Cleardata – The UK’s first company to install the ibml FUSiON

Cleardata, document management specialists, are the first company in the country to take delivery of the ibml FUSiON intelligent, scalable document capture platform. This follows a long line of firsts for the business, as they were the first to install the Kodak i5000 Series Scanners, followed four years later by Kodak i5850S Scanners. The most recent hardware investment through Kodak Alaris, includes the ibml FUSiON ultra-high volume scanner and multiple Kodak i850S production scanners. This is the initial stage of a two-year plan that will see Cleardata invest another £500,000 in further hardware and technology updates.

Through a 14-year partnership with Kodak Alaris, Cleardata has amassed one of the largest scanning bureaus in the country. “From day one we have continued to invest in high-volume capture solutions from Kodak Alaris to optimise our operations, boost our capability, improve productivity and offer higher-value services,” said Managing Director David Bryce. “In an increasingly competitive marketplace, we see our ongoing commitment to purchasing the very latest and best technology as a key differentiator for Cleardata.”

Cleardata has increased and sustained their growth in both the public and private sector, featuring on various frameworks including Crown Commercial Services (CCS) and the NHS England’s Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). So far this year they’ve seen a large increase in demand for digital mailroom services, influenced in no small way by both local and national lockdowns.
One driver for Cleardata increasing the production and capability of their scanner fleet is the plan to expand the size of their operation with the opening of two new sites. Having listened to the business’s plans and requirements, Kodak Alaris invited them to try out the ibml FUSiON.

“We handle lots of different document types, on mixed media and with varying levels of quality. Kodak scanners have never let us down in terms of image quality, reliability and throughput, so we have never considered an alternative capture platform,” Bryce explained. “Our view was that conveyor belt scanners were best suited to environments dealing with ‘perfect’ paper documents, but we agreed to have a look at the FUSiON document capture platform and we were not disappointed.”

While at the Kodak Alaris showroom, Cleardata ran various test jobs through the ibml FUSiON scanner. “The technology is superb, we were extremely impressed both in terms of performance and the platform’s ability to handle many different document types. Of particular note is the ibml iQpro image processing technology which optimises image capture for better accuracy of data extraction from images,” Bryce said.

He continued: “We’ve worked with Kodak Alaris for a long time and have always been impressed not only with the high product quality but also with the excellent service we receive. The addition of the ibml device to our fleet of Kodak scanners, backed by expert repair and maintenance services from Kodak Alaris, will be a game-changer for the business. We’re really confident that this latest investment will help us take the business to the next level.”

Steve Keating, Account Manager, Alaris division of Kodak Alaris said: “We have a long-standing relationship with Cleardata and we are delighted they are our first UK customer to install the ibml FUSiON. The platform perfectly complements the scanners from Kodak Alaris and is a perfect fit to support Cleardata’s ongoing growth, delivering additional capability with no compromise on quality.”

Both the addition of the ibml FUSiON and new Kodak i5850S Scanners are a game-changing inclusion into Cleardata’s fleet, doubling their capacity and providing a solid footing from which to continue their growth.