AXISENTERPRISE RESOURSE PLANNING

ERP FOR METALS, WIRE AND CABLEStreamline operations, increase productivity and reduce costs: Axis helps you compete in today’s global markets with superior tools and technology

2AXIS | CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN TODAY’S METALS INDUSTRY

• Ensureconsistentlyhighquality

• Respondtocustomerproductanddeliveryneedsfasterthan

the competition

• Controlcosts

• Optimizetheuseofcapitalassets

Metals producers and processors that master these key operational

capabilities position themselves to increase market share,

revenue,andprofits.ThatiswhatAxisisallabout.AxisERPisthe

foundationoftheAxisEnterpriseResourceManagementSystem.

PrimarycomponentsofAxisinclude:

• AxisERP–Comprehensivesupportforintegratedsales,

production,quality,andfinancialmanagement

• Axis®e/Suite–Web-basedcustomerservice

• AxisAdvancedReporting

• AxisShopFloorDataCollection(SFDC)

Axisisbuiltwithanadvancedsoftwarearchitectureutilizingthe

provenandwidelydeployedPROGRESSapplicationdevelopment

toolsettoprovidehighperformanceandscalability,fast

deployment,andlowcostofownership.Axisisanenterprise

resourcemanagementsystemdesignedspecificallyforthemetals,

wireandcableindustries.Ithelpsproducers,manufacturersand

servicecenterssuccessfullycompeteintoday’sglobalmarketsby

providing the tools and technology to:

• Streamlineoperations

• Improveproductivity

• Reducecosts

• Decreaseleadtimes

• Improvecustomerservice

• Improveprofitability

• Supportgrowthwithoutaddingresources

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN TODAY’S METALS INDUSTRYToday’smetalsindustryismarkedbyintenseglobalcompetition,cyclicalmarkets,changingdemandpatterns,andthecommoditizationofproducts.Whilethisenvironmentisverychallenging,italsoofferstremendousopportunitiestocompaniesthatareableto.

3AXIS | CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN TODAY’S METALS INDUSTRY

CREATING A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE WITH AXIS Axisisacomprehensiveenterprisemanagementsystemdesignedspecificallyformetalsproducers,processors,andservicecenters.It

integratesproduction,sales,andfinancialmanagementaroundasingle,highlyaccessiblebaseofinformationtohelpcompaniescreatea

competitiveadvantageintoday’sglobalmarkets.Itprovidesthetoolsandtechnologyto:

• Streamlineoperations,improveproductivity,andreducecosts

• Decreaseleadtimes

• Improvecustomerservice

• Improveprofitability

• Supportgrowthwithoutaddingresources

Axishasbeendevelopedbyprofessionalswithin-depthexperienceinthemetalsindustrytosupporttheindustry’suniquerequirements.

Itisacompletebusinessandoperationalmanagementsystemwithacoreofmixedmodeproductionmanagementcapabilitiesdesigned

specificallyforcompaniesthattransformmaterialthroughmelting,casting,rolling,forging,drawing,extruding,blanking,leveling,and/or

slittingtoproduceproduct.

Axisprovidesintegratedcapabilitiesforimprovingbusinessprocessesandenhancingvisibilityacrossvirtuallyeveryaspectofthebusiness,

fromcustomerorderentrytoscheduling,procurement,production,shipping,costmanagement,andfinance.Mostimportantly,AxisERP

hasmanybuilt-infeaturesdesignedtomeetthespecialneedsofeachsegmentofthemetalsindustry.

4AXIS | CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN TODAY’S METALS INDUSTRY

We’veachievedsignificantsavingsandefficiencieswithAxis.There’smuch less manual paperwork and our customers can attest that the servicesideofourbusinesshasgreatlyimproved.Ifyoucaneliminatethosekindsofcosts,youhaveasystemthat’scertainlypayingforitself.

Kathy Ament ChiefFinancialOfficerMarion Steel

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5AXIS | CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN TODAY’S METALS INDUSTRY

AXIS: BUILT AROUND THE REAL WORLD ISSUES OF METALS PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING Themetalsindustryisunlikeanyother.Ordinarymanufacturing

systemsdesignedforstandarddiscreteorcontinuousprocess

environmentssimplycannothandlethespecialrequirementsof

metalsproductionandprocessing.AxisERPisdifferent.Ithas

beendevelopedfromthegrounduptosupportthefundamental

productandprocessissuesthatmakethemetalsindustryunique.

Someoftheserealworldissuesare:

Actual quality varies from heat to heat

Manyoftheuniqueaspectsofthemetalsindustrystemfrom

thefactthateveryheatorlotofagivenmetallurgicalgrade

isdifferent.Eachheathassomewhatdifferentactualquality

i.e.,chemicalandphysicalpropertiesmthatmustbetakeninto

considerationwhentheyareusedtomakeendproducts.

All material is defined by its attributes and characteristics

Becauseallmaterialhasthechemicalandphysicalpropertiesof

theheatorlotfromwhichitismade,andalsohasadditional

mechanicalanddimensionalpropertiescomingfromhowitis

processed,itcannotbefullyidentifiedbyjustapartnumberor

materialcode.

Theattributesrequiredtoidentifymaterialaredifferentfor

differenttypesofitems(e.g.,grade,gauge,&widthforacoilvs.

OD,wall,&lengthforatube).Theactualcharacteristicsmustbe

knownforeachitemthroughalllevelsofproductionfromheatto

finishedproduct.

Whetheritssteel,aluminum,copperorspecialtyalloys,Axis

ERPsupportscompaniesatallstagesofmetalsproductionand

processing.

Inventory is tracked at the tag level

Becauseofvariations,inventoryistrackedatthetaglevel(i.e.,coil

ID,slab#,billet#,spool#,bundle#,etc.).Quantity,properties,

dimensions,andinventorylocationcanbedifferentforeachtag.

Material application is a function of actual quality

Becauseofvariations,materialisappliedtoordersbasedon

actualproperties.Applicatorsmustidentifyandreserveavailable

materialwiththerightcombinationofpropertiestoconform

tothespecificationsforeachorder(e.g.,thechemicaland

physicalpropertiesoftherodusedtomakewiremustmatchthe

customer’sspecificationsforthatproduct).

Material is often reapplied to other orders

Materialcanbereappliedfromin-processordersandQ.C.hold

statustootherin-processorderswithdifferentspecifications.The

chainofpropertycontributionmustbemaintainedtoprovide

productqualitycertificationandconformancetospecifications.

A given product can be produced in multiple ways

Theprocess/practicecanbealteredtoproduceadesiredproduct

basedonthematerialthatisapplied.Alternatestartingsizes

canbeusedwithadditionaloperations(e.g.,slit,rollpass,draw,

blank,etc.).Certainpropertiescanbeadjustedbyadditional

processsteps(e.g.,heattreatmentorannealing).

Quality control & tracking is critical

Material must be tested at various stages throughout the

productionprocessandcertifiedtestresultsareoftenrequired

bycustomers.Processandenvironmentaldatamustalso

becontinuouslycollectedforprocesscontrolandprocess

improvement.Traceabilitymustbemaintainedfromtheoriginal

heatandcastingtotheendproductshippedtothecustomer.

Units of measure are variable

Agivenitemmaybesoldorpurchasedinanyoneofseveral

unitsofmeasure(e.g.,lbsorkg,feetormeters,sqftorsqm).

Production,however,maybescheduledandreportedina

differentunitofmeasure,sothevariousorderquantitiesneedto

beconvertedforproduction’suseandthenconvertedbackagain

forshipment.

Inexact quantities are a way of life

Inpurchasing,manufacturing,andselling,exactplannedorder

quantitiesarevirtuallyneverrealized.Shipmentorreceiptofa

quantitythatisslightlymoreorlessthantheorderquantityisa

normalpractice.Customersoftenspecifyquantitytolerancesthat

areacceptabletothem.

Effective scheduling is important to mill productivity

Allmetalscompaniesarecapitalintensiveandmusteffectively

utilizetheircapitalequipmentinordertobeprofitable.Because

ofthis,schedulingisdrivenbynumerousfactorsinadditionto

customerrequestdates.

Inordertominimizedowntimeduetosetups,mostmetals

processorssequenceproductionbyeithertheattributesofthe

materialbeingproduced(e.g.,grade,width,shape,thickness,

diameter,etc.),and/orbytheattributesofthematerialitisbeing

producedfrom(e.g.,startingthicknessvs.endingthickness).

6AXIS | CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN TODAY’S METALS INDUSTRY

Manymillsalsoschedulearoundtheirbiggestbottleneck(e.g.,

meltshop,rollingmill,annealingfurnace,etc).Insomecases,

astandardproductioncycleofrelatedproductsisscheduledin

advanceandcustomerordersarebookedagainstthatschedule.

Thisisoftencalledacycleschedule,rollingschedule,orcampaign.

Shipping/receiving logistics are a key aspect of operations

Becausethematerialbeingshippedorreceivedistypicallyof

considerablesizeand/orweight:loading/unloadingcapacityis

limited,freightcostsaresignificant,andshippingmistakescanbe

costly.Efficientcarrierschedulingandproperloadingarecrucialto

bothcustomerserviceandoverallprofitability.

ENTERPRISE-WIDE VISIBILITY AND CONTROL Axis is designed to integrate and streamline the entire business

aroundacommonbaseofinformation.Itgivesmanagementthe

visibilityandcontrolofoperationsthatisneededtoeffectively

competeintoday’schallengingenvironment.AxisERPprovides

thetoolsandinformationto:

Ensure Consistent High Quality

Integratedqualitytrackingandcontrolcapabilitiesensurethat

products are produced or processed according to customer

specificationswhilemaintainingcompleteproductgenealogyand

processhistory,includingchemical/physicallotpropertiesandin-

processtestresults.

Automaticgenerationofcertificationdocuments,theabilityto

matchcustomerrequirementstomaterial/meltspecifications,on-

lineentryofheatresults,in-processcheckchemistrysupport,and

manyotherqualitymanagementfeaturesdramaticallyreducethe

effortrequiredbyfactoryandofficepersonnel.Inventorycontrol

andmaterialapplicationbylotandtag#notonlyenablesbetter

utilizationofinventory,italsoensurestheproperuseofmaterialat

everystageofproduction.

Respond Quickly and Effectively to Customer Needs

AxisERP’ssales,productionmanagement,andcustomerservice

capabilitiesenableyoutobehighlyresponsivetoyourcustomers.

Featuressuchasorderpromising,workflowdrivenquotation

development,andattribute-basedproductlookupshelpyou

winmoreordersbyquicklyaddressingcustomerquestionsand

requirements.

Acomprehensiveproductandprocessdefinitioncapability

speedscollaborativedevelopmentofcustomproducts.Advanced

scheduling and production management capabilities reduce lead

times.Real-timeorderstatus,fullclaims/RMAmanagement,and

optionalweb-basedcustomeraccesstoselectedinformation

enable you to provide the service your most demanding customers

expect.

Control Costs

Axisintegratesfinancialmanagementintoeveryaspectof

operations.Basedonadetailcostedproductandprocess

definitionandvarianceanalysisusingeitherstandardoractual

costs,AxisERPcostmanagementprovidesfullvisibilityofexactly

whereproductcostsareandtheopportunitiesforreducingthem.

Ordermarginanalysishelpsidentifytheproductsandcustomers

thatarethemostprofitable.

Integratedmulti-company,multi-currencyAccountsReceivable,

AccountsPayable,andGeneralLedgerapplicationsprovide

financialmanagerswiththetoolstheyneedtocontrolbothcosts

andcashflow.Awiderangeofoperationalsupportcapabilities

suchasoutsideprocessingmanagement,autofreightcalculations,

rapidinvoicing,andmanyothershelpfunctionalmanagersin

everydepartmentstreamlinetheirbusinessprocessestofurther

reducecoststhroughouttheenterprise.

Optimize Use of Capital Assets

OneofthemostpowerfulaspectsofAxisisitsproduction

schedulingcapabilities.Attribute-basedschedulingincreases

throughoutwhileminimizingsetupandscrap.Automaticjob/

lineup scheduling based on product and process characteristics

optimizescapacityutilizationwhilesavingsignificantpersonnel

timeandeffort.GroupTechnologyschedulingcapabilitieshelp

productionschedulersselectthebestresourcesforanygivenjob.

Efficiencyandutilizationreportinggivesmanagersclearvisibilityof

howassetsarebeingusedovertime.

7AXIS | CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN TODAY’S METALS INDUSTRY

Whenweneed‘moment-in-time’information,suchasquality,holds,shipping, and billing, we can pull the informationfromAxisERPinreal-time.Thesecapabilitieshelpusidentifyandactonstatistically-relevantinformation,ratherthanjustactingonawhim.

Eric Hiler PresidentStripco

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Morethan9,000customersaroundtheworldrelyonustogivethemacompetitiveedge.Byprovidinginnovative,industry-drivenenterpriseapplicationsoftware,Apteanhelpsbusinessestosatisfytheircustomers,operatemostefficiently,andstayattheforefrontoftheirindustry.

Formoreinformation,visit: www.aptean.com

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LEVERAGING INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY ThinkofAxisasyourmostvaluablemachine.Ithelpsaccelerate

andautomateeveryaspectofyourbusiness.Itprovidesan

infrastructureofcross-functionalcapabilitiesto:

Help Sales, Finance, and Production Work as One

Axis helps break down departmental barriers by operating as

asingleintegratedsystemonasingleconsolidatedbaseof

information.Itcompletelyeliminatestheneedforentering

informationtwiceorfiguringoutwhichversionis“thetruth.”

Customerordersareimmediatelyvisibletoproductionschedulers,

real-timeorderstatusisalwaysavailabletocustomerservice

personnel,changesinmaterialrequirementsarequickly

highlightedforpurchasing,andfinancialinformationisadirect

andaccuratereflectionofactualoperations.

Improve Productivity Throughout the Business

AxisERPhelpsstreamlinebusinessprocessesandreduceboththe

timeandefforttogetthingsdoneinvirtuallyeverydepartment

ofthecompany.Itautomatesmanyrepetitiveandcalculation-

intensive tasks people may be doing today either manually or

withun-integratedPC-basedtoolssuchasspreadsheets.It

integrates seamlessly with plant automation and data collection

systemstominimizedataentry.AndAxismakesitfareasierto

getnewemployeesproductivebyprovidingaclearframeworkof

informationandproceduresforperformingtheirjobs.

Improve Productivity Throughout the Business

Axis helps streamline business processes and reduce both the

timeandefforttogetthingsdoneinvirtuallyeverydepartment

ofthecompany.Itautomatesmanyrepetitiveandcalculation-

intensive tasks people may be doing today either manually or

withun-integratedPC-basedtoolssuchasspreadsheets.It

integrates seamlessly with plant automation and data collection

systemstominimizedataentry.AndAxismakesitfareasierto

getnewemployeesproductivebyprovidingaclearframeworkof

informationandproceduresforperformingtheirjobs.

Make Information Your Most Valuable Asset

Axiscanmakeinformationoneofyourmostpowerfulcompetitive

advantages.Itprovidespeopleacrosseveryfunctionwithready

accesstotheinformationtheyneedtomakebetterday-to-

daydecisionsandbetterservecustomers.Atthesametime,it

positionsyoutoactfasterwhennewopportunitiesariseandto

respondquickerwhenmarketconditionschange.Justasanew

machinecanincreasetheproductioncapacityofyourplant,the

informationprovidedbyAxiscanincreasethebusinesscapacity

ofyourentireorganization.Oneofthebenefitsmostoftenstated

byAxisusersisthattheyhavebeenabletomanagesignificant

increasesinsaleswithoutsignificantincreasesinstaff.