Software AG > Case Studies > Performance Tools Put Auto Manufacturer on the Road to More Efficient Operations

Performance Tools Put Auto Manufacturer on the Road to More Efficient Operations

Company Size

1,000+

Region

Europe

Country

United Kingdom

Product

Software AG Adabas
Software AG Natural
Natural Optimizer Compiler
Adabas Fastpath
Adabas Delta Save

Tech Stack

Database Management
Application Development
Performance Optimization

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Cost Savings
Productivity Improvements

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Database Management & Storage
Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries

Applicable Industries

Automotive

Applicable Functions

Discrete Manufacturing
Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Manufacturing System Automation
Mass Customization

Services

System Integration

About The Customer

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., founded in 1934, is one of the world's largest automobile manufacturers with plants located around the globe. In 1984, Nissan established a plant in the United Kingdom, which is widely recognized as Europe's benchmark automobile assembly and manufacturing plant. Since 1985, Nissan UK has been relying on Software AG's Adabas and Natural for database management and application development. The company has developed an entire suite of mission-critical Natural applications that run on Adabas, including manufacturing, production, personnel, purchasing, purchase planning, logistics, distribution, sales and marketing, and finance. In 1999, Nissan established a global partnership with Renault and became more customer-focused, implementing a strategy of made-to-order cars.

The Challenge

Nissan, one of the world's largest automobile manufacturers, was facing the challenge of fulfilling its strategy of producing and delivering made-to-order vehicles. The company had been relying on Software AG's Adabas and Natural for database management and application development since 1985. However, with the increasing customer demand for customized cars, Nissan recognized the need to improve database performance and application efficiency. The challenges of an overburdened database were inevitable as database backups were interfering with employee productivity and a high number of data files running in parallel on a critical path often created a bottleneck.

The Solution

Nissan decided to enhance its legacy systems with Software AG's Natural Optimizer Compiler, Adabas Fastpath, and Adabas Delta Save. The Natural Optimizer Compiler turned simple program statements into machine code that is easily understood and thus more quickly processed by the database, improving application performance and reducing the amount of processing time required. Adabas Fastpath enabled Nissan to create a data cache separate from the main database and use it for storing data that is used repetitively, reducing pressure on the overburdened database and freeing up processing power for more critical demands. Adabas Delta Save improved the performance of internal applications by increasing the 'up-time' of Nissan's database.

Operational Impact

100 percent performance gain through elimination of database downtime experienced by users.
Facilitated Nissan's deployment of the 'made-to-order' business model.
Avoided costly changes to existing infrastructure.
Can deliver on customer demands in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Quantitative Benefit

100 percent performance gain through elimination of database downtime experienced by users.
An estimated 30 percent improvement in run time for certain data files.