Driving innovation for over 100 years
With sales of about $17 billion (USD), Audi AG is a successful company that produces more than 650,000 high quality automobiles each year. The company employs more than 50,000 people at locations around the world. Founded in 1899, the company evolved through a series of mergers and unions to become the second-largest automobile producer in Germany.
Audi has established an ongoing improvement process to ensure technical advantage is maintained. The purchasing and procurement division, like every other division, strives for continual optimization of its procured products and services, and internal processes. The division has established departments for serial purchasing and equipment, and systems and services purchasing.
Streamlining purchasing with new front end
Sixty purchasing employees handle the equipment procurement needs for the entire company. For internal requests and orders, the staff uses applications like BEMI (equipment and investments ordering system) on IBM® hosts located at the company headquarters in Wolfsburg. The connection is made over a company-wide TCP/IP network. About 2,000 users from all divisions use Attachmate® EXTRA!® on Windows NT® systems for 3270 access. Data is also saved on the hosts.
In addition to the company-wide BEMI system, the department uses an internally developed project tracking system (PVS), an Oracle®-based client/server application that runs on a server. The PVS maps urgent and standing procurement tasks like competitive analyses, RFPs, and supplier evaluations. Procurement requests within the company are issued via the CICS® online request system. To connect the request data with the order data, the department uses a DB2® database system, and an application that runs on the IBM host. Data from the selected supplier comes from an additional host application. Previously, operation of the host applications and access to relevant data was through traditional character-oriented host screens.
Aiming for more efficiency through integration
Until now, the comparison of data resulted in error lists that were given to users for manual correction of their entries, to maintain consistency of the data. Access through character-oriented screens was inefficient – experienced employees could use the applications effectively, but it was not as easy for beginners and outsiders. A simplification of the processes became urgent.
Operational accuracy, clarity, and efficiency were defined as overarching goals for the development of a new application, named BEMI-GUI (BEMI Graphical User Interface). BEMI-GUI had to allow operation via graphical interfaces plus access to applications and data on existing host systems. Communication with the hosts had to occur seamlessly in the background, while the new system directed the user and reduced the number of steps required.
Designing the solution with Attachmate Consulting Services
Audi selected Attachmate Consulting Services to design a solution because they offered the best integration of the different applications without higher total costs. The concept was hardware-independent, based on Web technology and pure Java™ programming. It supported both the Audi-standard Netscape Navigator® and Microsoft® Internet Explorer.
After Attachmate presented a rough concept, the Audi and Attachmate teams developed a detailed functional specification for the project that would replicate the work procedures and layout of the paper forms. Attachmate’s partner, JNet Quality Consulting GmbH, provided programming, an effort that amounted to about 35 man-days.
Allowing bi-directional access with Attachmate developer tools
Attachmate developer tools for Java were used during the development of the BEMI-GUI application, providing optimal, bi-directional access to host applications. These tools support applications on IBM mainframes, AS/400® and UNIX/VMS™ systems, and are compatible with all standard Java development environments. This ensures the quick implementation of new applications.
Windows NT Server 4.0 was used as the development and testing platform. For a productive implementation, Audi installed the solution on a UNIX server. Right away it ran without any problems. The platform-independence of Java stood the test with no restrictions.
The central system is the BEMI mainframe application. Graphically designed forms appear, with improved labeling and user aids that are easily intelligible – instead of cryptic host screens.
Increasing accuracy while reducing effort
Audi’s BEMI-GUI system is currently in operation for a portion of users before it goes into overall implementation. Results have been positive. The integration of four applications gives a unified platform that processes all the arising data while it eliminates sources of error – and improves user friendliness. Earlier, data consistency had to be manually enforced through comparison lists; now it is correct from the beginning. “When we don’t allow any errors, we don’t need any error management,” explains Franz Birkmeier, project manager for the Equipment and Systems Purchasing Department.
The total application is now more clearly arranged: of about 15 host screens from the previously separate applications, five main screens remain, with one pop-up window each. Access to the contents of various BEMI masks is now collected on one screen. Text entry is more comfortable and includes “copy” and “paste” features and automatic line breaks. The control is intuitive; users no longer need to remember screen numbers. Adds Birkmeier, “We reduce the work for the users and simultaneously increase the processing accuracy.”