Volkswagen Orients its IT Worldwide to Company's Growth Strategy

WOLFSBURG – July 11, 2008: The Volkswagen Group is orienting its information technology (IT) worldwide to the needs of the company’s growth strategy. Some 70 IT managers from all Group sites met in Dresden to discuss this issue. Klaus Hardy Mühleck, the Group’s CIO, summarized the results in Wolfsburg today: “We are strengthening our in-house IT. We will be giving our IT teams an even stronger international focus and intensifying the consistent use of standards.”

At the Group conference, the information and data processing strategies at the Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, Škoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brands as well as at Financial Services were synchronized. The IT managers agreed to move further forward with standardizing systems, hardware and software. As Mühleck commented: "This will consolidate the efficient cost structure of the Volkswagen Group’s IT still further."

One example of a new standard is Group product data management, which gathers data used to compute three-dimensional vehicle parts. These calculations form the basis for the "Digital Factory" methods whereby computer simulation is used to test and validate the technical and ergonomic viability of using specific vehicle parts in the assembly process as well as future work processes on the assembly line.

Group IT’s centrally controlled worldwide software offering will generate cost benefits going forward. All Group companies will have access to this software. Furthermore, a global computing center strategy was initiated. In future, a distinction will be made between the main computing centers in Germany and regional and local systems. This division of labor will enhance the availability of data, computing performance and data transfer capacity while simultaneously cutting costs.

Mühleck said: "In-house Group IT will steer and control this ambitious program. Intensified training will keep our teams up-to-date as regards knowledge of the market and know-how. There will also be national and international personnel development programs and project-related job rotation."