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Central Electric Power Cooperative SUCCESS STORY
Central Electric
Power Cooperative
Power cooperative uses Adobe
®
Acrobat
®
Professional software to lower
costs and speed the creation and delivery of information packets
Central Electric Power
Cooperative (CEPC)
Electric power generation and
transmission cooperative serving
approximately 150,000 residential
and business customers
Location: Jefferson City, Missouri
Founded: 1951
www.cepc.net
Industry
Electric Utilities
Architecture, Engineering,
and Construction
Solution
Electronic Document Distribution
Products Used
Adobe Acrobat Professional
Adobe Acrobat Standard
Company Profile
Central Electric Power Cooperative (CEPC) is an electric generation and transmission coopera-
tive that delivers power to eight distribution cooperatives in central Missouri. To prepare for
their monthly meetings, CEPCs 16 board members need to review 70- to 100-page packets of
documents generated using a variety of applications, including CAD programs. Assembling
paper-based packets for CEPC board meetings used to be a time-consuming, expensive process.
But now, CEPC uses Adobe Acrobat Professional software to merge documents from a variety of
applications into a single Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) file that is e-mailed to board
members prior to each meeting.
Challenges Faced
Reduce the expense of creating information packets for the board of directors
To create information packets, CEPC staff previously spent substantial time and money printing
and collating individual documents from applications such as Microsoft
®
Office, Autodesk
®

AutoCAD, and specialized software for utility cooperatives. CEPC wanted to reduce the time
and expense needed to prepare the information packets. The cooperative also wanted to enable
administrative staff to make last-minute changes to individual documents within the packets,
which was difficult once paper-copy packets were assembled.
Speed distribution of materials and streamline archiving
Two important requirements for adopting an electronic document distribution strategy were
maintaining control over document content and ensuring that board members could easily
navigate documents. CEPC also needed a way of reliably archiving the contents of board infor-
mation packets.
Streamline delivery of CAD drawings
Technical drawings created in CAD packages are plentiful at CEPC. Design schematics of new
transmission facilities or materials outlining construction on existing centers are frequently
included in packets for board meetings. In addition, CEPC must often distribute design drawings
to cooperative members handling repairs on facilities. Previously, the only option was sending
materials on paper because few people outside the organization possessed the design software
needed to open CAD files.
Improve productivity of board meetings
The use of paper-copy materials made it challenging for board members to be prepared for
monthly meetings. Gathering and reproducing materials for review in advance of meetings
and incorporating last-minute changes were difficult.
Success Strategy
CEPC is using Acrobat Professional software to automate the creation of electronic
packets for board members. Using Acrobat, CEPC can easily convert and merge
documents from a variety of applicationsAutoCAD, Microsoft Office, and
othersinto a single Adobe PDF file. Staff add headers and footers with page
numbers to simplify navigation within the electronic packets. Instead of scanning the CEOs signature and applying it to board packet documents as staff did
previously, CEPC can now use the Stamp tool in Acrobat, a faster, more convenient alternative.
If minor changes need to be made to individual documents within the packet, CEPC staff can
make the changes using the Acrobat Touchup Text toolan important benefit because changes
to materials are often made the day of board meetings.
Packets are e-mailed to board members in advance and sent as a single Adobe PDF file to print-
ers to produce paper-copy packets for distribution at board meetings. CEPC staff also archive
completed board packets in Adobe PDF.
Technical drawings in Adobe PDF can be distributed easily inside and outside of CEPC. Employees
can convert drawings to Adobe PDF files and distribute them as part of packets to board mem-
bers and to field technicians, who can open the files using the free Adobe Reader
®
software.
Benefits
Reduced administrative time and expenses
Helped to ensure more productive board meetings
Controlled content in wide range of materials, including technical drawings, spreadsheets,
and progress reports
Enabled easier archiving
Streamlined delivery of technical drawings to board members and to field staff
The biggest reason we adopted Acrobat and Adobe PDF was cost savings, says Randy Bock,
senior programmer/analyst at CEPC. We are saving substantial time and money using Acrobat
to collate materials electronically instead of printing from dozens of different sources.
By preparing and distributing materials electronically, CEPC can easily incorporate last-minute
changes, giving board members the most current information available. Materials can be sent
faster, enabling board members to review information prior to meetings.
CEPC staff protect the Adobe PDF files using passwords, helping ensure that only board mem-
bers can open and access materials. By using Adobe PDF to compile a range of documents from
many applications, CEPC has a single, searchable file for easy electronic archiving.
Adobe PDF is also ideal for distributing CAD drawings and other materials generated in appli-
cations that people outside CEPC might not have on their computers. Using the Adobe Reader
software, anyone within the CEPC community can easily read the materials.
With Acrobat and Adobe PDF, we can distribute and review a variety of informationtechnical
drawings, financial documents, and detailed reportsfaster and more reliably, while lowering our
operating costs, says Bock.
CEPC uses Adobe Acrobat Profes-
sional software to easily convert and
merge documents from a variety of
applicationsAutoCAD, Microsoft
Office, and othersinto a single
Adobe PDF file that is e-mailed to
board members prior to their
monthly meetings. Using Acrobat,
the cooperative has reduced costs,
streamlined delivery of technical
drawings, and enhanced control of
distributed materials.
With Acrobat and Adobe PDF, we
can distribute and review a variety
of informationtechnical drawings,
financial documents, and detailed
reportsfaster and more reliably,
while lowering our operating costs.
Randy Bock,
Senior programmer/analyst,
Central Electric Power Cooperative
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www.adobe.com
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