Two Bermuda document companies hope to sign an agreement this Friday to merge their operations, management told yesterday.

The merger, which is legally an amalgamation, will bring together Central Filing Ltd., a provider of record management services, and Digital Documents, an affiliate of office company A.F. Smith, which offers data and document imaging services, as well as a digital document repository.

Central Filing chief executive Angus Brown said the merger would allow his company ?to move to the next level in terms of additional products and services?.

The company, after amalgamation, will be known as Digital Documents Ltd., according to a statement released by the parties.

No redundancies are planned because of the merger, which is due to be agreed in writing as early as this Friday and no later than November 23.

A.F. Smith and Digital Documents CEO Tim Smith said he would assume management of the combined companies but added that Mr. Brown would continue in a consulting capacity.

Neither party disclosed financial details of the amalgamation.

Digital Documents Ltd. will operate from Central Filing?s current offices at Harvey Road, Paget.