Office filing systems
Filing Systems The Pro’s and Cons
In my last post I determined the three main types of traditional office filing as being shelf filing, vertical filing and lateral filing and a promise to explore the features of each.
Shelf filing
Files placed on shelves in lever arch or box files can be placed in tall cabinets and is good for archiving or filing documents that aren’t used often. When space is at a premium it is often worthwhile to consider the amount of space that is not utilised within these files themselves. We have seen semi archival filing systems which have only a few sheets in box files while other departments are trying to find open plan space, in one office in particular we have redesigned the whole area and released vital floor spece by reducing the size of the archival filing system.
Vertical filing is the most popular form of filing in the UK often in the form of wooden and metal four drawer filing cabinets. It is ideal where the files are retrieved and refilled on a medium to high frequency basis. It is less space efficient than lateral or shelf filing as additional space is required to pull out the drawer or filing frame and vertical filing has height restrictions for health and safety reasons
Lateral filing where the file is inserted into the file holders sideways is the most space efficient with some tall tambour cupboards able to house seven rows of filing. There are also no pull out elements to it and is comes into its own in corridors. As the file only expands the amount of paper it holds if is more space efficient than shelf filing. The file holder is always in the same place this means this system performs well when files are required quickly as the user instinctively knows where the file is placed within the system
Our product library around is around 30metres of lateral filing and as we are constantly advising our clients on designs and products on the telephone it has become an invaluable tool.
Paul Office furniture sales
Tags: Filing cabinets