Nexteer Automotive

Nexteer Automotive, a global leader in advanced steering and driveline systems. Nexteer Automotive brings a fresh perspective to the automotive supplier industry as a small, agile and fast company that provides the very latest in advanced steering solutions. Nexteer Automotive uses Intelex's Supplier Management solution.

Challenge

• Simplify the administration and configuration of Nexteer's supplier management system
• Streamline communication with suppliers regarding product defects and corrective actions
• Find a scalable solution that is capable of growing with the company
• Replace the old system prior to its contract renewal date, requiring adherence to a very tight implementation timeline

Intelex Solution

• Intelex Supplier Management
• Intelex Product Defects
• Intelex Application Builder

Results

• Flexible solution that can be easily configured without outside assistance
• Tracking the performance of approximately 1,400 suppliers in a centralized system
• Ability to create custom supplier and quality applications to handle the company's unique requirements
• Simplified compliance with TS 16949 requirements
• Standardized process for Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP)

Objective

Nexteer was using another technology provider to manage their database of suppliers, record product defects, and track their resolution. However, this system was a source of frustration for many reasons: even minor configuration required lots of back and forth with the provider, and the inflexible nature of the technology ultimately made many types of configuration impossible.

With their contract renewal date approaching, Nexteer began to look for an alternative software solution that would be more time and cost effective, would be scalable and capable of handling their structure, and would provide them with the reporting capabilities they required.

Implementation

After extensively reviewing the other software on the market, Nexteer chose Intelex's Supplier Management solution. The ease of administering and configuring the system was a big selling point, and Nexteer was confident that Intelex's robust, scalable platform was up to the task of managing data from an estimated 1,400 suppliers worldwide.

Nexteer's implementation timeline was tight because their previous system was near its renewal date. The process of gathering requirements began in September of 2012, with the team working diligently to streamline the approvals process to ensure they could meet their go live date. On January 1, 2013 the new Intelex supplier management solution was rolled out simultaneously to 20 plants across seven countries: India, China, Australia, Mexico, the United States, Brazil, and Poland. At Intelex's 2013 User Conference, Nexteer took home the "Global" award, presented for best implementation of a global solution.

Efficiency Gains

• Realized significant time and cost savings with the ability to configure and administer their own system.
• Eliminated duplication of data entry by centralizing data in one place.
• Increased visibility into supplier performance and tracking of corrective actions, with comprehensive reporting possibilities.
• Simplified compliance with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection voluntary supply chain security program known as C-TPAT (Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism), which requires documentation that appropriate measures have been taken to ensure no contraband is introduced into the Nexteer supply chain.
• Improved compliance with industry-specific requirements, such as Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and TS 16949, by replacing Excel forms and other siloed data with standardized workflow in a globally visible location.