FORD & CI&T:

Expanding Wings in South America with AI

Ford Motor Company, a multinational automotive manufacturer, was determined to evolve Wings, its parts and warehouse management platform in South America.

The project involved adapting the platform to the specific tax regulations of nine warehouses across different countries in the region. CI&T embraced this initiative with enthusiasm, responding to the unique needs of the South American market.

CHALLENGES FACED

Operational complexity

Managing nine warehouses, each with its own tax particularities, brought great challenges to the team. The need to think of ways to adapt the platform to the specific rules of each location became a priority.

Legacy
system

With a base of 550,000 lines of code on the Wings platform, along with complex integrations, the CI&T team embarked on a journey to deeply understand how the existing system worked.

Accelerated training

The short timeframe for delivering the solution in Argentina demanded swift action. Preparing the team and internalizing project knowledge were essential elements to ensure success. The onboarding program not only accelerated the team's learning curve but was also crucial in guaranteeing the continuity and quality of support for existing operations, created by a previous business partner.

PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

Efficiency through collaboration

Assembled three dedicated teams: two focused on developing features for Argentina and one for ongoing support. This collaborative approach ensured a quick response to challenges while maintaining the sustainability of ongoing operations.

Immersion and learning

Developed an immersion program that accelerated business understanding, leveraging GenAI's capabilities to optimize learning and deliver more agile solutions. This immersion material served a dual purpose: in addition to rapidly training the team, it was also essential for maintaining the operational stability of the production platform.

Alignment with the business

The partnership between CI&T and Ford was fundamental, with AI playing a key role in the process. The use of Gen AI and CI&T FLOW, Ford's proprietary LLM, among other tools, allowed for the anticipation of discoveries and the rapid gathering of information necessary to understand local demands. This enabled the adaptation and implementation of platform functionalities in Argentina in a more agile and assertive manner. AI was also crucial in accelerating the accuracy of the discovery process, feature writing, user stories, and the definition of test scenarios. The recordings and transcriptions (over 4,800 minutes of meetings and 50,000 lines of content) made it possible to connect important points between what was discovered in the initial phases and what had been previously mapped, bringing clarity and coherence to development decisions.

RESULTS
ACHIEVED

Fast delivery

Reduced the implementation phase time by two months, completing the project in just 10 months.

Transformative
data

Collected over 4,800 minutes of meeting recordings and 50,000 lines of transcripts, essential data for continuous refinement. They were also crucial in increasing the accuracy of developments and ensuring that functionalities accurately reflected the needs of this market.

Artificial Intelligence as an ally

AI was integrated into all phases, not only to meet the demands of the Argentinian market, but also to enhance the platform in the region. Its strategic application in discovery directly impacted the quality and speed of deliverables, connecting learnings, accelerating insights, and helping the development team make more assertive decisions.

TECNOLOGIES USED

Java: An accelerator for developing agile and robust systems.
Angular: Dynamic web interfaces, promoting excellent usability.

"The partnership with CI&T and the initiative to use Generative AI throughout the software development cycle, from the initial knowledge transfer stage to the CI&T team, were essential to expedite the launch of Wings in Argentina and accelerate its positive impact on parts warehouse management. All of this was done with a focus on continuously improving the quality of service offered to Ford customers."

Djalma Brighenti, IT Director, Ford South America