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Real Impact from Real Mills: How Leading Producers Transformed Operations with IOM
Every steel mill faces distinct challenges, whether launching greenfield operations, expanding capacity, ensuring compliance, or modernizing fragmented systems. Explore how IOM delivered measurable business impact across diverse scenarios. Download detailed case studies for technical depth and stakeholder insights.
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Day One: The Critical Moment
The Setup
Launch day. 1,700 employees. Billions in equipment. Multiple software systems going live simultaneously (Level 2, Level 3, Level 4).
To manage the chaos, Shift's team set up a "war room" in the BRS cafeteria. Real purchase orders were processed live. Developers were present to make on-the-fly fixes. Every single IOM transaction worked.
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"Ironically, of the four software platforms, IOM was the only one that worked flawlessly from Day One. The others all had issues. IOM has been running since the moment we turned it on."
Marc Orvis - Director of Quality Assurance and Technical Service, Big River Steel
- Operations & Sales Impact
- Quality & Compliance Impact
- IT & Finance Impact
- Employee & Organizational Impact
- Evolution & Future Roadmap
Operations & Sales Impact
Order Acknowledgment Time
- Before: 2 weeks (industry standard) — customers waiting for confirmation
- After: <1 day (often <1 hour) — competitive advantage in lead-time responsiveness
- Improvement: 96% faster
- Business Impact: Faster customer response = higher win rates + more customer satisfaction + competitive positioning
Production Planning Speed
- Improvement: Up to 30% faster scheduling
- Benefit: Better utilization of expensive mill equipment | Less downtime | Higher throughput
Order Accuracy
- Reduction: Up to 40% fewer order errors
- Benefit: Fewer production rework cycles | Less material waste | Higher margins on every coil
Quality & Compliance Impact
- Before: 3–4 weeks of data gathering for IATF/VDA audits
- After: <1 week (data centralized in IOM)
- Improvement: 50% reduction in audit burden
Why?
Purchase orders, invoices, credit/debit memos, shipping documentation, MTRs, certifications—all in IOM. Auditors have 100% visibility without silo-hopping.
Certification Maintenance
- IATF Compliance: North American automotive supply requirement — maintained effortlessly
- VDA Compliance: European automotive requirement — supported
- Regulatory Risk: Near-zero exposure
IT & Finance Impact
- Avoided: $50M–$100M+ typical ERP implementation
- Actual IOM investment: "Very competitively priced" (Mark Orvis)
- Savings: $30M–$80M in capital avoided
Operational Control:
- Source code ownership: BRS's IT team can modify IOM independently
- Zero vendor lock-in: Future flexibility assured
- Strategic advantage: System evolves with business, not constrained by vendor roadmap
Employee & Organizational Impact
- Training time: 60% faster than typical ERPs
- Operational readiness: Most new hires productive within 2 weeks
- User feedback: "Learning IOM is probably the easiest part of the job for new employees"
Experience Improvement
- Reduced frustration: Single source of truth reduces coordination burden
- Job satisfaction: Employees aren't fighting system limitations
- Retention: Low turnover among power users
Evolution & Future Roadmap
- Big River Steel scaled from 1.5M to 3.5M tons annually—IOM scaled seamlessly
- Zero redesign required | Zero downtime | Full audit trail maintained
- Internal BRS IT team now makes optimizations independently
- Relationship with Shift remains active and collaborative
- AI-assisted purchase order reading (similar to receipt scanning apps)
- Potential to reduce order entry team from 15 people to 4–5
- Elimination of data entry errors ("typo 1.0 vs. 0.1")
Key Takeaway from BRS
IOM didn't just work on Day One. It became the operational backbone that enabled a $3B investment to generate ROI immediately. Flexibility, speed, and partnership made the difference.
- Lesson 1: Define Your Process Clearly
- Lesson 2: Choose a Partner You Trust
- Lesson 3: Process First, Software Second
Define Your Process Clearly (Before Development Starts)
Guidance
Spend time upfront defining *exactly* how you want to run your business—order workflows, approval sequences, quality checkpoints, financial controls. Don't assume the software will figure it out.
Big River Steel's Experience
"We weren't super clear on process at the start. Shift helped us define it. That clarity prevented major rework later."
Implication
IOM's Phase 1 (Discovery & Audit) is not a cost—it's an insurance policy against costly mid-project pivots.
Choose a Partner You Trust (You'll Be Married for Years)
Guidance
This isn't a transactional software purchase. This is a multi-year partnership. Choose a vendor you're comfortable with, that communicates clearly, and that responds when you need them—even on Saturday afternoon.
Big River Steel's Criterion
"Can they respond when we have a production emergency? Are they available? Do we have direct access to senior people?"
Implication
Evaluate vendors not just on features, but on partnership quality, accessibility, and responsiveness.
Process First, Software Second (Never Reverse It)
Guidance
Your software should enable *your* operational logic, not force you into *its* logic. Define how you want to run your business. Then build/configure software that supports that.
Mark Orvis's Core Philosophy
"Software can't dictate how you run your business. It should be the other way around. You decide how you want to manage your enterprise. Then you build the software to support that process."
Implication
Avoid ERPs that force process adaptation. Choose flexibility.
