The auto industry is complicated and evolving quickly. Selecting the right mix of process and technology in this intensely competitive environment is crucial.

Operating strategically also requires an intimate understanding of the issues and a clear, realistic view of what needs to be done. We see four major trends that are defining the competitive environment in today’s automobile industry and have identified solutions that work.

Globalization and cost optimization: As companies struggle to globalize their businesses   while  also streamlining operations, controlling costs and improving customer satisfaction, collecting and  analyzing data so that smart, responsive decisions can be made quickly is key.  We helped a  major OEM improve its global product development process by streamlining the engineering finance  system. Executives can now quickly determine accurate costs and identify  where and how additional product development should be executed globally.

Quality and warranty management: Automobile and truck makers and their tier-one suppliers are constantly looking for ways to improve quality, streamline processes and reduce operating costs. One opportunity for cost savings lies in the billions of dollars manufacturers must spend on warranty claims and vehicle recalls each year – costs that can be avoided or more effectively managed with a robust quality information system.
 We developed such a system for several thousand North American dealers of a large OEM, allowing the company to create more than 700 reports that facilitated detailed problem identification and analysis. This system will result in millions of dollars in savings through cost avoidance. Not only will the quality management system help the company identify and resolve vehicle problems quickly and boost quality, it will also help improve customer satisfaction and loyalty to the company brand.

Operational efficiency: Many companies that have implemented SAP now face the    challenge of harmonizing and rationalizing isolated instances and single modules  across the enterprise as well as upgrading. - At a global OEM, we implemented SAP  financials, human resources, payroll and purchasing activities to support the company during its infancy while the plant was being built. We then implemented SAP's logistics modules including sales and distribution, materials management, warehouse management, quality management, production planning and execution and plant maintenance. This implementation of SAP’s automotive solution used full functionality in an assembly environment with significant production volume. In addition, we provided information about other Asian automotive transplant projects and helped identify the challenges associated with constructing a new plant in the United States.

IT cost reduction: Companies in the auto industry typically have large, cumbersome legacy systems that date back years. - We have extensive experience with analyzing manufacturers’ and suppliers’ data centers and disaster recovery strategies, rationalizing applications (often in the hundreds), optimizing performance and reducing costs.

Our practice is comprised of people who have gained substantial auto industry experience before joining Cible. With each client, we take an objective approach to identify the processes and technologies that will increase efficiency across the enterprise, reduce costs and improve performance. This approach clearly resonates with our clients around the globe. In a July 2005 survey, Forrester Research ranked us #1 in client satisfaction among 11 major IT service firms.