peak filing periods.

Mrs. Creech informed us that the transition from traditional filing to the Rotomat system was not difficult. They conducted orientation and training sessions for all users of the machine. Also as a reminder, a table of contents is posted next to the unit.

Mrs. Creech outlines a few of the features and related benefits of their new Rotomat that various staff members have commented on:

very user friendly, reliable lighting is excellent roll-out drawers are especially nice to work with good work area is provided - don't always have to carry files back to your office no bending or stretching - files appear right in front of you great space and time saver - don't have to run around, everything is stored in the Rotomat

The general consensus of the staff wasthat the Rotomat system was a lot like air conditioning - once you get used to it, you don't want to live without it.

Ideal tool for school administrative offices.

Mr. Britt said that he was pleased with Remco Business Systems after the sale as well. He felt that the installation crew did a fine job. They worked around the Personnel staff's activities, were pleasant, fast and efficient. In addition, over the past 2-1/2 years, the only service call involved a sticking drawer and that was adjusted quickly.

Mr. Britt is satisfied with his decision to purchase a Hanel Office Rotomat. He hopes to add another unit once the new administration building is built and he has more space to work in. He also has recommended the storage concept to other school departments and has shown the Hanel system to representatives from other school systems as well.

Ask for the Hanel storage story on CD-ROM.

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