ADS SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT ASP APPLICATION IMPLEMENTED BY CANADIAN
PACIFIC RAILWAY TO MANAGE METALS LOGISTICS SERVICES
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To provide unprecedented service to its customers, the Canadian Pacific Railway had to integrate information
flow with material flow. They chose ADS' LoMaS® as the way supply chain partners exchange information.

Homewood, IL - Alternative Distribution Systems, Inc. (ADS) knew their logistics management system, LoMaS® could be the critical control link in the Canadian Pacific Railway's (CPR) process.  The LoMaS® ASP application is a tool that manages all the information metals products players must know, creating a "glass pipeline" to information.

"In the steel industry, there are many components in getting the raw materials from the steel manufacturer to the customer, or OEM," explained ADS' Gordon D. Gustafson, vice president, Integrated Solutions, and a key player in LoMaS® development.  "From the producer to the outside processor to the consumer, a great deal of coordination takes place - coordination that must be based on accurate and up-to-the-minute information."

"When CPR made a decision to become an industry leader in the transportation of steel by rail, we realized that we needed to provide our customers with top-of-the-line equipment, handling and storage facilities, and reasonable rates and a level of service unprecedented in the industry," stated CPR's Peter Lanyi, manager of facilities and project manager for the LoMaS® integration within the Hamilton site.

"In order to provide this service, we knew we had to integrate ourselves not only in the movement of goods, but in the exchange of information, as well," said Mr. Lanyi. "It's all part of a mindset that took root with the telegraph - before we lift a pound of freight we move the information everyone needs, to ensure the actual transportation and positioning of the goods happens flawlessly and on-target."

The LoMaS®, ASP application suite takes the disjointed manual processes and data collection components throughout the supply chain and pulls them together, providing visibility of this information via a "glass pipeline".  All members of the supply chain have real-time access to the information necessary for streamlined and efficient productivity.

Lanyi explained that, after meeting with several logistics providers, ADS' LoMaS® was the only system dedicated solely to supply chain management of steel shipments - a factor critical in meeting the needs of the railway and the steel industry.  Furthermore, Lanyi added, the level of support offered by ADS allowed for the development of customized applications required to meet the time-sensitive needs of the marketplace.

Gustafson explained that LoMaS® was first developed as an internal logistics tool to manage and coordinate materials flowing through the ADS subsidiaries.  "While many other companies offer 'vapor ware', or great ideas without the system in place, LoMaS® has been working for ADS since 1997 and has proven itself time and again," concluded Gustafson.  "Though LoMaS® is relatively new to the marketplace, we're confident that it will quickly become the tool of choice when it comes to communication of critical information."

Alternative Distribution Systems, Inc. (ADS) is a national provider of integrated solutions, including distribution and logistics services to the metals producing and consuming industries: www.adslogistics.com.

For more information about ADS and LoMaS®, contact Dawn Thrasher, Director - Communications and Public Relations, Alternative Distribution Systems, Inc. (708) 922-2024, dthrasher@adslogistics.com.