Sumitomo's Tubular Information
Management System Now Internet Enabled
The latest enhancement to SC’s Tubular Information Management
System (TIMS) is complete, and now operations sites can connect
to it via the Internet.
In March, SCOA’s Chad project and SC Europe’s Badentoy
Tubular Services became the first users of Sumitomo’s Internet-enabled
system called iTIMS.
TIMS, a custom-developed sales and inventory management system
focused on Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) products, was first
released by SCOA in 1995. Since then, the system has been expanded
to encompass the functionality required by a number of domestic
and international OCTG/SCM operations.
The TIMS system is based upon a client-server computing model.
The client-server configurations lead to many separately maintained
systems (one for each site).
The new iTIMS model is based upon a three-tier model with application
and database servers in the central site, so all that is required
in the remote site is a client PC with communications capability
via Internet, Intranet or LAN. Customers benefit from using iTIMS
and realize reduced systems net resources, higher quality systems
through improved hardware and software, and a more reliable product
all at a lesser cost, according to Rick Bowden, Manager, SC Global
Tubular Solutions (SCGTS) Information Services Group.
iTIMS incorporates a number of improvements in infrastructure components,
namely better hardware, reliability, presentation and easier maintenance.
It is an extension of the first component of an existing two-phase
information delivery system (iTIMS / TIMISIS) targeted to both the
internal operations and the external information sharing with selected
customers, vendors and suppliers. The TIMSIS (Tubular Information
Management System Information Store) is likewise accessible via
the Internet to selected customers and Sumitomo management.
SC Global Tubular Solutions (SCGTS) maintains both iTIMS and TIMSIS.
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