The Robert Bosch GmbH Group is one of the major industrial companies in Germany, earning $29 billion each year. Its Bosch automotive division is the second-largest automobile supplier worldwide. About 1,400 employees of the Bosch Automotive Aftermarket business division (Bosch AA) deal with the global supply of replacement parts and information for Bosch products and systems, the distribution of shop and auto accessories, and worldwide customer service. Bosch AA delivers to 132 countries through regional companies, foreign representatives, or customer service centers. Its distribution center warehouses more than 150,000 different items: sparkplugs, filters, starters, generators, brakes, headlights, and many other automotive supplies. Their goal is to ensure sales and service worldwide, and to deliver products and services to the customer on time.
Connecting to the network was costly
About 18,000 auto replacement parts per month are ordered through Bosch’s proprietary SYLVIA resource planning system, running on a Fujitsu Siemens BS2000/OSD mainframe. Typically, smaller representatives ordered directly from Bosch AA using fax and order slips which were manually captured and input into the system. Bosch country managers provided order and delivery status primarily via telephone. A network connection existed for only a few larger representatives, running partly over costly X.25 connections. The SYLVIA online solution, which enabled emulation access to the screen-based host application over the Internet, was complex and lacked sufficient localization. Additionally, the complexity of the SYLVIA applications required high training costs for new employees.
Accessing order systems online was essential
Because of client demand, Bosch AA knew they had to improve the SYLVIA application. They eventually planned to deploy the SAP/R3, but improvements could not wait. The need for a user-friendly, localized online ordering alternative, with the option of checking the delivery status of orders online, became a priority. An extranet became the logical choice.Calling the project AA Extranet, Bosch AA wanted to raise acceptance of online ordering, unburden office workers, lower connection charges, and reduce the complexity of SYLVIA through an easy-to-use online order and tracking system. The project required a graphical interface, the use of Web technologies, multilingualism, and workflow optimization. In addition, the solution was to remain platform-independent and require no changes to the SYLVIA resource planning system.
Bringing in the experts for phased development
Bosch had improved online capabilities in both its electronic tools division and Blaupunkt, with development support from Intershop Professional Services and technology from Attachmate Corporation. For AA Extranet, Bosch again turned to Attachmate Consulting specialists and Intershop for BS2000/OSD application integration. It was important that there be strict separation of the host application and the middleware application, with no changes to the SYLVIA application. Starting with a prototype for Web-based access to SYLVIA, the AA Extranet was created in phases. For example, the first version did not contain any processing logic, while phase two focused on processing logic, consolidating work processes, communicating with WebTransaction™ via HTTP/XML, and user management specifications for improved efficiency. Phase two also added English and French interfaces.
Performing well with first-time users
AA Extranet went through intensive internal tests followed by external tests over real connections with clients in Brazil, Taiwan, Gabon, and Lebanon – all with excellent results. It was initially rolled out to 50 representatives and general importers, each with numerous users who are not IT professionals. Training sessions were not planned, but if necessary, a short user’s manual was available for download. “The new system was well received, the performance was good,” said Taiwan country manager Yu Feng Wang. “After an introduction of one to two hours, users could handle it without any trouble.”
Saving costs and achieving greater client satisfaction
AA Extranet is proving itself with unrestricted 24x7 use, and is generating a quick return on investment. “We expect clear cost savings, especially from the reduction of expense for manual order capture and minimization of connection costs,” explained Johannes Schweickert, Bosch AA’s eCommerce and project manager. “That’s without taking into account the qualitative improvements due to greater ease of use, lower training expense, new functions, and more client satisfaction.” Schweickert praised the collaboration with Attachmate: “After the first steps succeeded, we carried out the entire project with Attachmate, and for further expansion we’ll continue to work with Attachmate.”