FAQ

You! Developed exclusively for the metals industry over the past 40 years, SM3 is a fully integrated ERP system designed to support the unique operational, financial, and processing demands of today’s metal service centers.

SM3 is highly automated and helps you streamline operations, reduce errors, improve customer satisfaction, and uncover new profit opportunities, all while giving your team the tools they need to work faster and smarter, is highly automated and helps you streamline operations, reduce errors, improve customer satisfaction, and uncover new profit opportunities, all while giving your team the tools they need to work faster and smarter.

Inventory Management

• Total control over inventory, including remnants
• Full traceability of material from receipt to shipment
• Barcode scanning for accurate tracking and movement
• Support for all units of measure (lbs/kg, ft/m, pieces, etc.)
• Automated MTR (Mill Test Report) delivery
• Ability to attach images of drops, materials, or parts to inventory records
• Streamlined physical inventory count, including cycle counts

Sales & Quoting

• Fast quote and order creation
• Sophisticated price book system
• Support for stock, custom, and configured products
• Preview, email, and convert quotes with one click
• Seamless customer communications through automated document delivery
• Integrated Customer Portal for self-service access to quotes, orders, proof of deliveries, invoices, Mill Test Certifications
• Shipping Manifest system for accurate and timely deliveries

Production & Processing

• Advanced scheduling tools for inside and outside processing
• Integrated linear nesting
• Plate nesting integration with SigmaNEST and Pronest
• Full costing of labor and processing for margin visibility

Accounting & Automation

• Fully integrated accounting module
• Over 350 pre-built reports and custom reporting capabilities
• Management dashboards for real-time KPIs
• Task Manager for internal communication and workflow tracking
• EDI functionality
• Remote access via your web browser

SM3 is trusted by companies across North America and internationally. Our customer base ranges from 5 to over 600 concurrent users. Regardless of the size of your operation, all customers receive the same release of our software and same level of dedicated support.

Absolutely! We have many larger customers, some exceeding 1000 employees, with dozens of stocking locations and any number of value-added inhouse and outside processes.

Whether you are a general line metal service center or focus on bar, tube, plate, flat-rolled, structural, specialty steel or architectural metals, SM3 adapts to your products, workflows, and business rules.

SM3 is deployed in the Cloud, with the option to self-host on-premises. Our Cloud Server Program provides a secure and scalable hosting environment without the capital and maintenance costs of physical infrastructure.

Benefits to our Cloud program include:

1. Eliminates capital expense for a new server
2. Low monthly fee
3. Secure and reliable
4. Scalable performance (RAM, CPU, storage)
5. Nightly backups of SM3
6. Optional hosting and nightly backup of your MTRs, PODs, etc.

The SM3 implementation includes:

• Onsite business assessments to review workflows and align them with SM3
• Data conversion from your legacy system, including cleansing, mapping, and validation
• System setup & customization for company-specific processes and integrations
• Onsite and online training for staff
• Trial “go-live” with real data to refine workflows
• Go-live & support with onsite assistance and ongoing help

We provide onsite and remote training, with support available by email or phone, 24/7 emergency support by phone as well as an extensive online knowledge base.

Yes, SM3 can integrate with 3rd party systems, such as Kasto ASRS, Toyota ASRS, Pronest, Sigmanest, Romac linear nesting, Headlight and various CRMs.

SM3 is continuously being updated and improved to ensure our customers have industry-leading software to run their business. On average, we release updates several times per year.

Besides having all the functionality a metal service center requires, what really sets SM3 apart are two factors: 

1. The degree of automation built into SM3, eliminating manual tasks. We developed SM3 so it works for you instead of you working for it.
2. Our Implementors come from the metals industry, having spent many years sitting in your chair, so they know metal! They are also experts in SM3, so you get the best of both worlds.  

Our subscription pricing model significantly reduces the upfront cost typically associated with ERP systems and replaces it with a predictable and affordable monthly fee. Our pricing is fully transparent, with no hidden charges or surprise fees. Licenses are issued on a concurrent-user basis. Additional licenses can be purchased individually, with installation available as soon as the next business day.

The best way to evaluate SM3 is through a 2-hour live online demo, where we’ll walk you through each core area of the system. We use Microsoft Teams, where you’ll see first-hand the automation, efficiency, and real-time insight SM3 will bring to your business. We are also pleased to travel to your offices for a more in-depth demo.

Our platform is hosted on our private Cloud infrastructure and runs on Linux servers with Oracle as the database. All communication is encrypted using HTTPS and server access is restricted through SSH. Within SM3, administrators can control user access levels to ensure that only authorized individuals can view or manage specific data.

Yes, SM3 can handle any value-added process, and capture the associated costs at both the quote and sales order level. All orders that require processing automatically get added to the Production Schedule where the manager can schedule jobs based on required dates, raw material etc. There is full visibility for sales staff to see the status of the order.

100%. Most of our customers are fully integrated with barcoding. Handheld scanners can be used to receive material, change bin location, pick material (eliminating the possibility for the wrong product to be picked), cut stock, load trucks, fast and accurate physical counts. 

SM3 has over 350 standard reports created specifically for metal service centers over the years. We also offer Sales Manager, Salesperson and Production Scheduling dashboards, giving you a graphical representation of KPIs.

The SM3 Oracle database allows data mining of any field within SM3 to create your own customer reports using third-party reporting tools such as Crystal Reports, Power BI, Excel, etc. 

Yes. This is one of many the strengths of SM3. All modules are linked in real-time.

SM3 offers migration for critical data such as customers, vendors, accounts payable, accounts receivable, products, inventory, chart of accounts, quote history, sales history and purchase history.

4GL Solutions is part of the Jonas Software Group. Jonas Software is a leading acquirer of mission-critical vertical market software companies with over 20+ years of experience providing businesses with the tools and network to grow into successful companies.

Jonas owns software companies in 40+ vertical markets, with 185 companies in 30 countries, all the way from software for cattle auctions to steel distribution, and everything in-between.  The Jonas Software motto is “Software for Life”. They have never sold a software company they acquired, instead provide the knowledge and resources to allow companies to perform at the highest level.