Above: Invex is cloud-based and features a specialized e-commerce platform tailored to service centers.
April, 2025- In hindsight, it seems surprising that a service center with 11 Midwest locations would rely on an ERP system that was developed over time in house. To rectify this, in 2021 the IT staff at Heidtman Steel began a formal review of ERP providers. “We needed to get away from our homegrown system. We replaced it with one that was adaptable to new technologies and had an MRP system built in,” recalls Greg Pisanti, enterprise applications manager for Heidtman Steel.
After capabilities demonstrations by three vendors, and due diligence by Heidtman Steel, Dallas-based Invera was selected to provide its Stratix technology. “The way that Invera is structured to the processing industry shortened the runway to one architecture— theirs. With Invera, there was less configuration, less integration needed to save time and development costs and get us to launch,” notes Ben Hutchisson, Heidtman Steel’s director of IT.
SERVING SERVICE CENTERS
Invera was founded in 1979, initially providing technology for companies that specialized in product distribution. In its early days, the company was approached by a metals service center “which could not use a traditional part number-based software, due to the range of thicknesses and dimensions commonly encountered in the metal industry. It was during this project that we created the attribute-based product coding that we are known for even to this day,” explains Invera President Ray Vasson.
In late 2022, Stratix was installed across Heidtman’s enterprise. Meanwhile, Invera was working on the fourth generation of its ERP technology, Invex—a cloud-based product featuring a specialized e-commerce platform tailored to service centers. Invex launched in 2023 and Heidtman Steel mapped out a process to upgrade its locations to this next generation technology. “About 75 percent of all our locations are running with Invex. We continue to transition our locations and expect to complete implementation at all locations by year end,” reports Hutchisson.
Unique functionality was built into the Invex software, addressing the details for a wide range of product forms, including sheet.
With the new Invex ERP system, Heidtman Steel now captures data on the operations for each machine, like this slitter.
Invex can handle multiple types of metal service centers, whether they are general line, flat-rolled, specialty metals, pipe and tube, toll processors, tube mills or rolling mills, according to Vasson. “We built unique functionality into the Invex software for each of these product lines. This includes a powerful set of application programming interfaces (APIs) to allow metal companies to quickly integrate third-party software or plant equipment with the Invex platform,” he says.
OUT OF DATE
Invera technologies have been implemented at more than 700 metal sites around the world. This market penetration gives the Invera team unique insights into the industry and its technology needs.
“We see a number of challenges from the companies that contact us. In some cases, companies are operating on systems with legacy technologies that are at, or nearing, their end of life,” Vasson says. In other cases, the legacy system dates to when a company had “simpler” operations but now have progressed to increased complexity with value-add services that the legacy system is not able to accommodate. “In most cases, a customer’s growth becomes constrained because their ERP system’s performance cannot meet their increased demands,” he says. Such was the case with Heidtman Steel.
Material handling is now integrated into inventory and warehouse reports in the Invex software.
With Invex, Heidtman Steel was able to standardize operations around the tool. “We were also able to remove the local oddities in the company’s financials and equipment data. That standardization is critical to the predictability process. Invex is a very good tool,” asserts Hutchisson.
With this predictability, for example, the Heidtman Steel team can view order history over time and forecast demand for an industry segment, a specific material, or a customer. “Now we have insights into what sales targets are out there—ripe for picking by the month, the industry, or customer,” notes Hutchisson.
“Heidtman Steel was phenomenal at leveraging the existing Invex APIs to help extend and optimize their warehouse operations, for example,” Vasson says. “This allowed Heidtman Steel to quickly integrate custom applications, third-party applications, and plant equipment with the Invex platform.”
The APIs allow Heidtman Steel to add several optimizations including production scheduling, measurement capture, surface inspection information, and integration with PLCs. For shipping, Heidtman Steel enlists the Invex APIs to integrate with their transportation management systems.
FIELD DAY
A key aspect of Invex is the ability to personalize and extend the use of the software. This includes allowing customers to create user-defined fields and adding these fields to the grids and screens. “Virtually every customer is now looking for a system that can be extended and personalized to meet unique business requirements, without having to deploy millions of dollars of upfront capital to create metal-specific functionality,” explains Vasson.
“Customers also want to integrate Invex with their own external software systems or plant equipment,” he adds. Invex includes over 50 APIs to integrate with external software to help service centers perform simpler tasks.
EXECUTION ASSISTANCE
“Invera has given us quite a bit of support,” shares Pisanti. “They were a strong partner in the success of our Invex rollout, giving us advice along the way. We have leaned into their expertise to help execute the Invex deployments,” adds Hutchisson.
For service centers faced with a pending ERP upgrade, Hutchisson advises a close look at the support that comes with the software. “In an ERP provider, I look for three things: capabilities, partnership, and then price—which is a distant third,” he explains. Heidtman Steel found all three criteria in Invera. “What we appreciate most about Invera is their customer support,” Hutchisson adds.
A video-based, interactive training system allows for proactive, self-paced, zero-risk training for Invex users. “Employees can repeat sections of the training without any fear of embarrassment,” notes Hutchisson. When it came time to roll out the software, “Invera stayed with us every single night during the early implementation,” he recalls. “They provided not just technical support, but also emotional support,” he adds.
E-COMMERCE
The Heidtman Steel team now is focused on setting up an e-commerce component. “It’s coming. Being able to offer customers the opportunity to request a repeat order of steel at 11 o’clock at night from their home is critical to the customer service side of our business,” says Hutchisson.
The timing couldn’t be better. Invera’s newest e-commerce portal, available on Invex, was built “from scratch, integrating a new design that’s easy for customers to use,” notes Vasson.
He explains that having an out-of-the-box, integrated e-commerce eliminates the need for a service center to build its own platform or purchase—and heavily customize—a thirdparty product to connect to its ERP.
“In terms of e-commerce features, service centers are looking to create an effortless purchasing and self-service experience for their customers that is integrated in real-time to their ERP system,” reports Vasson.
“Every industry has to move forward in terms of technology and innovation. We believe ecommerce is where the industry is going in the next three-to-five years. Its how service centers can stay ahead,” notes Vasson.
He also sees AI entering the picture. “Integration with artificial intelligence models will be a critical element in the software space soon. Although the business application AI toolset is still in its infancy, Invera’s technology and data sciences teams are developing an AI-integrated code base that will result in AI features throughout Invex that will be released throughout the years ahead,” says Vasson.
Heidtman Steel, 800/521-9531, http://www.heidtman.com/
Invera, 610/721-5504, http://www.invera.com/
