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Intro
Companies, especially those facing downward economic pressures like in Oil and Gas, are looking to convert manual paper-based processes to digital ones for the benefits of lowering costs and improving the efficiency and efficacy of their day-to-day business activities. PAYLOAD’s solutions digitize paper-based processes and in doing so enable new business models and value-producing opportunities. The result is the creation of greater transparency into, and control of, field operations to help make more informed, data-driven business decisions. An area needing digitization is the tracking and reporting of hazardous/dangerous waste, which has been a government requirement for nearly 30 years. The process has been entirely manual since inception, with digitization efforts only surfacing in the last few years. The existing paper-based process is rife with issues including:
- waste misclassification
- high costs and paper consumption
- incomplete/missing forms
- long, costly audit process
- high storage costs
- does not fit ESG goals of reducing paper usage
The major issue shared by Generators (Consignors) is the significant lag time from when a manifest is sent with a driver to when they get the reconciled form back from Receivers (Consignees); this is the primary focus of this paper. We will analyze the data captured through PAYLOAD’s (PL) Manifest system, particularly the almost 4,000 manifests created in 2021, to compare the digital reconciliation time to that of the existing paper process and look at the intrinsic and complimentary benefits of implementing PL Manifest.
The Paper Process
Let’s first examine the existing manifesting process. During work at a job site hazardous waste is generated and needs to be trucked for disposal. Staff on site classify the waste, complete a manifest by hand, and give 3 copies to the driver (keeping the original for themselves). The driver takes the load to the receiver, unloads, and hands 2 copies to the Receiver operator (keeping one for their trip back). The Receiver meters and classifies the waste, fills out their manifest section reconciling the load, and mails back the completed form to the generator, typically near the end of every month. Only when the completed forms are received can the Generator confirm the reconciliation and gain insight into what happened. During interviews with PL Manifest users, we confirmed the standard procedure prior to using PL Manifest was for Receivers to send paper forms back at the end of each month, meaning at best, a manifest would be returned within a couple weeks and at worst, a couple months from creation. While this process sounds long and extremely manual, it’s important to note that historically there has been no alternative and therefore no pressure to change. Tech companies have only recently identified regulatory compliance as an addressable market. Now that the technology exists, let’s examine the PL Manifest process and how it impacted our client’s business to illustrate that digital solutions not only meet and maintain regulatory compliance but save money and time as well.
Digital Transformation
We implement PL Manifest with Generators and Receivers to digitize manifests from cradle to grave. Since we maintain the structure and appearance of the paper manifest, the digital process is very familiar to end users which lends itself to easy adoption. The overall manifest process is much the same, with improvements to the creation, distribution, and reconciliation of forms: Hazardous waste is still generated during work, but now Site staff fill out a manifest digitally and print just one copy for the driver. The driver takes the load to the Receiver, hands off the paper manifest, and unloads. The Receiver operator still meters and classifies the load, but now reconciles the form digitally, eliminating the need to store the paper manifest. The Generator can see the reconciliation as soon as the Receiver hits ‘Save’. No more waiting for mailed back forms, no more chasing down site staff to explain issues that happened weeks ago, no more missing forms. The entire process is digital and auditable. As might be expected the digital process is faster, but how much faster? Another benefit of digital manifests is easy access to data collected which in turn yields more informed decision making and quicker problem resolution.
To learn more, and view the entire white paper, click here.
For more information on how our team can help your organization, contact our team at [email protected] for a demo, today.
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