Development of a Cost Planning Platform: e-Kalkulatorenmodul (eKM)
Context & Challenges
As new vehicle models are developed, managing the overall manufacturing cost is strategically important to maintaining competitiveness while meeting increasingly demanding requirements for design, safety, and sustainability.
The growing complexity of vehicles and their components results in a wider range of cost elements and parameters to be considered. Managing and consolidating this information can become challenging when data is distributed across different sources and managed through heterogeneous tools.
The project aimed to establish a digital environment to centralize, structure, and leverage a library of cost and expense components, supporting overall manufacturing cost planning and cost optimization, particularly for body construction.
Solution & Contribution
think tank developed e-Kalkulatorenmodul (eKM), a comprehensive web-based platform dedicated to managing and planning the overall manufacturing costs of new vehicle models.
Sector :
Automotive
Beneficiary :
Volkswagen Group
Funding :
Own funds
Domain :
Software development
Key capabilities
- Centralized library of cost and expense components
- Cost item management and structuring
- Reusable cost components for cost planning
- Planning of overall manufacturing cost
- Cost calculation and consolidation for new vehicle models
- Management of multiple cost parameters
- Centralized data access through a web-based platform
- Data consistency and traceability throughout the planning process
Automation of test/ release processes for Automotive components
Context & Challenges
With an expanding product portfolio and increasingly shorter development cycles, AUDI AG continuously seeks to improve the efficiency and performance of its production operations.
In this context, the “Digital Factory / ViTech” project focuses on optimizing production processes through the use of information technologies, particularly in body construction and joining technologies.
The key challenges included:
- Building a reliable and reusable knowledge base to identify the most suitable joining technologies and parameters for each body component.
- Standardizing workflows to harmonize practices and reduce operational costs.
- Progressively automating validation and production release, including through the use of AI-based algorithms.
- Ensuring integration and interoperability with the Audi / Volkswagen Group IT ecosystem.
Solution & Contribution
think tank automated testing and validation processes for automotive body construction by developing a centralized database of joining technologies, based on test results and key process parameters.
The solution consolidates technical knowledge and test data, providing a reliable foundation for evaluating and selecting the most suitable joining technologies and supporting more efficient validation processes.
Sector :
Automotive
Beneficiary :
Audi AG
Funding :
Own funds
Domain :
Workflow optimisation
Project scope
- Process and workflow analysis & reengineering
- Application architecture design
- Solution design & development
- Integration with the Group’s existing IT systems
- Data aggregation and migration
- Maintenance, operations, and technical support
Results & Impact
- 70% reduction in physical testing, accelerating the validation of materials and joining technologies.
- Reduced production costs through optimized and increasingly automated validation processes.
- Fewer human errors and improved security of processes and technical knowledge.
- Knowledge retention and reuse, helping preserve critical expertise despite team changes.
- Time savings for innovation, enabling experts to focus on developing and improving joining technologies.
Thanks to think tank, we have not only transformed our joining database into a central and widely used application within AUDI AG, but have also significantly increased our efficiency.
Dominik Hußmann
Joining Technology Development
Development of a Web Application: “Your Product Assistant (YPA)”
Context & Challenges
With the growing number of safety and compliance regulations and increasingly stringent quality requirements, BMW Group must ensure compliance with high technical standards across its development activities.
The key challenges included:
- Managing regulatory complexity arising from evolving safety, compliance, and ISO standards.
- Supporting development teams in an agile environment without adding unnecessary complexity to their workflows.
- Centralizing and making compliance requirements and artifacts easily accessible to product teams.
- Driving user adoption across a large user base through a simple and intuitive user experience.
Solution & Contribution
think tank developed the web application “Your Product Assistant (YPA)” to support BMW product teams in understanding and implementing the relevant vehicle-related standards, documents, and compliance artifacts within an agile development environment.
The solution provides centralized access to key information while integrating compliance activities into existing development workflows.
Sector :
Automotive
Beneficiary :
BMW Group
Funding :
Own funds
Domain :
Software Development
Results & Impact
- Enhanced compliance: Improved adherence to safety requirements, ISO standards, and mandatory compliance artifacts.
- Streamlined processes: Centralized requirements and simplified compliance workflows.
- Greater team efficiency and agility: Seamless integration with agile practices and task automation through a bidirectional interface with JIRA.
- Improved user experience: Role-based views and centralized access to relevant requirements and information.
- Enhanced quality and traceability: Easy access to documentation, requirements tracking, and full traceability of actions.
