TCS helps Cummins use middleware to successfully integrate legacy and PLM system s TCS helped Cummins to devise

a cost-effective solution that seamlessly integrate d the mainframe system with the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system. This improved the customer's business processes amounting to significant time and cos t savings. The Customer Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 company and a global leader in the power business. The company designs, manufactures, distributes, and services engines and relate d technologies. Cummins serves customers in over 190 countries, through its netw ork of over 600 company-owned and independent distributor locations and 6,500 de aler locations. Business Scenario At a given point in time, numerous applications were being used and maintained b y various business units at Cummins, which needed to be standardized since each business unit had its own software release cycles for functional and technical c hanges. The PLM applications that provided critical data to the manufacturing pl ants, also varied across business units. Maintaining common processes and a PLM data repository was thus a challenge. With various technology stacks such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Datab ase (DB) forms, Java web-based and mainframes being used, sharing of functional changes between business units was limited. The challenge was to integrate the I nformation Management System (IMS) mainframe with Windchill (the designated PLM Master) to build a common PLM Master across business units. Why TCS Cummins chose TCS for the project due to our strong domain experience and well-e stablished business processes. TCS Solution TCS EAI team worked in close partnership with Cummins in identifying possible tou ch points across the PLM landscape, as well as identifying datasets for flows, a nd associated array of technical stacks for integrations. We conducted a detaile d review and chose a powerful and cost-effective solution that leveraged existin g capabilities at the operating system and application layer to ensure seamless mainframe integration. This solution was developed on the Oracle Fusion Middleware technology stack, th e Oracle Application Integration Architecture (AIA) Foundation Pack 2.5, core Ja va components, and the Java Message Service (JMS) messaging framework using the operating system functionalities. Our solution ensured that there was automatic and real-time synchronization betw een Windchill and the mainframe, and offered various features that handled error s, processed large volumes of data and avoided data concurrency conflict at main frame even on asynchronous flows. Key Benefits With our solution, Cummins could proceed with the phased decommissioning of the mainframe as per the initial project schedule. The solution that was developed d id not have dependencies on product based custom adapter offerings. The result w as a reduction in delivery times of various interfaces. The key business benefits realized include: Customized design solution: The solution provided for batch mode and near real-t ime interfacing with synchronous and asynchronous capabilities. The EAI technolo

gical stack capabilities helped build a robust solution as per the business spec ifications. Implementation ready solution: A rigorous process was undertaken during the solu tion design stage and different scenarios were tested before incorporating it re sulting in an implementation ready solution. Cost Savings: As the custom adapter license was not going to be used for more th an five years, there was a significant cost saving of approximately USD 35,000 p er custom adapter license. There were other savings as a result of the process e fficiencies as well. Improved Business Processes: The single entry point design, which inculcated mai nframe-based interfaces, resulted in reduced interface specific development at t he source system.