Foreword 4.indd - Tata Steel

service
A SURE thing
When Corus first implemented its Supplier Responsiveness (SURE) technology over fifteen years
ago, it was a breakthrough that gave customers online access to information about the progress
of their orders in the steel manufacturing process. The latest generation of the system, e-SURE,
gives customers access to a wider range of information through simple Internet technology.
The popularity of ‘screen sales’—which
allows customers to purchase despatchready
coil and sheet from a screen
sales module of the e-SURE system—
continues apace. Here we look at the
other benefits that the system provides
for customers.
Mike Mitchell, Senior Business Analyst,
outlines the current state of play:
“All customers of Corus Strip Products
UK and Corus Colors have access to
e-SURE, with over 1000 individual
identities already assigned. The take-up
has been fantastic, especially end-users
in the drum, radiator and tube sectors.
However, I’m sure that most customers
could benefit more than they do already
from the current system.”
“The great thing about e-SURE is
that different users can access the
same information by using a variety
of references such as customer order
number, contract number and part
number. We see e-SURE as a valueadded
service that differentiates us
from our competitors. That’s why we’ll
continue to concentrate on developing
the accuracy, speed of response and
ease-of-use of the system to benefit
our customers.”
Information 24/7
The key to the success of the orderprogress
system is 24-hour access to
the latest information 7 days a week.
Users can view their orders by product,
tonnes, order number, part number or
specification. The progress of orders in
the manufacturing route is updated every
night. The status of material in despatch
is updated every 10 minutes.
One long-standing customer that has
seen tremendous benefit from e-SURE is
Tyco Tubes, whose Commercial Manager,
Andrew Manlove, said, “When checking
the progress of material, we rely on
e-SURE more than our own system! It
gives us all the information we need from
the point of order right up to despatch
and we can access information on all
shifts, which in turn helps us plan our
own manufacturing.”
Present and past
Customers have a ‘real-time’ view of
the Corus despatch bay. A click of a
mouse shows not only which material
is pre-consigned, which is loaded
and which has been despatched, but
also the haulier and the lorry. Corus
plans to develop the system to include
an estimated time of arrival at the
customer’s site.
At the press of a button, customers may
also view details (such as chemistry) of
material despatched up to 12 months
previously.
Call-off
Those customers that have specific
‘Just-In-Time’ arrangements or those
with transit stock are able to access and
schedule their deliveries on a daily basis.
Concession answering
If a customer order is produced slightly
outside specification but within the
possible limits of usability, a prompt
appears on the ‘Welcome’ screen asking
whether the material is acceptable. As
a reminder to the customer, prompts
continue to appear until a decision
is made. The material can then be
either despatched or scheduled for remake.
Corus is looking to introduce a
regular prompt across different screens
to increase the visibility of these
exceptions.
Test results
When coils reach the despatch area, a
chemical analysis of the material and
a set of test results become available
online. If the order is not due for further
processing (such as slitting) before
8 Foreword