ZF Friedrichshafen AG

Our Customer

ZF is a globally operating technology group that provides advanced products and systems for the mobility of passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and industrial technology. The company offers a wide range of products and primarily supplies automotive manufacturers, mobility providers, as well as emerging companies in the transport and mobility sector. ZF contributes to the electrification of various types of vehicles and supports the reduction of emissions, climate protection, and the enhancement of safety in the mobility sector with its solutions.

In 2023, ZF generated a revenue of 46.6 billion euros with approximately 168,700 employees worldwide. The group currently operates 162 production sites in 31 countries.

ZF's Challenge

In manufacturing and logistics, ZF employees frequently work with various handhelds, mobile terminals, and handheld scanners. Currently, several thousand mobile devices are in use across approximately 100 ZF locations and service points in the EU alone. The central management of these devices – including automated installation of OS updates, configurations, files, scripts, applications, and troubleshooting – is handled using SOTI MobiControl, the leading software for mobile device management (MDM).

Service interruptions, performance issues, and challenges with system upgrades posed risks to production, making a comprehensive process analysis and a future-proof system architecture necessary.

Our Solution

ZF found its solution partner in ICS, a full-service provider with deep expertise in MDM projects. During a discovery workshop, ICS examined the current state of the entire MDM environment, revealing performance issues, missing software configurations, and processes in need of optimization. Based on a follow-up design workshop, a future-proof solution concept was presented. This included, in particular, server upgrades, further diversification of device groups, profiles, and packages, a comprehensive rollout of user-specific device functions (lockdowns), and the revision of various rules and process standards. Additionally, the introduction of the analysis tool SOTI XSight was recommended, which significantly simplifies error detection and resolution during ongoing device operation.

On this basis, ICS was commissioned to support the expansion of the solution and to provide SOTI licenses as needed. Additionally, ICS remotely manages error resolution on ZF devices across Europe at the 1st and 2nd level support and can administer devices on-demand for ZF.

The Result