VMware at the Vollmann Group:
the essential basis for further growth
No compromises with data security
The Vollmann Group produces high
quality components and assemblies mainly for the automotive supply
industry and the telecommunications industry. The family-run, medium-sized
group has 6 sites in Germany, 640 employees and its customers include
world brands such as 3M, Bosch, Continental, Volkswagen and ZF.
With a strict quality management programme, a claim to be the "Best
in Class" and a focused, strategic expansion over the last
few years, the Vollmann Group is able to underline its claim to
be a "learning company".
With the establishment of N.I.E.R. Stanz- und Umformtechnik
GmbH & Co. KG, through the takeover of the activities of the insolvent
TIER 1 and TIER 2 automotive suppliers Nier GmbH, the Vollmann Group
was able to significantly increase its production capacities at
the end of 2006. However, it was faced with a technical challenge.
As a result of the company acquisitions made in the preceding years
and the new sites in Hohenlockstedt and Remscheid, a heterogeneous
and decentralised EDP environment had developed which could no longer
be efficiently and cost-effectively managed.
In order to achieve the homogenisation of the EDP infrastructure, all production sites were to be linked and a new central computer centre was to be created.
"We wanted an IT environment
which would be simple to manage and also flexible, so that the needs
of an expanding, medium-sized company could be met",
says Fabian Taterka, IT & Organisation Manager. He outlines the
demands placed on the new solution, which had to satisfy the commercial
and technological requirements of the company. Further demands on
the new IT infrastructure included a high level of security, the
guarantee of synergy effects for all sites and a sustained profitability
on investment.
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Fabian Taterka and his team compiled a complete
requirement profile on the basis of VMware Infrastructure Enterprise
and asked several systems companies to submit a feasible total concept.
The decision went in favour of the IT systems company ARGE hellweg
data GmbH & Co. KG based in Werl, North Rhine-Westphalia. "The
future of the computer centre lies in virtualisation",
explains Fabian Taterka with confidence. "We are using innovative
and proven technologies in production and that of course also applies
to EDP. Furthemore, with the VMware concept we are establishing
an essential EDP basis for further growth of the group."
Together with the team of five colleagues from the IT department, ahd consultants devised an implementation plan. Within a year, the headquarters in Gevelsberg and all production sites were to have access to one uniform EDP environment. "The time schedule was ambitious, but as a result of the excellent working relationship between the EDP departments at the sites in Gevelsberg and Hohenlockstedt, we remained entirely on schedule," explains Fabian Taterka.
The central elements of the concept included relocating
the ERP system and making it available via a central Citrix terminal
server farm, the setting-up of a new directory service on the basis
of Windows 2003 Active Directories, as well as the migration of
the existing various e-mail systems onto Microsoft Exchange 2007.
All services had to be made available on the newly created HP DL580
ESX servers and the new Storage Area Network, a StorageWorks Enterprise
Virtual Array from HP, and were required to meet the highest requirements
in terms of their security standards. "We
make no compromises when it comes to data security,"
says Andreas Rother, Managing Director of ahd, and refers to the
ISO/TS certifications, which the Vollmann Group has achieved for
its continuous improvement of all processes and for guaranteeing
a high level of security and high quality standards.
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The first milestone in the project phase proceeded
just as precisely to plan as the following stages: the ERP system,
which was being used by 130 members of staff at the same time following
its last phase of expansion, was successfully migrated without a
problem from the physical server to a virtual server. "The
performance of the software has improved even further", comments
Fabian Taterka in response to the original concerns that the ERP
system would not run efficiently in a virtual environment. All e-mail
servers were migrated to the new exchange server, which also operates
in a virtual machine in the new computer centre. The migration of
all other servers into the VMware environment then followed. In
addition, the central Internet access, which is protected by a redundant
security gateway and a firewall cluster, along with a sophisticated
disaster recovery system which operates on the basis of VMware,
provide significant advantages for the security of all production
sites.
Following 12 months of planning and a smooth migration process, the Vollmann Group is operating with a modern, virtual EDP environment which is scaleable as and when required. The addition of new servers and the migration of existing servers into the new computer centre require significantly less time and involve no capital outlay for additional hardware.
"We have exactly what
we wanted: a future-proof, flexible EDP system, which makes optimum
use of the existing resources and is much more cost-effective to
manage," says Fabian Taterka.
The investments will have already paid for themselves in just a few years. Following reduction of the physical servers from 37 to 15, considerable energy costs are being saved for operation and air conditioning. Furthermore, significant savings have been made in terms of EDP servicing costs. These are important benefits which the company could not have achieved with the old infrastructure.
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Overview 
