Altimate Systems Awarded California Air Resources Contract for Document Management & Workflow System Improvements

The California Air Resources Board has adopted OpenEDMS in order to automate and accelerate the review of hundreds of motor vehicle and automotive engine manufacturer conformity certificate applications submitted annually.

(PRWEB) October 15, 2005 -- The California Air Resources Board (CARB), a state government air quality and emissions control agency, has recently implemented OpenEDMS, an Internet-based, enterprise-scale document management and workflow system.

CARB intends to use OpenEDMS to more efficiently monitor motor vehicle and engine manufacturer compliance with exhaust emission standards as well as to review the massive influx of conformity certificate applications submitted annually by some 450 different automotive and engine manufacturers from around the world.

Manufacturers from around the world are now able to upload digital application documents directly to the agency’s centralized repository where they are automatically placed in designated directories and processed through predefined workflow templates.

The intuitive workflow design tool allows staff to develop stage-by-stage workflow templates that automate, streamline, and standardize the review and evaluation of incoming applications: all application documents submitted to a workflow for processing are automatically routed to the assigned knowledge workers, each of whom is promptly notified whenever his or her input is required at any stage of the overall process.

In the event any application requires revision or supplementary documentation, it is automatically directed back to the manufacturer who is immediately notified of the application’s status. The integrated mark-up utility enables staff to make electronic annotations directly on the surface of otherwise unmodified documents whenever necessary, while the accompanying redaction tool allows staff to digitally strike confidential content before documents are made available to the public upon request.

E-mail correspondence may be stored like any other document directly within the repository so that all process-pertinent information is conveniently stored and indexed in a centralized location. Staff may search for specific application documents or related materials contained in the repository using any number or combination of parameters to instantly retrieve the relevant information whenever it is required most.

With OpenEDMS, CARB need no longer manually circulate hardcopy from desk to desk or department to department and conformity applications no longer accumulate unmanageably as all documents are submitted, stored, and processed electronically.

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