Volkswagen has standdardised on Cayenne Software`s ObjectTeam after the software played a critical part in getting the new Volkswagen Beetle to market on time.
ObjectTeam was used to design the production systems for Volkswagen de Mexico - the only Volkswagen production plant in the world which produces the New Beetle. This resulted in the standardisation on ObjectTeam for all software analysis and design by the IT service subsidiary of Volkswagen which implemented the systems, Gedas North America.
ObjectTeam was used to design two complex, mission-critical systems: one for production control - interfacing between Gedas`s manufacturing and production lines - and one for interfacing the production control system to managerial systems in Germany and factory suppliers worldwide. Gedas North America chose Cayenne`s ObjectTeam on the strengths of its functionality, performance, team support, and code generation capabilities.
The implementation of these systems needed to be accomplished against a very aggressive schedule. It was determined that new object-oriented (OO) technology was key to implementing these systems, yet it was extremely important that the tools selected had a short learning curve, and were capable of producing results very quickly.
"In August 1996, we found ourselves in the high-pressure position of manufacturing the New Beetle sedan, which was to be introduced in early 1998 and needed to be ready for prototyping as soon as possible," says Jorge Malo, architectural and OO factory manager at the Gedas NA offices. "ObjectTeam`s superior ability to build and generate code allowed us to develop, test and deploy the complex systems in one year. Without ObjectTeam, it would have taken much longer."
Volkswagen`s plan to invest substantial time and marketing dollars on the introduction of the New Beetle, and the anticipated high demand for the trendy automobile, placed Gedas North America under significant pressure to deliver smooth-running operational systems.
"Everything depended on finalising these two production systems. Delays in production of the New Beetle and the other vehicles could have cost thousands of dollars per day in lost revenue. The market would not wait," added Malo.
The contribution of ObjectTeam to Volkswagen`s objectives continues. "The synchronisation between our two software systems is very complex, and the systems are running constantly - 24x7. Because of the high-quality systems we developed with ObjectTeam, the downtime we experience is extremely low. This continually saves us money, because we would lose thousands of dollars a minute when these systems go down," said Malo.
The production of the New Beetle has been so successful thus far that Gedas North America now requires all facilities to use Cayenne`s ObjectTeam for software analysis and design projects - the first time Gedas North America has standardised on any technology. "I have 10 years of software development experience, and ObjectTeam is the most powerful and professional tool I have used. We would have been lost without it," Malo concludes.
"Our mantra has always been that Cayenne has solutions for real business problems. Businesses need technology to achieve results, not technology for technology`s sake" says Michael Jannery, VP of marketing for Cayenne. "Gedas North America has demonstrated just how successfully ObjectTeam operates in a high-pressure, time-restricted environment, where every minute counts. They`ve proven that applying the right technology can produce significant added value."
* Cayenne products are represented in South Africa by Software Futures, a Computer Configurations Holdings company.
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