Nucor Steel Decatur streamlines business with Oracle
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Nucor Steel Decatur says that using Oracle BPEL (business process execution language) Process Manager – part of Oracle Fusion Middleware – is enabling it to streamline invoice processing and automate help-desk processes across different applications.
America’s largest recycler and a leading manufacturer of carbon and alloy steel products, Nucor Steel Decatur wanted to improve business agility and customer service by automating repeatable processes.
Using Oracle BPEL Process Manager, the company says it has successfully integrated its IFS Applications ERP with Microsoft’s Great Plains Financials. The system uses Web services, in a SOA (services orientated architecture) environment, to send XML-based vouchers from IFS to Great Plains.
Once the vouchers are transmitted, the business application automatically generates an invoice. Bert Wilkes, IT supervisor at Nucor Steel Decatur, says that the automated process has improved customer service and streamlined the ‘order to cash’ cycle.
“As a result of our diverse IT environment, performance, scalability and interoperability were of paramount importance,” says Wilkes. “Oracle Fusion Middleware’s BPEL Process Manager met these requirements and serves as the backbone for our enterprise-wide SOA by integrating more than seven various applications and processes.”
For example, it also makes it easier for users to submit and track the status of help desk tickets. During this phase of the project, Nucor Steel Decatur used its SOA to generate business process flows, via Oracle BPEL Process Manager, that connect its Microsoft SharePoint Portal with IFS Applications.
The automated process now allows users to submit a help desk ticket request and receive a confirmation receipt along with a help desk ticket number. The process that previously took hours, now takes seconds. Additionally, Wilkes says that the SOA-based process requires less intervention from the IT team.
