It’s 2020, Industry 4.0 is in full swing and every manufacturing firm is looking for the chance to enhance their business and processes. Thyssenkrupp Materials France (TKMF), a French specialist in steel and non-ferrous metals, was looking for a quick solution to its management process woes at the start of this new decade. Naturally, it magnetized towards Axelor for its reputation of speedy installations, low-code ERP software and relatively cheap costs – especially when compared to traditional solutions.
Axelor’s process overhauls and provided ability to adapt to whatever future issue may arise have helped sustain TKMF’s over 600 employees in these times of technological upheaval and industrial change.
Scalability to match production
To fully utilize the wave of Industry 4.0, a top-to-bottom process upgrade is a necessity. Knowing this, Axelor’s influence extended to the production floor. Production floor workers now work with Zebra Android handhelds to run production and warehouse processes.
The new addition of handheld devices removed the need for operators to physically communicate back-and-forth with terminals, instead relegating everything they needed to do via the Zebra handheld and web app.
The other new modules Axelor supplied helped TKMF with inventory management, purchasing, sales, production and accounting and finance. The software even allowed RIB (IBAN) validation on financial documentation, removing the need for manual confirmation.
Put simply, Axelor’s low-code architecture allowed what would typically be tech-novices to develop new web solutions.
No need to pause production
Axelor was deployed by TKMF in 2020, with the metallurgists looking for a solution that could be implemented and used in less than 12 months. Axelor’s success can be found in their own expansion within TKMF as its ERP now equips three of TKMF’s business units.
The software was implemented in a speedy six months, a record time when compared to the market average of two years. The speed and hasty adoption of the new systems and processes meant the production line didn’t need to be stopped.
The story doesn’t end there, either. A year later, TKMF returned to Axelor and its partner Teklynx, experts in labelling solutions software. The company needed a labeling solution that would be directly linked to the ERP, allowing for more technological harmony. Through use of a connector, developed both by Axelor and Teklynx, employees can access the software that drives the printer and print labels for shipping cut materials directly from the warehouse.
Agility and adaptability are the name of the game when it comes to ERP success, and Axelor managed to work closely with Teklynx to create something new altogether. This solution was so successful that TKMF extended the use of this combined software to print all its documents.
With Axelor’s overall collaboration, TKMF has managed to overhaul its management processes and warehouse production. A proactive approach to technological innovation has also ensured increased efficiency across the majority of TKMF’s business practices.
Pierre-Dominique Genty, IT director at TKMF, reflected on the partnership with Axelor: “We would definitely recommend Axelor. The low code technology allowed them to be very reactive and to respond quickly and appropriately to our new requests. We were able to witness the deployment of the solution in a few months and thus stay within the deadlines set by the management for this project.”
