Home » Filing Cabinets and Lateral File

A lateral file is a vital piece of office equipment that has survived the age of the computer. Lateral files have been around for a long time and are still found in every office today. Since most newer operations have done their best to create a paperless environment one would think that a file cabinet is a thing of the past, however some things just have to be kept on paper still to this day and therefore file cabinets are likely to be around for a long time to come.

Yes these days the most economical way to store files is using an electronic medium. Usually in the way of a hard drive that all vital files are stored on. Some places even use offsite storage

to protect their files in case their offices burn down or are somehow an act of god wipes out their operation. Having said almost everyone still keeps paper records for things like their tax records, receipts, purchase orders, warrantee papers, client files and etc, etc. Since paper has not been totally eliminated a file cabinet is still vital when running a company and doing so in a organized manner.

File cabinets come in a variety of different configurations. Minimum you will have one drawer and up to 5 or 6 drawers to store files in. Lateral files are probably the most common variation. A lateral file system is usually organized alphabetically or by day or month. Many lawyers offices use lateral files to store contracts and vital legal documents and a file cabinet or a series of them up against the wall are quite common ways to store legal documents. Medical offices also still use lateral files to keep client records. These days more and more of this has gone to an electronic format but certain things like X-rays are still kept in a file along with client info.

Edwin G. Seibel's is credited with the invention of the file cabinet back in 1898. Before his invention people used a complicated shelving system that required you too fold your records and then place them in the appropriate shelf. This was a very inconvenient way to store records. Edwin Siebel knowing this tedious process decided that it would be much easier to store records in a folder and storing them vertically in a cabinet. Over the years of course his original design has been modified and has morphed in to today's modern day file storage units you see in every major workplace today.

Maybe some day in the not so distant future we will eliminate paper all together form our daily life's and these units will no longer serve a purpose but until that day they remain a vital part of a smooth running business operation .

For more information on the types of file cabinets we carry in our online catalog please visit our catalog section or contact us with any questions you might have. We look forward to answering any questions you might have.