Haynes Wire Company Earns 2007 Summit Award at Consona Customer Conference

Company Uses AXIOM® ERP to Increase On-time Delivery from 44 Percent to 95 Percent; Wins Transformation Award

ORLANDO, INDIANAPOLIS and Mountain Home, N.C., Oct. 16, 2007—Consona Corporation (Consona), a worldwide leader in providing customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and services for the enterprise, announced at its premier customer conference, Consona Connect, that Haynes Wire Company (Haynes Wire), a Mountain Home, N.C.-based AXIS customer, producer of stainless-steel medical wire and nickel- and cobalt-based wire for structural and welding applications, and subsidiary of Haynes International Inc., is the 2007 recipient of the software provider’s Transformation Award.

The Transformation Award, part of Consona’s annual Summit Awards, honors a customer that has been able to either reinvent its business or achieve a strong return on investment in a relatively short period of time. Recipients of the award submit both qualitative and quantitative data that illustrate how the solution has impacted the customer’s business model or overall business performance. Award recipients display significant business improvements and changes, such as unprecedented customer satisfaction levels, the introduction of new products and services, or increased sales.

Haynes Wire’s growing and expanding business was becoming increasingly hindered by its homegrown business system. One of the biggest concerns with the incumbent system was a lack of information on per-order costs. On top of that, order setup was cumbersome and had to be redone for each new order. In addition, the legacy system’s minimal reporting and tracking capabilities and nonexistent routing history left the company with little in the way of information tools to run the business.

“The business was well managed,” said Haynes International vice president and CIO Jeffrey Young, “but most of the information was only available in the aggregate. We really didn’t know how costs applied to specific processes or orders.” To address these issues, a team was formed to select and implement a packaged and supported ERP system suited for the needs of a wire producer. That team quickly settled on AXIOM ERP from AXIS. According to Young, not only did the AXIS sales and support team truly understand the wire business, but the AXIOM software fit Haynes Wire’s unique functionality requirements.

Haynes Wire implemented the system with very little modification—another key purchase requirement—one month ahead of schedule and under budget. In the year that followed, the company saw the following returns:

• On-time delivery increased from 44 percent to 95 percent.
• Knowledge of costs, profitability, and production schedules were significantly enhanced.
• Administration cost savings were achieved, thanks to more efficient order entry and better data access.
• Generated over 2 million pounds of nickel based, cobalt based, and stainless steel wire products annually.

“AXIOM ERP provides detailed information throughout the [manufacturing] process that has been utilized by management to make better business decisions,” said Young. “This has resulted in increased business and higher profitability.”

“We are thrilled to honor Haynes Wire with a Summit Award for some absolutely tremendous achievements," said Jeff Tognoni, CEO of Consona. "Haynes Wire sets a standard for the commitment it takes to gain maximum return on a business system investment. The growth and success this company has achieved with our support reminds all of us at Consona why we're in business."

About Consona Corporation
Consona Corporation (Consona, formerly known as M2M Holdings Inc.) is a worldwide leader in providing customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and services for the enterprise. Consona is dedicated to becoming a valued business partner by helping each and every customer continuously improve business processes over time. Toward this mission, Consona invests in the people, processes, technology and tools needed to provide its customers with a unique combination of customer care; product fit; a broad range of consulting, IT and business services; and industry expertise. Consona serves more than 4,500 customers worldwide and across a variety of industries, including manufacturing, distribution, financial services, health care, high tech, and local government. Battery Ventures and Thoma Cressey Bravo jointly own Consona. For further information, visit www.consona.com, e-mail info@consona.com, or call (888) 8 CONSONA.

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