Alcoa Automates a Production Process with a Solution from SmartSoft

A customized solution based on SmartSoft’s OCR technology processed 3-D stamp images

2012, July 21 – SmartSoft, the leading provider of innovative optical character recognition (OCR), document capture and conversion software solutions, has announced that Alcoa, a leader in the production of primary aluminum and fabricated aluminum has used an optical character recognition (OCR) solution for the automation of a process at the Howmet-Morristown (TN) division.

OCR was needed for the digitization of scanned images of a 3-D stamp on a flat surface with a mortar-type material that was poured around it. The images were of very low quality and general-purpose OCR software products were not delivering satisfactory results. In addition, certain numbers ran together because the material that formed the positives between the numbers was thin and breaking. Alcoa selected SmartSoft because of their proven experience in delivering custom OCR solutions.

SmartSoft solved the problem by implementing a robust solution based on the Smart OCR technology. The scanned images were sent to a watched folder, and automatically queued for recognition. The OCR results were improved by adding a custom glyph set and limiting the number of symbols in the software database, so that fewer symbols were available for comparison.

Additionally, SmartSoft added custom noise filter, auto rotation algorithm, and algorithm for splitting groups of more than three glyphs. In this way, very high accuracy levels of recognition were achieved and the solution managed to successfully fit in the automation of the entire process.

The complete case study is available here.

About SmartSoft

SmartSoft is one of the world’s leading developers of optical character recognition (OCR) and document management technologies. The company specializes mainly in PDF conversion and creation, OCR and invoice processing solutions with millions of users worldwide. Its products, popular for their simple and user-orientated design, have been used by individuals and organizations in more than 150 countries. SmartSoft clients include Adobe, IBM, Microsoft, Motorola, Inc., J.P. Morgan, Fedex Express Corp, Honda Motor Co, General Motors, and many others. Visit SmartSoft at www.smart-soft.net.

About Alcoa

Alcoa is a world leader in the production of primary aluminum and fabricated aluminum and also the largest miner of bauxite and alumina refiner. For over 20 years, the company has facilitated many improvements in various areas, such as automotive, aerospace, industrial, consumer electronics, packaging, commercial transportation, and construction. Alcoa currently employs around 61,000 people in more than 200 locations in 32 countries. More information on Alcoa is available at http://www.alcoa.com.