Planfile Archives - Ulrich Fabrication Inc

Dan Barry Survey Map Storage – Space Saving and Easy to Use

July 26, 2017

Survey Map Storage with Dan Barry, licensed land surveyor

Durable, Space Saving and Easy to Use

New York and Pennsylvania licensed land surveyors, Dan Barry and Joe McGraw, have a number of survey maps. “Since 1996 we have used an Ulrich Planfile cabinet to store and protect our drawings and tax maps. Of course, this cabinet has worked very well for us,” said Dan Barry.

Durable Survey Map Storage

We have been using the cabinet for 20 years and we have no problems with it. “The Planfile Cabinet held up very well, including a move from our previous office,” says Dan Barry.

Easily store multiple sizes in one cabinet.

Multiple Sizes Filed In One Cabinet

Of course, the Planfile is known for large document storage. However, it is equally adept at storing many different sizes in the same cabinet, even A size documents. “Chiefly our survey maps are older drawings, large size drawings, and multiple size drawings. In this case, we store D sized, C sized and Tabloid or ledger size maps,” remarked Barry.

For instance, this folder holds some of the smaller survey maps we have done. In addition, the tax maps are of various materials, including mylar.

Great Document Protection

Equally important, this Ulrich Planfile cabinet protects the survey maps very well. While we do have some flat files, overall, the Ulrich Planfile preserves the maps better, keeping them smooth and unwrinkled.

And Saves Floor Space

Meanwhile the Planfile cabinet uses much less floor space and makes it easier for storage. Note: the unique decoration of Dan Barry’s cabinet is a custom paint by another company.

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Many Features and Sizes

Of course, Dan Barry and Joe McGraw are using the Ulrich Planfile Cabinet. In addition to the features above this cabinet has:

Fire Resistance
Water Resistance
Protects Documents from dust
Mobile – Fits through standard 32″ doorways
60 heavy duty folders included in price
3,600 document capacity for largest size document – even more for smaller sizes

Don’t need fire resistance?

Try our Planfile 2 economy file.

Need a Smaller Cabinet?

Try the Minifile Cabinet less than 15″ deep, but stores more than 2 flat file cabinets. And is fire resistant.

The Cadfile office size file. Less than 11″ deep. But equal in capacity to 2 flat file cabinets.

Blueprint Cabinet 1st choice of Utility Co

July 8, 2016

Document Protection – Easy to Use Blueprint Cabinet

The comments below are from the Engineers at the Board of Public Utility

The Board of Public Utilities, Jamestown, New York is a city owned utility. At all our substations we use the Ulrich Cadfile as our blueprint cabinet.

Our old system didn’t work

Our previous blueprint storage system had many problems. We hung our blueprints with clamps on an open rack system which leaves the prints exposed to the environment. Consequently this exposure makes the prints dirty, wavy, damaged and brittle. In addition, we set prints on tables when referencing them. And these prints would get coffee stains and spills. In short, we needed a better system.

We learned about these Ulrich Cadfiles. And we feel they are among the best products in our substations.

Capacity and Organization!

The Cadfile blueprint cabinet works well. In this case, we use D sized, 24″ x 36″, prints at the substation. And the Ulrich Cadfile stores D sized prints perfectly.¹

In addition these cabinets hold a lot of folders, and these folders provide great organization. First, we organize prints for each piece of equipment in a unique folder. Then we attach a large label to each folder. As a result, our prints are always easy to find.

Even if we don’t fill the cabinet all of the way, there are little “tabs” that hold the blueprints straight up and down, and nice and flat.

Easy to Use

The Cadfile is easy to operate. For example we find it easy to locate and access individual prints. In contrast, with our old rack system, we needed undo the clamps, and take all the drawings apart. And it was even harder to put the prints back in the clamps.

With the Cadfile it is quick and easy to find and file a print.

It’s a rolling shelf

In addition this blueprint cabinet moves so easily we call it our “rolling shelf”. First we roll the cabinet to the equipment needing repair. Then we can lay the print safely on the cabinet while completing our work. The cabinet makes a great reference table.

Document Protection

Another key point, the Cadfile provides protection from moisture, spills or leaking water. To be sure, no more wavy prints. (need fire resistance – see our Minifile Cabinet)

Would we use them again?

Would we use them again? To explain, we use the Cadfile blueprint cabinets in nine different substations. And our offices file blueprints in the larger capacity Planfile cabinet. So, we use these blueprint cabinets a lot. For all these reasons above we will buy a new Ulrich blueprint cabinet any time we build a new substation.

Downloadable copy

Easy to use blueprint cabinet – Video

¹Cadfile also comes in a larger size for 30″ x 42″ documents.
²The Cadfile has a better fire protection than the replaced exposed rack system. If you need a fire resistance cabinet please see our Minifile Cabinet.

Ulrich Cadfile

Learn more about the Cadfile Blueprint Cabinet

Top Features in a Fire Resistant Cabinet

July 15, 2015

One of the most important feature of fire resistance is……drum roll please……………water resistance.

When fire protection was everything
If you had asked 50 years ago. The only focus would be fire resistance – hands down – no question. At that time very few buildings had fire prevention or fire safety features. If a fire started in your building someone called the fire department….. well they would if it was during business hours. If it was after business hours you hoped that your neighbors noticed the smoke and called the fire department. This often made reaction to a fire slow. And fire protection meant keeping your important paperwork safe from long exposure to fire. So what to look for today when choosing file cabinet fire protection?

Look up at the changing landscape

Yes I really wanted you to look up. You will see emergency exit signs, and there is somewhere smoke detectors that are probably wired up to your local fire department. As soon as you have been alerted to the fire in your office the fire department has been alerted also and those brave men and women are on there way to put out the fire. Rapid response time is a priority for Fire Fighters. And help arrives within minutes.

So what is the real hazard when there is a fire?

Water! Between sprinklers and rapid fire department response – the duration of most fires is on the decline. And often it is the gallons of water sprayed on the fire that causes the majority of the damage. So, in addition to fire resistance – great document protection must include water protection.

Ulrich Plan files protect from Fire and Water

The very best protection includes fire and water protection! The Ulrich Planfiles and Minifiles aare the only large document filing system to have fire protection and these cabinets also have water protection.

You can count on the water apron and lap joint construction of these cabinets to protect your documents from water damage. See in this video the difference water can make in protecting your documents.

Map and Planfiling Fire Resistant Features.

The following video shows Ulrich Planfile fire resistant capabilities. These cabinets are the only file cabinets on the market for map and plan storage that provide fire resistance.

See below for more information on these cabinets

Storing a large number of maps and plans.

The Planfile is a high capacity cabinet which can hold 3,600 documents for daily use and 6,000 documents for archival use. More information….

Limited office space
The Ulrich Minifile is perfect for amazing document protection in a limited space. This cabinet sits less than 15″ from the wall and can hold between 1,440 and 2,400 documents. More information….

Need Archival Quality Large Document Storage?

Complete your document protection by replacing the standard folders in your cabinet with Archival Quality folders! Call 1-800-346-2875 for more information.

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Blueprint Storage Cabinet Move Made Easy

May 11, 2015

Ulrich the Blueprint Storage Cabinet of Choice

PSNH Energy exclusively use Ulrich Planfile and Minifile Cabinets as their preferred blueprint storage cabinet. These blueprints represent a complicated network that supplies more than 490,000 homes and businesses in New Hampshire with electricity. PSNH have trusted this important blueprint storage to Ulrich Planfile Cabinets for many years. PSNH had used Ulrich Planfiles exclusively for many years. Some old flat file cabinets were still in service. A recent move to a new facility prompted PSNH to put all their large documents in Ulrich Cabinet.

Moving is easy with Ulrich Blueprint Storage Cabinet

Moving flat file storage cabinets can be risky for the blueprints. And let’s face it a whole lot of work! A key motivator for PSNH to ditch the last of their flat file cabinets and buy Ulrich was a recent move to a new building. As described below moving flat file, this is terribly time consuming as well as hazardous to important blueprints.

Easy Mobility is one of the design features of Ulrich Planfile. And the heavy duty casters make it easy to roll a fully loaded Planfile. These cabinets have a depth of 31 1/2″. Small enough to fit through standard interior doorways. Ulrich blueprint cabinets allowed PSNH to roll the cabinets, fully loaded with documents, out of the building and on to a truck, then roll the cabinets off of the truck, into position and are immediately ready for work – no packing or unpacking required! When has a move ever been so easy!

Flat File Storage Cabinets Make Moving Difficult and Time Consuming

If they were using flat file storage cabinets PSNH would have had to unload the drawings, pack them for transport and then disassemble the flat file cabinets. Because, movers must tip flat file cabinets on their side to bring them into or out of a room. Then they must carry the drawings and flat file cabinets separately from their old building to their new building – what are the chances they arrive together and without damage! After that they must reassemble the flat file cabinets. Finally, they would need to unpacked the documents and returned them to the proper drawers in the flat file cabinets. PSNH would have been unable to access their distribution line drawings and prints for days, even weeks. Not to mention the added labor cost.

Benefits of Ulrich over Flat File Storage

Besides the convenience during their recent move, PSNH also appreciates the numerous advantages Ulrich Planfiles

Superb document protection: fire resistant and water resistant
Ease of use, drawings are easily accessible and well organized
Saved floor space with the same capacity as flat files
Affordability! When comparing equal storage capacities Ulrich Planfiles have all these extra features and. . . . . they cost Less!

About PSNH

The Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH), the state’s largest electric utility and subsidiary of Eversource, have been longtime customers of Ulrich Planfiling, utilizing their vertical filing systems to house engineering prints and map drawings of distribution lines. These drawings represent a complicated network that supplies more than 490,000 homes and businesses in New Hampshire with electricity. Ulrich Planfiles are located in numerous PSNH facilities, which all together include 12 plants, both hydroelectric and fossile fuel-fired.

Downloadable copy of this article: Blueprint Storage Move Made Easy by Ulrich Plan file

vertical blueprint storage cabinets that are better than flat file storage cabinets, more features and less cost. — Learn more about the Planfile

brookfield-power-2-150x150 — Planfile Case Study at Brookfield Power

minifile-150x150 — Need Fire Resistance in a smaller footprint?

Map Storage Cabinets at University of Arizona Map Library

August 29, 2013

MAP STORAGE CABINETS PERFECT FOR TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS

1980’s University of Arizona Map Library

The University of Arizona Library in Tucson Arizona has an extensive map collection. In fact Ulrich Planfiles house many of these maps. Before, we featured this library in one of our map storage cabinet brochures from the 1980’s. As shown above the librarians had arranged the map storage cabinets in rows and placed directly on the floor in the map room.

MAP STORAGE CABINETS ON MOVABLE AISLE

At the present time the library has mounted these map storage cabinets to a movable aisle, high density system. In essence this system is a series of movable platforms that roll together and compress into a solid block. In short, eliminating aisle ways and saving space, allowing for more storage in a given area. Then to access an individual cabinet you roll the platforms apart to create a single aisle way where needed. Ulrich Planfiles use much less space than flat drawer files to begin with (about 66% less). But when you use Ulrich Planfiles in conjunction with movable aisle, high density systems the space savings is tremendous.

In fact, Ulrich Planfiles really work well on these systems because you do not have to allow for space to open the drawers. Of course with the Planfile, you do all your filing from the top. Therefore the aisle only needs to be wide enough for the operator to comfortably work. Moreover there are no drawers to accidentally open as the platforms move.

ACTIVE MAP STORAGE COLLECTION

Of course the map collection at the University of Arizona is quite active. In fact, Hayri Yildririm, the Director of Library Facilities told us that many users access the maps on a regular basis. As can be seen combining Ulrich’s space saving design and the movable aisle, high density system creates a very efficient filing solution!

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