Powering reliable, efficient automotive services across North America
To deliver exceptional service experiences to its North American customers, one of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers embarked on a transformation of its sprawling IT environment. The organization was managing over 120 critical business applications, supporting critical business areas like sales, engineering, procurement, supply chain, manufacturing and after-market services deeply rooted in legacy mainframe platforms. Rising operational costs, inconsistent processes and limited visibility into system operations demanded a bold modernization strategy.
Facing high operational costs, fragmented processes and limited system visibility, the company sought a trusted partner to deliver a structured, future-ready transformation. By integrating automation, optimizing processes and embracing cloud strategies, we helped reshape their IT ecosystem for long-term success.
The Challenge
Managing an extensive mainframe environment spanning 124 applications and covering the full spectrum of automotive operations presented significant hurdles. Key challenges included:
- High operational overheads with onsite-heavy support models
- Disconnected and varied business processes across units
- Minimal documentation, creating knowledge gaps across applications
- Lack of centralized dashboards or reporting mechanisms for leadership visibility
- Growing need for modernization in line with digital business priorities
With multiple mission-critical systems in play, from vehicle scheduling to assembly line QA applications, the transformation had to be carefully planned and executed with minimal disruption.
The Solution
We designed a holistic modernization roadmap to revamp their IT operations:
- Integrated next-gen operating model to bring in agility and scalability
- Introduced real-time operational visibility with robust dashboard reporting and ticket trend analysis for leadership decision-making
- Enabled API-driven access to mainframe functions facilitating seamless integration with modern platforms
- Enhanced efficiency by decommissioning obsolete processes and completing a comprehensive COBOL upgrade across 5,800+ programs
- Reduced infrastructure complexity by migrating workloads to Cloud, ensuring zero-downtime transitions and providing 18% cost optimization
- Strengthened operational governance through business wise process documentation, runbooks and audit participation
The Impact
This transformation delivered significant operational and financial benefits, including:
- ~$1.2M in annual savings through performance tuning and workload rationalization
- Over 5,000 annual tickets reduced, improving service responsiveness and team productivity
- Successful zero-outage migration of workloads from on-premises to Cloud, enhancing agility
- The COBOL system was upgraded, resulting in an 11% reduction in computing costs and the removal of outdated code that was no longer needed
- Migration of 8,000+ jobs to modern scheduling systems, driving operational consistency
- Implementation of inbound and outbound APIs, streamlining data exchange between critical systems
This transformation not only addressed immediate operational challenges but also positioned the organization for continuous innovation and improved digital readiness.
Celebrating Success
By streamlining legacy IT, modernizing critical workflows and embedding automation at scale, the company unlocked a new level of agility and efficiency. Their IT teams were empowered to shift focus from routine maintenance to driving strategic initiatives that support broader business goals.
This journey reinforced their leadership in the automotive sector while establishing a scalable foundation for ongoing transformation and growth.
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