Supporting an Agile Supply Chain with MX Data Exchange

OP Mobility is a global automotive supplier providing custom design solutions and innovative product development for exterior vehicle lighting systems. OP Mobility works with automotive OEMs and suppliers across the world to deliver innovative exterior lighting, with key technologies including matrix lamps, adaptive driving beam (ADB), LED lamps, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), and electronic control modules.

MX Data Exchange – Majenta Solutions' own platform – proved to be the right tool to upgrade data exchange for OP Mobility, overcoming technical challenges to help OP Mobility achieve their mission of speed and agility.

Business Challenges

As automotive supply chains become more demanding, ensuring that data can be exchanged quickly and without obstruction is key to staying effective. The way we handle data must evolve alongside product innovation. OP Mobility were using an FTP server to exchange data, a method which slows down data exchange for users and the supply chain due to the technical limitations – and due to the requirement for the overhead of IT resource.

Limits on the sizes of files which could be transferred forced OP Mobility users to break CAD structures and other large file types into smaller packages. Any large transfer would have to be made in instalments, using valuable time and energy which could be better spent elsewhere. Though viable when exchanging data with other users in the same physical location, an FTP server's performance can be limited when data needs to be transferred offsite.

The Majenta Solution

Majenta provided MX – their data exchange solution – to overcome FTP limitations and empower OP Mobility Lighting Systems with fast and efficient data exchange. Crucially for OP Mobility, MX has no maximum file size limit, making it ideal for exchanging CAD data and large data packages. Regardless of file type, MX's upload and download speeds are up to 700% faster than industry-leading competitors.

Cutting edge 256-bit end-to-end encryption make the platform ideal for secure transfer of intellectual property, a significant upgrade from an FTP server. MX also provides a high level of visibility and control over data across the supply chain. One-click audit logs and powerfully searchable transaction histories allow transfers and subsequent downloads to be reviewed in granular detail.

Business Impact

By adopting MX as their data exchange solution, OP Mobility and their partners have eliminated the 'dead-time' created by FTP shortcomings. Because MX does not place a limit on the size of transferred files, OP Mobility no longer had to break large packages into instalments, and other suppliers on the receiving end no longer had to spend time reassembling them.

Having initially encountered MX as Jaguar Land Rover's method of sharing software upgrades with engineering suppliers, OP Mobility have had great success adopting the platform as their own data exchange solution – giving them bi-directional data exchange.

Taking full advantage of unobstructed and ultra-fast exchange, OP Mobility have made 20,471 transactions (and counting). They are now fully connected to 603 external users across 429 companies in 37 countries. With MX connecting OP Mobility globally, they are well-placed to pursue their mission to create leading-edge automotive lighting technology.

Keys to Success

MX's unlimited file size for transfers is a powerful time-saving factor…but is not the only way that MX reclaims valuable time from the data exchange process. MX is designed to be highly intuitive to the user, and can be used effectively without training. Users across an organisation can get started quickly, with the length of the initial learning-phase dramatically reduced for all involved.

Just as importantly for OP Mobility, MX's interface is built with HTML5, and runs entirely in the browser. This means that MX can be implemented without additional IT infrastructure. IT work that would otherwise be necessary, such as software upgrades, is less likely to entangle IT resources or delay time-sensitive CAD transfers.

Working with Majenta

OP Mobility were very encouraged by the experience, which has paved the way for working with Majenta in future. MX Data Exchange can lead to a bespoke MX+ solution for complex needs. Having enjoyed a successful working relationship with Majenta while implementing MX Data Exchange, OP Mobility Lighting Systems have a positive outlook on the future of the relationship.