CASE STUDY No. 9721
KEY WORDS PAPERLESS OFFICE, ELECTRONIC MAIL,
FINANCIAL REPORTS
Millipore Corporation
80 Ashby Road
Bedford, MA 01730
Contact: John Burns. Tel: 617-533-2418.
Summary
Through a variety of office waste prevention programs, the company is moving
steadily closer to its goal of doing business with a minimal amount of paper--a
"paperless" office. One example: quarterly financial reports are no longer
printed but distributed on the Internet, reducing costs $25,000 a year for this item
alone.
Action
Millipore Corporation manufactures and sells a range of purification products to the
microelectronics, biopharmaceutical, and analytical laboratory markets. The company
employs 3,200 people in seven plants and more than 30 subsidiary and sales offices. It
does business in more than 100 countries. Through an aggressive program to prevent waste,
the company has been steadily reducing its waste generation rate. In one recent year,
while production rose 20%, waste declined by 5%.
Millipore has several programs aimed at reducing the use of paper:
- Electronic mail. For communication among the company's various offices,
Millipore uses Lotus Notes groupware. It was introduced to this method by field staff, who
found Lotus Notes the most convenient way to reach one another. From that point the method
spread throughout the company, significantly reducing dependence on paper.
- Double-sided copying. Unless a special written request is made, all copying
jobs submitted to the copy center are automatically duplexed. Purchases of white copy
paper at headquarters declined 34% in the first year after adoption of the double-sided
copying rule, which was implemented by the Facilities Department.
- Catalogs on line. The company publishes several product catalogs every year. A
few years ago, the Corporate Communications and Marketing groups decided to place the
catalog on the Internet as well, accommodating customers with on-line access. Customer
feedback has been good, and the catalog print-order has been reduced.
- Web page. Millipore no longer distributes quarterly financial reports in print
form. Instead, this data appears at the company web site, along with a wide variety of
product information. The company estimates that by eliminating 60,000 printed financial
reports it saves $25,000 a year.
- Document control. Millipore's document control system, developed as part of
certification to ISO 9000 standards, is maintained electronically and can be accessed from
any of the company's locations. Besides eliminating significant amounts of paper, the
electronic system makes revisions available immediately, worldwide.
Payback
The company believes its investments to date in paperless technologies, mainly the
development of a presence on the Internet, have been compensated promptly through improved
communication among employees, and between the company and its customers. It anticipates a
continuing payback as growing proportions of paper are replaced by electronics.
IIR
Homepage
