TW Metals streamlines document workflows with Interform
Enabling flexible, compliant and scalable output management for a global metals supplier
Customer Overview
TW Metals is a global distributor and processor of specialty metals, supplying highly regulated industries such as aerospace, space, nuclear, and pharmaceuticals. Operating across Europe and Asia, the company delivers high-performance materials alongside value-added services including cutting and processing.
In markets where accuracy and traceability are critical, documentation plays a vital role. TW Metals manages these requirements through a long-established, custom-built ERP system that forms the backbone of its operational and compliance processes. Alongside this, a significant volume of outputs are generated by internal applications running across multiple platforms, producing text- and XML-based data used throughout the organisation.
The Challenge
TW Metals had relied for many years on a legacy output management solution to generate documents and labels from its core ERP environment. While the system fulfilled basic requirements, it became increasingly restrictive when the vendor withdrew key licensing support and enforced a move to a subscription model. This introduced commercial risk and limited the organisation’s ability to modernise its infrastructure.
Functional constraints were also becoming more apparent. Multilingual documentation required separate templates per language, conditional logic was difficult to manage, and extending output beyond traditional printing involved unnecessary complexity. At the same time, the growing volume of outputs generated by internal systems increased the need for a solution that could automatically monitor incoming files and respond to new data.
TW Metals needed a more flexible and future-ready output platform that could support multiple input sources without disrupting existing systems.
The Solution
After evaluating alternative solutions, TW Metals selected Interform. Integration with the existing ERP system was essential, but Interform’s ability to handle multiple input sources and automatically process incoming text and XML files from internal systems was a key factor in the decision.
Adoption followed a training-led approach rather than a traditional consultancy-driven implementation. TW Metals attended three structured training sessions and then installed the software in-house, with guidance provided by Interform. Template design and workflow development were handled entirely internally, allowing the team to retain full control from the outset.
During the first six to eight weeks, Interform’s technical support played an important role in supporting this approach. When requirements extended beyond the scope of the training — particularly around more advanced template logic or workflow design — support was responsive and effective. As TW Metals became more proficient with the toolset, the level of support naturally reduced.
Over time, remaining outputs were migrated, allowing the legacy system to be fully retired within the first year. Interform now processes inputs from the ERP system alongside data generated by internal applications running on different platforms, triggering automated workflows from monitored network locations and merging data from multiple sources.
Where limitations were identified, TW Metals worked collaboratively with Interform to mitigate them or to suggest enhancements aligned with its specific operational needs.
The Results
Interform has now processed more than one million outputs for TW Metals, averaging around 16,000 outputs per week. These include labels, customer documentation, internal reports, automated emails and archived records distributed reliably across the organisation.
Multilingual and conditional logic is handled within consolidated templates, significantly reducing template volumes and ongoing maintenance. Customer-specific and regulatory requirements can be implemented within the output layer without changes to core systems, improving responsiveness while maintaining compliance.
In production, Interform has proven to be stable and dependable, requiring minimal ongoing intervention from IT.
Looking Ahead
TW Metals continues to build on its use of Interform as requirements evolve. Planned upgrades will unlock additional capabilities, and there is scope to further standardise document handling across systems. With a flexible output platform in place and full ownership retained internally, the focus has shifted from replacement to continuous improvement.
Quote
“Interform is a functional improvement on our previous solution. We did the implementation and design work ourselves, but the support we received early on was excellent. When we’ve pushed the limits, Interform have worked with us to find practical ways forward.”
David Brown, IT Systems Administrator, TW Metals