Bethlehem Steel Corporation
For Immediate Release
BETHLEHEM, Pa., September 30, 1999 -- Effective immediately, Bethlehem Steel Corporation is offering a new option to its website (www.bethsteel.com) which provides Bethlehem's customers with 24-hour, 7-day-a-week, information on the status of their orders. Bethlehem is among the first in the American steel industry to offer this 'real time' service to its customers.
Bethlehem customers will now be able to obtain a user identification and password that will provide them access to Bethlehem's new "Customer Corner" website option where they can obtain up-to-date order information simply by clicking on "light flat-rolled/plate" or "rail" status. "Customer Corner" can be accessed through any personal computer that has internet web-browser capabilities.
Identifications and passwords are available through Bethlehem's website or through Bethlehem sales representatives.
"We are proud to be among the first steel companies in the country to offer this 'real time' order status," said Bethlehem Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Curtis H. Barnette. "New and current Bethlehem Steel customers will have immediate access to the order status information currently available to our Customer Service Account Representatives (CSARs)."
Through the use of Bethlehem's "Customer Corner," steel purchasers can receive a complete status report on their order, from real-time production status at the mill to estimated time of shipment. In the coming months, Bethlehem plans to enhance the capabilities of "Customer Corner" with the addition of features such as shipment releases, test reports, customer claim entry, inquiries and online order entry.
"What this new, electronic customer service does for our customers," said Mr. Barnette, "is provide them with better control of their own production or manufacturing facilities. Ultimately, they can track timetables, schedule production, and assure on-time deliveries to their own customers better than ever before. It's a win-win situation brought on by Bethlehem's ever-increasing use of e-commerce within our overall e-business strategy."
