'S-HERTOGENBOSCH, The Netherlands, January 9 /PRNewswire/ --

- ThyssenKrupp Steel AG Optimizes Steel Production

Germany's biggest steel producer, ThyssenKrupp Steel AG, has decided to
implement the Quintiq Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) solution to
optimize capacity utilization at its steel mills as well as its supply chain
procedures. The highly complex processes involved in steel production make
the planning and scheduling of the diverse stages of production - from iron
right up to slab manufacture - a major challenge. To keep the company viable
on the global market, all of the available resources need to be optimally
deployed at all times. The APS solution from Quintiq will help ThyssenKrupp
to analyze every step of its process chain and plan each individual stage of
production.

For some time, the central steel ordering division of ThyssenKrupp Steel
AG has been looking for a suitable software tool for optimizing the yield
efficiency of its slab production and improving delivery performance. The
main challenge for this steel scheduling would be to optimize the steel mill
selection process, which involves spreading production orders over six
continuous casters so that their capacities are optimally utilized. One way
of achieving this is by optimizing production parameters such as the duration
of production sequences and the casting width, as well as further reducing
the number of slabs in stock. Further improvements in delivery performance
should be achieved by increasing the number of on-schedule slabs and by
reducing the amount of orders shifted forward.

Building on the orders provided and consolidated by ThyssenKrupp's own
systems, the Quintiq APS solution provides an analysis of order backlogs and
draws up the initial rough sequencing. It sequences the continuous casters,
generating weekly plans and the final casting programs. The software also
performs an evaluation of ThyssenKrupp's key performance indicators (KPIs),
productivity and delivery compliance. This KPI analysis functionality
ascertains the quality of each sequence and the associated sequence planning
in real time.

"With a detailed Proof of Concept, Quintiq clearly demonstrated that
their flexible solution was perfectly geared to support our complex
requirements. The weekly plans contain all the in-depth information, down to
the final planning of sequences in continuous casting. The effects of
short-term changes in production - such as smelting more or less steel than
was planned during scheduling - are immediately reflected in the weekly
schedules at each facility," said Frank Vidic, Head of IT/SCM/Order
Processing at ThyssenKrupp Steel AG. "The system also visualizes the current
order backlog and evaluates the quality of our planning."

"Quintiq has already proven itself in the steel industry many times,
showing that it really knows the specifics and problems that can appear in
steel production and logistics. We're very proud to have won Germany's top
steel producer and a major global player in the steel industry as our
customer," said Dr. Victor Allis, CEO of Quintiq. "Every one of our industry
solutions is based on our extensive and detailed knowledge of the
mission-critical business processes, thus enabling sound planning and
targeted optimization in the desired areas."

ThyssenKrupp Steel started its implementation of the Quintiq Advanced
Planning & Scheduling solution in July 2007. The system is expected to go
live in the second quarter of 2008.

http://www.quintiq.com