Customer Stories

Steel Warehouse Company International Division

Date : 7/1/2010
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The SaaS metals solution offering from Perot Systems (Dell Services) and SAP has exceeded our expectations with a good fit to support our business, rapid implementation timing, lower front-end costs, and lower overall costs that fit within the business model for this division.

— Marc Lerman, president, Steel Warehouse International, United States

Challenge
The Steel Warehouse Company International Division (SWI) uses internal and third-party manufacturing and logistics, and freight forwarders to quote, sell, manufacture and service a range of market-leading ferrous sheet and plate metal products to an international set of customers. SWI required rapid and cost-effective implementation of standard processes in a centralized system to support top customer service in this expanding strategic business unit. A strong entrepreneurial "can-do" attitude supported the start-up and initial success of the unit. The next phase of growth required a move to standard systems and processes, along with improved timely visibility of information. Limited personnel in the division, an industry with tight profit margins and the 2009 economic downturn made it imperative to find a system solution with a depth of functionality in needed areas, minimal front-end costs, a start-up model that efficiently utilized limited time of division personnel, and an ongoing cost and benefit model that fit the profit model for the business.
Solution
The solution was implemented from initial concept to go live in only seven weeks — a feat typically measured in months. Company master data was placed into the prebuilt hosted solution in the first five weeks, and entry of quotes and sales orders from daily operations began six weeks after the program launched. Key SWI users were leading the walk-through of in-scope processes in the fifth week of the program.
Benefits
Seven weeks from the start of activity, SWI moved to a full standard set of business processes and a standard integrated software system with one timely data source.

Benefit highlights:
  • Standardized business processes
  • Established one source of information and metrics
  • Improved visibility into order and production status
  • Reduced risk of processing and supply chain error
  • Provided a flexible platform to support growth