Case Study: BOS GmbH & Co. KG

BOS GmbH is an international tier 1 supplier of vehicle interior systems to global automotive manufacturers and system integrators. With the help of Trubiquity's partner CCS Service, BOS implemented TRUfusion Enterprise and TRUeurex-c software to unify, automate and enable the company's global data exchange operations.

The Challenge

Unifying CAD data exchange systems between manufacturing facilities and across geographies.

With more than 3,700 employees in 15 offices across Europe, North America and Asia, BOS GmbH is a leading international developer, manufacturer and distributor of vehicle interiors for automotive manufacturers and system integrators.

As many of the company's facilities were conducting data exchange locally with manual processes, BOS identified the need to implement a uniform data exchange infrastructure in order to unify and automate CAD data workflows between the main BOS headquarters in Stuttgart and the company's offices in the United States and Korea.

BOS used several different CAD systems at the time, including CATIA, Unigraphics and I-DEAS. As such, the company needed a data exchange solution that would meet its many different requirements across platforms, including conversions, quality checking, internal data exchange, centralized administration, OFTP connections, connections for non-OFTP capable partners via a HTTPS portal and connections to OEM and Tier 1 supplier portals.

The Solution

TRUexchange – externally hosted global data exchange for PLM related large files across the entire value chain.

Trubiquity's partner CCS Service worked with BOS and both realized that their challenges and strategies would be best satisfied by the global deployment of TRUfusion Enterprise, TRUeurex-c and TRUfusion Enterprise Portal software. The implementation comprised of a 2-year global rollout with a scope that included CAD data processing automation for CATIA and UG/NX CAD drawings, parts and assemblies, Q-Checker for CAD data quality assurance and multiple communications options including OFTP, Hyper KVS and TRUfusion Enterprise Portal – the HTTPS portal. This helped to meet the data exchange needs of more than 200 internal users at BOS' locations in Stuttgart, Ostifildern, Detroit and Seoul as well as Hungary and Japan.

CCS Service installed the TRUfusion Enterprise main server at BOS's location in Stuttgart as well as sub-servers at satellite development offices in Detroit and Seoul. The inclusion of TRUfusion Enterprise Portal helped BOS to include suppliers in Asia and other regions without Odette-compliant connections into the CAD data exchange process. Implementation of TRUfusion Enterprise allowed BOS to oversee and manage the file transfer processes for the entire company right from the headquarters. With the solution in place, both internal and external data exchange requirements for BOS' development and manufacturing sites around the world were all integrated, boosting efficiency by eliminating any redundant processes, saving time and cutting manual errors. Furthermore, CATIA data conversions and quality checks were all automated which freed design engineers time to focus on more important product development related activities. In addition to internal process automation, the complete solution provided BOS users with a common and company-wide TRUfusion Enterprise user interface for all key data exchange workflows in all locations.

The Results

The implementation of TRUfusion Enterprise, TRUeurex-c and TRUfusion Enterprise has helped BOS to unify its CAD data exchange activities into a single cohesive platform, automate data exchange processes between facilities and suppliers around the globe, add transparency and visibility into the status of the data exchange process for the headquarters and deliver an easier, more efficient process for users and suppliers regardless of their legacy systems. Trubiquity's partner CCS Service facilitated the implementation of the solution with one main server with multiple sub-servers in geographically dispersed subsidiaries to provide one global capability. The end result is a more efficient system that drives CAD data exchange and process automation for BOS at a greater speed and lower cost than before to improve user productivity, reduce project lead-times and facilitate decision making.