Explore our Case Studies
Discover how our customers work smarter with streamlined workflows and better data.
Summary of Case Studies
Our real-world success stories show how our intelligent automation solutions deliver measurable efficiency gains, cost savings, and greater control over information management.
Follow the links below for greater detail.
• Document Collaboration - Dynamic Metals digitise their paper trails
• Digital Transformation - Alpla develop an electronic Permit to Work & Safety Behaviour Observation system
• Digitising a Paper Archive - PCM UK scan and index all of their customer contracts
• Document Composition - Jersey Water take full control over the design and delivery of their water bills
• Invoice Processing Automation - Cromwell Tools streamline their Invoice capture and approval process
Case Study – Heavy Metal, Light Filing: Documents That Rock!
About Dynamic Metals
Specialist metal supplier, Dynamic Metals are one of the UK’s largest independent stockists of aerospace high-grade metals supplying materials to many industry sectors across the UK, mainland Europe and throughout the world.
🔗 Specialist Metals Supplier and Distributor | Dynamic Metals Ltd
Case Study – How ALPLA Ditched the Paper Trail
About Alpla
ALPLA is a world leader in the development and production of innovative plastic packaging solutions. Employing over 24,000 staff in 200 locations throughout 46 countries, they produce packaging systems, bottles, caps and injection-moulded parts for a wide range of industries.
The Challenge: How ALPLA Turned Paperwork into Productivity
If you’re running a paper-based Permit to Work (PTW) process you’ll know how much time is spent filling in forms, recording information and checking jobs have been completed. Alpla had looked a number of times at electronic PTW systems, however, the majority of the e-solutions reviewed were designed with petrochemical companies in mind and were considered overly complex and expensive to buy.
As an existing customer, Alpla approached Document Genetics to design a suitable electronic Permit to Work (e-PTW) system built around their infoForms app.
The Solution: Going Digital with infoForms
The Alpla e-PTW process can be broken down into 4 simple stages.
These are as follows:
Step 1 - Design and Distribute the e-PTW App (one-off task)
Step 2 - Work through the Questions for the Risk Assessment
Step 3 - Finish and Sign Off the e-PTW
Step 4 - Finish the Process by Creating a PDF version of the PTW for the Record
Customer Feedback: ALPLA’s e-PTW Success Story
Here's what Alpla's IT manager had to say about the e-PTW system:
“The electronic permit to work (e-PTW) system was born out of ALPLA’s desire to move to an electronic process which would allow us to save time, eliminate unnecessary questions and auto-archive permits issued at any of our 6 UK sites.
We searched for an off the shelf solution but found most were geared towards the oil and gas industry, were overly complex and carried a high price tag. We wanted an e-PTW solution which was simple to use, quick to implement and with a strong return on investment – with this in mind, we worked with Document Genetics to build our own ALPLA e-PTW system. This has achieved all of our objectives and has the added benefit, of being able to make rapid changes to the forms, or the underlying process if we need to. The e-PTW initiative has been well received across all of the ALPLA sites and by our customers/contractors. Paper permits are now a thing of the past and the e-PTW dashboard means we can instantly check ongoing works, or review archived permits.”
Daniel Connolly - IT Manager Alpla UK
Phase Two: ALPLA extend their Digital Revolution into Safety Behaviour Observation (SBO)
Alpla have now gone on to extend the use of infoForms to many other areas of the business; a good example being Safety Behaviour Observation (SBO).
Safety behaviour observation is a systematic process used to identify and document unsafe behaviours and conditions in the workplace, aiming to prevent accidents and promote a culture of safety - this is obviously vital for a busy manufacturing company like Alpla.
As the e-SBO system is built using the same infoForms application, development and deployment costs were minimal and the familiar interface meant training for staff was greatly reduced.
"The e-SBO system has proved a real success. The rollout was incredibly straightforward as staff were already using the e-PTW app - we've estimated the ROI was as little as 6 months, the employee feedback has been really positive and most importantly the new electronic process has improved our health and safety monitoring throughout the business".
Daniel Connolly - IT Manager Alpla UK
Case Study: A Scanning Success - PCM Pumps Bring 30 Years of Job Files Online
About PCM UK Ltd
PCM is a global leader in the design and manufacture of progressing cavity pumps, with a proud history spanning over 90 years. Their innovative pumping solutions are found in a diverse range of industries, from oil and gas to food processing, mining, and paper production. PCM’s commitment to long-term service is clear—they continue to support and supply spare parts for systems installed over 30 years ago.
The Challenge
When it comes to supplying replacement parts for decades-old installations, having fast access to accurate documentation is critical.
Historically, PCM managed all customer contract records in physical folders—some exceeding 200 pages and containing everything from CAD drawings and handwritten notes to post-it memos, letters, and faxes.
Locating a specific document meant time-consuming searches in the archive room, often taking staff away from more valuable tasks. Outsourcing scanning to a bureau service was considered, but high costs led PCM to seek a more efficient and cost-effective in-house solution.
The Solution
PCM partnered with Document Genetics to implement a scalable, easy-to-use document management system that would deliver a fast return on investment.
The solution included:
✅ infoRouter Electronic Document Management System (EDMS)
✅A dedicated scanning workstation featuring a Kodak Alaris i3200 production scanner (A4/A3, 50 ppm) and Kodak Alaris Capture Pro software
✅Contract files indexed with three key metadata fields: Customer, Contract, and Date
✅Full-page OCR enabling keyword search functionality (e.g., for part numbers)
✅infoExplorer Search Portal – a simple and intuitive web-based search portal
✅A convenient single monthly payment model covering hardware, software, and support
The Results
The new digital archive transformed PCM’s document workflows:
✅ Over 20 hours saved each month in manual file retrieval
✅ Staff adoption was effortless thanks to an intuitive search interface requiring minimal training
✅ Faster, more accurate order fulfilment led to improved customer service
✅ The archive room has been repurposed for more productive use
✅ Enhanced disaster recovery with critical documents now protected from fire, flood, or theft
✅ Improved compliance with industry and ISO standards
✅ Zero upfront capital costs – the solution paid for itself in under 6 months
Customer Feedback
“The whole implementation was seamless, and we enjoyed the benefits of the solution from day one. I would highly recommend the first-class services and support from Document Genetics.”
– Dave Burrows, UK General Manager, PCM UK Ltd
About Jersey Water
Founded in 1882, The Jersey New Waterworks Company Limited is the oldest established company on the island of Jersey. Now trading as Jersey Water, the utility supplies treated mains water to over 90% of the island’s population. Their mission is to provide customers with a safe and reliable water supply—collecting, storing, treating, and distributing water efficiently across the island.
The Challenge
Every quarter, Jersey Water generates and distributes approximately 30,000 water bills. As one of the company’s key customer touchpoints, the bill must be clear, accurate, and easy to understand, while also containing all necessary payment information.
However, their existing ERP system lacked the flexibility to design and manage the billing documents to the high standard they required. This limitation led Jersey Water to seek an alternative solution that would offer greater control over document layout, branding, and fulfilment—without relying on costly pre-printed stationery.
The Solution
To overcome these challenges, Jersey Water implemented Formate eVo—Document Genetics’ intelligent document automation software. This allowed the team to take full control over the design and delivery of their billing documents.
Using Formate eVo, Jersey Water can now:
✅ Create professional, customer-friendly bills on plain white A4 paper
✅ Email bills directly to customers or route them via a postal fulfilment provider
✅Eliminate the need for pre-printed stationery, significantly reducing operational costs
✅Easily update document layouts and include targeted marketing messages for specific customer groups
The Results
Formate eVo has delivered real cost savings and greater operational efficiency.
By switching to plain paper and digital delivery, Jersey Water has reduced both printing and postage costs, while enhancing the customer experience. More importantly, the billing process is now fully under their control—from layout and messaging to delivery—helping Jersey Water maintain the highest standards of service and communication.
Customer Feedback
"Formate eVo has allowed us to take ownership of our billing process. We can easily make changes, improve clarity, and provide our customers with better, more accessible documents."
David Bloomfield, Business Systems Manager, Jersey Water
Case Study: Invoice Payment Automation - Cromwell Tools streamline their Invoice capture and approval process
About Cromwell Tools
Cromwell Tools have been a trusted name in industrial tools and equipment for over 50 years. With more than 40 branches across the UK, they supply everything from power tools and hand tools to cutting solutions and personal protective equipment (PPE).
Shipping over 0.5M products a year means their accounts payable team processes over 20,000 invoices per month which can be a labour intensive exercise without any automation technology. To speed up the process and refocus staff on added value activities, Cromwell asked Document Genetics to help streamline the process.
The new automation process consists of 4 steps:
Step 1 - An email account ([email protected]) is monitored for incoming purchase invoices. Inevitably, suppliers send a variety of documents to this email address, so its important to remove non-invoice documents at the start of the process. This is achieved using an email monitoring service (using Formate eVo software) which automatically extracts invoices based on a set of pre-configured rules.
Step 2 -Incoming invoices are automatically processed by ABBYY FlexiCapture, which identifies the document and extracts key details such as invoice number, PO number, date, and total amount.
If the invoice doesn’t specify the branch that raised the order, the system performs a database lookup using the PO number to match it to the correct branch.
When the software detects missing information, uncertain data, or potential issues—such as an unrecognised supplier, missing PO, or changes to supplier bank details—the invoice is automatically flagged and sent to a human verifier for review.
Step 3 - Once the invoice data has been captured and the branch identified, the invoice needs approving. This is achieved using the infoRegister application. infoRegister takes a PDF copy of the invoice and routes it the appropriate branch for approval - as this stage the branch can check the items order have been delivered, the totals are correct, add notes, raise a query with colleagues , before rejecting or approving the invoice for payment.
Step 4 - Now the invoice has now been approved by the branch, it's ready to be registered on the Merlin ERP system for payment. Finally, a copy of the invoice is saved with meta-data (in the infoRouter DMS) for for VAT/TAX compliance.
The Benefits
The invoice automation system has been a real success, with benefits in the following areas:
✅ Efficient electronic routing of invoices for approval
✅ Shortens times from receipt to payment
✅ Uses AI/OCR to extract invoice data and allocate to branches
✅ Reduces the risk of duplicate or fraudulent payments
✅ Handles increasing invoice volumes without needing extra staff
✅ Supports remote and hybrid teams
✅ Centralised dashboard for tracking invoice status in real-time
✅ Provides audit trails for compliance and accountability
✅ Improves cashflow forecasting with up-to-date data and reporting
Customer Feedback
Matthew Yorke - Accounts Payable (AP) Lead at Cromwell Tools has this to say about the system:
"We're a really busy AP team and anything we can do to focus staff on added value activities is a real bonus. In the past we've spent a massive amount of time keying invoice data and routing invoices for approval at our remote branches. The new system saves our staff hundreds of hours each month, which means as our business grows we don't need to employ more people. We've also got far more information at our finger tips - for example, if a supplier is chasing an invoice we can quickly find where it's got to in the system and provide an instant update. The improved reporting also means we can quickly spot any bottlenecks in the process and address them and the accurate data means we can improve our cashflow forecasting. Day one the system worked well, but we're still working with Document Genetics to finetune it, and if we do need help, we've been delighted with the support they've given us".
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