Volkswagen and Pivotal set up strategic partnership in Berlin

By Nell Walker
Share
In Volkswagens new Digital Lab in Berlin, the company has entered into a strategic partnership with software development company Pivotal. Experts across...

In Volkswagen’s new Digital Lab in Berlin, the company has entered into a strategic partnership with software development company Pivotal. Experts across the Volkswagen business, from sales to technical IT development, are working with Pivotal to develop new software and mobility solutions for networked customers.

"In our Digital Lab, we are working on developing an ecosystem that creates a new user experience for our customers, new mobility services and services for connected vehicle providers," said Volkswagen Group CIO Dr. Martin Hofmann. "We will provide our customers with completely new offerings, as we transform Volkswagen from a pure car manufacturer to a mobility provider."

Simultaneously, Volkswagen is implementing and developing innovative ways of working internally: "In our Labs in Berlin and Munich, our IT experts are working with a Silicon Valley mindset, brought from The Valley to Volkswagen. Pivotal has also supported our IT team by training more than 20 of our experts in a range of locations from California to Colorado,  teaching them about new software development methodologies. We want to firmly anchor these skills and work processes in the Group and in Germany. In our Labs in Berlin, Munich and San Francisco over 600 programmers, data scientists, design thinking experts and cloud architects are working in this manner," said Hofmann.

"From the outset, Volkswagen software engineers working in collaboration with Pivotal were developing innovative software solutions at start-up speeds," said Edward Hieatt, Senior Vice President, Services of Pivotal. "Going forward, the plan is the establishment of a new IT platform."

Volkswagen and Pivotal are utilising innovative software development techniques, based on types of agile programming such as 'Extreme Programming', which have been successfully used by companies in Silicon Valley. In addition, the software developers are consistently pair-programming with daily standup meetings, weekly training sessions and continuous feedback in order to improve team performance. This partnership encourages an exchange of ideas and creativity within teams, reduces errors, shortens the software development processes and enables faster adjustments when customer requirements change rapidly.

 

Follow @ManufacturingGL and @NellWalkerMG

Share

Featured Articles

Your Guide to Manufacturing LIVE Chicago

With just six months to go until Manufacturing LIVE Chicago, explore the highlights you can look forward to below

UPDATED VENUE & DATE – Manufacturing LIVE Chicago 2025

Manufacturing LIVE Chicago announces important changes to its venue and date for the co-located event with PSC LIVE and Sustainability LIVE in 2025

The Breakdown of the Global Plastics Treaty isn't the end

The failure of the INC-5 talks has caused anger across the manufacturing sector, but the breakdown of this treaty will not stop efforts to address plastic

Stellantis Plant Shutdown Confirms EV Manufacturing Concerns

Sustainability & ESG

The Highlights of the Rockwell Automation Fair 2024

Digital Factory

TFL Drives Future of Electrification With Buses on Route 358

Sustainability & ESG