Zebra Technologies Corporation

(NASDAQ Global Select)
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Bullish +75

Apex Steel in Australia boosts delivery confidence with Zebra Technologies - Frontier Enterprise

AI-generated analysis

🏭 Apex Steel, a major Australian steel manufacturer with over 30 years of operation, digitized its warehouse and shop floor to replace an inaccurate legacy paper-based system.

πŸ”— The company upgraded its Warehouse Management System (WMS) to Produmex WMS, ensuring seamless connectivity with their existing SAP Business One infrastructure.

⚑ Order receiving time decreased from 60 minutes to 10 minutes using Zebra's MC9 series mobile computers, making the team six times faster.

πŸ“¦ The new workflow enables Apex Steel to commit to next-day delivery with 99% confidence by providing a single source of truth for inventory.

πŸ›‘οΈ Ultra-rugged barcode scanners validate every steel coil's color and gauge before cutting, preventing material waste and expensive rework on the shop floor.

πŸ–¨οΈ Zebra's industrial printers automate final labeling to ensure correct identification of finished packs, significantly reducing shipping errors.

⏱️ The durability of Zebra solutions is proven to last over a decade in harsh plant environments, reducing downtime and maintenance costs.

🌏 Joelle Booi, Zebra Technologies' country lead for Singapore, cited Apex Steel as a standout example of intelligent operations accelerating digital investments across APAC.

Bullish Signals
  • Apex Steel achieved a six-fold increase in order receiving speed, reducing the process from one hour to just 10 minutes.
  • The company can now commit to next-day delivery with 99% confidence due to accurate real-time inventory visibility.
  • Ultra-rugged barcode scanners prevent costly production errors by validating steel coil specifications before cutting begins.
  • Industrial printers automate final labeling, effectively eliminating shipping errors and ensuring correct product identification.
  • The deployment has significantly reduced downtime and maintenance costs thanks to the proven durability of Zebra solutions in harsh environments.
  • Apex Steel has resolved persistent operational pain points associated with legacy paper-based systems and inaccurate stock counts.
Full Analysis
Apex Steel, one of Australia's largest privately owned steel manufacturers with over a dozen sites, has successfully digitized its warehouse and shop floor operations by partnering with Zebra Technologies. The company replaced a legacy paper-based system that caused inaccurate stock counts and fulfillment delays with a modern solution featuring mobile computing, barcode scanning, and printing technologies to protect the customer experience. The core of the new deployment involves upgrading Apex Steel's warehouse management system (WMS) to Produmex WMS, which connects seamlessly to their existing SAP Business One system. This integration creates a single source of truth for inventory, allowing the company to validate every steel coil's color and gauge before cutting on the shop floor, thereby eliminating costly production errors and preventing material waste. The implementation has yielded significant operational improvements, with Nick Lachimea, Apex Steel's chief corporate officer, noting that order receiving time dropped from an hour to just 10 minutes using Zebra's MC9 series mobile computers. This efficiency gain allows the team to be six times faster and commit to next-day delivery with 99% confidence, while industrial printers automate final labeling to prevent shipping errors in a harsh plant environment. Zebra Technologies' country lead for Singapore, Joelle Booi, highlighted that Apex Steel serves as a clear example of intelligent operations within the APAC region. By resolving persistent operational pain points through a connected frontline, Apex Steel has gained a significant competitive advantage through improved efficiency and customer service, demonstrating how digital investments are accelerating across organizations in the sector.