Software Defined Vehicles
Digital efficiency
How IT solutions help carmakers accelerate transformation
From connected factories to cloud-driven vehicle development: digital tools and services have become a foundational element of the automotive industry. Here’s how new IT solutions help manufacturers boost efficiency, reduce risks and accelerate innovation.
The automotive industry is undergoing a deep structural shift that places software and IT services at the centre of competitiveness. As manufacturers face tighter development cycles, increasingly complex supply chains and the rise of software-defined products, digital tools are moving from support systems to strategic assets. A wave of new partnerships, platforms and cloud architectures shows how vendors are helping carmakers modernise processes from the factory floor to enterprise IT.
Automation platforms reshape enterprise processes
Software provider Forterro and Swiss ETH spin-off blp have introduced AI-driven automation for ERP workflows involving incoming and outgoing documents. The system interprets the content, validates it against the correct ERP fields and processes the transaction automatically. According to Forterro, this enables end-to-end execution without manual intervention. The company reports automation rates of 60 to 70 per cent out of the box, rising to 85 per cent once fully configured in mid-sized enterprises.
Cloud-native architectures are gaining ground as well. As part of its “RISE with SAP” initiative, BMW has migrated key processes in production logistics and finance onto a modern, service-oriented SAP cloud platform. CIO Alexander Buresch highlights improved efficiency, quality and automation across business-critical workflows. A central component is the digital “Prozesskette Teile” (PKT), which coordinates all in-house and supplier-sourced components across the production network of the Bavarian OEM.
Consultancy Unity and software provider Contact Software have also entered into a partnership designed to close the gap between strategic process design and operational IT implementation. Unity contributes its “Code the Product” methodology — which applies software-like development logic to physical products — while Contact Software delivers the modular Elements platform for product lifecycle management. Together, they aim to modernise PLM for the era of software-defined products and embed AI systematically across engineering workflows.
Ecosystem collaborations strengthen digital mobility services
GlobalLogic and Volvo Cars are intensifying their collaboration on digital mobility experiences. The Hitachi-owned engineering specialist contributes distributed development teams, deep automotive domain knowledge and more than two decades of software and connected-car development. The partnership spans the full vehicle lifecycle, from early platform work to production-ready software features.
Across these initiatives, a clear pattern emerges: as vehicles become more software-intensive and development cycles accelerate, manufacturers depend increasingly on specialised IT partners. Whether through AI-powered process automation, cloud-native enterprise systems, modular PLM platforms or lifecycle-spanning engineering services, IT solutions are rapidly reshaping how automotive companies design, build and maintain their products.
