Apex Steel boosts delivery confidence to 99% with Zebra Technologies

Apex Steel, one of Australia’s largest privately-owned steel manufacturers, has digitised its warehouse and shop floor operations with mobile computing, barcode scanning and printing solutions from Zebra Technologies. 

For more than 30 years, Apex Steel has built its reputation on service and reliability across its national network of more than a dozen sites. The company provides a wide range of steel products to various industries, differentiating itself through superior customer service and dependable delivery. 

Facing challenges from a legacy paper-based system that led to inaccurate stock counts and fulfilment delays, Apex Steel turned to Zebra to protect the customer experience that sets it apart.

To modernise its operations, Apex Steel deployed a solution including  Zebra’s MC9 series ultra-rugged mobile computers,  ZT400 series industrial printers, and  DS3600 series ultra-rugged barcode scanners. The project was executed in partnership with Zebra registered reseller and independent software vendor, LogiQ-On Technology, who managed the successful integration of the new solution. As part of the deployment, Apex Steel’s warehouse management system (WMS) was upgraded to Produmex WMS, which connects seamlessly to the company’s existing SAP Business One (B1) system. 

“In the steel industry, differentiation comes from service, not the product. We needed to deliver on our promises with absolute certainty,” said Nick Lachimea, Chief Corporate Officer, Apex Steel. 

“Receiving orders could take up to an hour. With Zebra’s MC9 series mobile computers, it now takes 10 minutes, making our team six times faster. We can tell a customer immediately if we have an item in stock and commit to next-day delivery with 99% confidence."

This new workflow provides a single source of truth for inventory. On the shop floor, the solution eliminates costly production errors - Zebra's ultra-rugged barcode scanners validate every steel coil’s colour and gauge before cutting, which prevents material waste and expensive rework. 

To complete the process, Zebra’s industrial printers automate the final labelling stage, ensuring every finished pack is correctly identified to prevent shipping errors. The durability of these solutions, proven to last over a decade in a harsh plant environment, has also significantly reduced downtime and maintenance costs, contributing to overall efficiency.

“Across APAC, organisations are accelerating digital investments to build smarter, more agile operations. Apex Steel stands out as a clear example of intelligent operations in action,” said Joelle Booi, Country Lead for Singapore, Zebra Technologies.

“Through a more connected frontline powered by Zebra’s solutions, they’ve resolved persistent operational pain points while gaining a significant competitive advantage through improved efficiency and customer service.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fortinet enhances FortiRecon to align with CTEM framework

Fortinet, the global cybersecurity provider driving the convergence of networking and security, has turned the FortiRecon platform into a comprehensive solution aligned with the continuous threat exposure management (CTEM) framework. The latest release introduces expanded internal attack surface monitoring, adversary-centric dark web intelligence, and security orchestration, all in a unified platform. These enhancements help organisations proactively identify and prioritise real-world exposures, validate risks like an attacker would, and accelerate response. “CISOs and security teams are overwhelmed by growing attack surfaces and an endless stream of unprioritised alerts,” said Nirav Shah, Senior VP of Products and Solutions at Fortinet. “With the latest enhancements to FortiRecon , we’re giving organisations an attacker’s eye view of their internal and external exposures, backed by AI-powered threat intelligence from FortiGuard Labs, real-world validation, and automated response...
Read more

SentinelOne recognised as a 2025 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for XDR

SentinelOne, a global provider of AI-powered security, has been named a Customers’ Choice in the 2025 Gartner Peer Insights ‘Voice of the Customer’ for Extended Detection and Response (XDR) report* – one of only two companies with this distinction. A hundred and forty-four users reviewed SentinelOne's Singularity Platform, and 97% said they would recommend the solution to respond to threats across endpoints with AI-powered security, while 97% rated the solution four stars or better.** “With the growing complexity of cyberthreats, organisations need more than siloed security—they need AI-powered, autonomous protection that delivers real-time detection and response across their entire attack surface. Customers have made it clear that SentinelOne’s XDR provides the intelligence, automation, and efficiency they need to stay ahead of threats and secure their environments with confidence,” said Ely Kahn, VP, Product Management, SentinelOne. Gartner defines extended detection and ...
Read more

AWS: AI adoption grows 20% in Singapore

Image
Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com company, has found* that AI adoption continues to accelerate in Singapore. In the past year alone, 27,000 1 Singapore businesses adopted AI for the first time—equivalent to over three new adopters every hour. In sum, nearly 170,000 (48%) of businesses in Singapore have adopted AI 2 , up from approximately 143,000 (40%) a year ago. This represents a 20% year-over-year growth rate, AWS said. AI adoption is the strongest in the financial services industry (71%), followed by the technology sector ( software developers, data analytics firms, cloud service providers, and digital startups) at 70%, and healthcare at 63%. Among Singapore’s businesses that have adopted AI, 82% reported an increase in revenue, at an average increase of 19%, while 90% report significant productivity improvements. A large majority (85%) of those who have adopted AI say the technology is likely to increase their growth in the next year, and 89% expect an average of 17%...
Read more