Overview
Phoenix Global is a world leader in metals and mining services, delivering best-in-class solutions built on innovative technology, environmental intelligence, and workplace safety. With operations spanning North America, Europe, Asia, and South America, Phoenix Global is at the forefront of industry innovation, providing metal recovery, scrap processing, scrap management, and co-product processing services.
Customer Profile
Name: Phoenix Global
Location: Radnor, Philadelphia
Industry: Metals and Mining Services
20-25%
decrease in IT operating costs with a 10x increase in functionality
80%
reduction in process and tech debt leveraging SAP & Syntax best practice templates
Challenge
Phoenix Global faced significant challenges expanding internationally. Steady growth since 2006 eventually led to fragmented IT systems and data silos with limited visibility and KPI tracking, while reliance on manual processes and multiple systems caused inefficient maintenance planning, scheduling, and financial consolidation across 39 legal entities. The company’s existing ERP system, SAGE, was outdated and unable to support the company’s growth and roadmap, resulting in long timeframes for critical tasks like inventory management and financial closings.
Challenges included:
• Legacy systems relied on highly manual processes
• Rapid expansion required streamlined global operations
• Multiple systems and human touchpoints were necessary to manage key activities
• Critical tasks, such as maintenance planning and scheduling, were difficult to conduct efficiently
• Analytics-based insights were limited to retrospective (“rearview mirror”) perspectives
• A highly integrated ERP system was needed to improve productivity, cost management, revenue, and other metrics
“There are a lot of benefits that people underappreciate when it comes to the cloud, particularly public cloud. Our experience with SAP has been fantastic so far – and the Syntax team has been great. We’re planning to partner with them for the rest of this deployment.”
Jeff Suellentrop
IT Director, Phoenix Global
Approach + Solution
To address these challenges, Phoenix Global partnered with Syntax to implement SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud Edition. SAP’s wide adoption by the metals and mining sector was a decisive factor in the choice of platform. Phoenix Global chose Syntax for deep industry expertise, tailored process solutions, and proven best practices.
This project,Data Connect, aimed to create a digitally enabled ecosystem for real-time activity-based management, streamlining processes and delivering better service to customers.
Phoenix Global chose SAP and Syntax because of their formidable reputation in the market, particularly in the steel industry. The established best practices offered by SAP were crucial in minimizing implementation time, while Syntax’s extensive expertise in the steel industry complemented and enhanced SAP’s solutions. The agile approach to implementation and the strong cultural fit between Syntax and Phoenix Global further solidified the partnership.
- Conducted a digital discovery to understand Phoenix Global’s operations
- Adopted 100% best practices from the SAP Public Cloud
- Introduced ancillary solutions for customer experience, such as SAP Analytics Cloud and future roadmaps for Business Technology Platform and Data Sphere
- Implemented GROW with SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition for Data Connect initiative
- Aimed to enhance customer service and streamline operations
- Robust change management approach to ensure stakeholder buy-in
Results
Phoenix Global’s Data Connect project, in partnership with Syntax, has successfully transitioned the company to a modern, cloud-based ERP system. This transformation has streamlined processes, enhanced real-time analytics, and improved service delivery, positioning Phoenix Global for continued growth and innovation in the metals and mining industry.
- SAP public cloud best practices enabled quicker and more costeffective go live
- Created a global template of uniform processes, saving millions on labor and inventory
Benefits
• Consolidation and integration of systems, eliminating various paper processes
• Cloud-based system enabling intuitive mobile interfaces
• Real-time activity-based management for faster client service delivery
• Positioned to drive double-digit improvements in productivity
• Faster data-to-insight conversion for informed decision-making
• Integrated data streams provide timely insights for equipment and demand management
• Predictive maintenance reduces downtime and manual inspections
• Automated finance processes save time, eliminate errors, and optimize decisions
