Issue 1 2008 > Global Experience Meets Local Capabilities
Global Experience Meets Local Capabilities
Crown Botswana
Crown Worldwide opened its first facility in Botswana in 2000, predominantly as a relocations company. In August of 2005, the Crown team started aggressively diversifying into the records management business. With a limited records management infrastructure, the Botswana team brought in Crown experts from around the world, built state-of-the-art racking, implemented bar coding systems and trained the staff. Botswana was ready for business.
In the spring of 2007, the team was approached by an international financial institution, requesting that Crown participate in a tender process to do their offsite management of records and information.
Needs Assessment
- The tender consisted of more than 800,000 files to be scanned, data captured and integrated into a database that would enable online reviews.
- An additional 160,000 cartons needed to be relocated from three of the client’s facilities and consolidated at Crown’s Management Center in Botswana.
- Simultaneously, throughout the process, the client was conducting an audit, which meant that individual files had to be easily accessible.
The Contract
Back Row: Celeste van der Merwe, Virginia Modise, Cathrine
Kabuane, Obakeng Kokeletso, Mmaeni Tswalle, Tonnie Modise.
Front Row: Jannie van der Merwe and Raymond Keakeditswe
Crown completed the proposal and submitted it along with four other service providers. In less than a month, the client contacted the Botswana team to award them the contract. The team was thrilled and immediately began assembling a team from Crown’s global network including Philip Britton, group VP of Records Management; Debbie Kahan, national sales manager of Records Management for Cape Town; Ian Pettey, country manager for South Africa and Iwan Turner, IT systems consultant & trainer for EMEA.
The Implementation
Within seven months Crown was up and running and providing a full spectrum of records management services for their new client. Crown Botswana had completed the following:
- Bought a 35,000 square foot warehouse
- Constructed a modern racking system capable of storing 160,000 SBE’s (standard box equivalent)
- Installed a state-of-the-art sprinkler system
- Met the client’s requirements within the time requested
This project is a true reflection of Crown’s global team coming together to mesh industry expertise with local requirements. Congratulations to a truly global records management team!