BMW SA has slashed its mainframe batch window in half since implementing Control-M, New Dimension`s system scheduler. Kelvin Maguire, manager of BMW`s mainframe division, says the cost savings and benefits of Control-M have raised the bar of IT performance at BMW`s Rosslyn and Midrand-based plants. "We invested in Control-M to help us meet our requirements for a second production shift by early next year," says Maguire, "and so far we`re right on track." Control-M was supplied by local New Dimension distributor Software Futures and implemented by systems programmer Leon de Lange and operations supervisor Mark Harris, in effect replacing BMW`s manual job process. Ensuring the job run for one day was automated on the morning of the run, the team took a week to enable the scheduling process for the remainder of the month. Monthly schedules were then enabled one or two days before month-end. "Installation was painless," expands De Lange, "and operator retraining was minimal. After an hour at work with Control-M, operators had absorbed the basics." BMW processes up to 250 jobs on a daily basis. Operational statistics show total runtime reduction with Control-M scheduling was 48,63% a fortnight after implementation. From December 1, 1997 to December 11, 1997, total daily runtime was shrunk from 11 hours to just over five. "That`s a saving of nearly six hours," says Maguire, "which frees up valuable resources for new jobs." To put the saving in perspective, the batch window has been pushed from 6pm to 8pm with Control-M. "Our dealers can process purchase orders until 8pm anywhere in the country, and many do," adds Maguire. "We no longer have to bring our systems down for the batch at 6pm as we did before, and we are looking to push the window even further by the second quarter." Before Control-M, the manual task of scheduling 250 jobs was time-consuming and labour-intensive. Jobs could only be run simultaneously if the operator knew which jobs could be run together, and the naming conventions of each job implied a high level of inaccuracy. "It took an operator three months to get to grips with the manual run," says Maguire. "This was wasted time and effort." Control-M has introduced a new discipline at BMW. No manual jobs are allowed, and specific jobs not in the schedule can only be executed with special permission from the operations manager. BMW has also guaranteed the batch is delivered on time every day. This is vital as it provides a buffer in case of failure or outage, and allows BMW to fix problems before they knock on into the following day. As the batch window shrinks, so the buffer increases. "In this way, we can deliver optimal service to our clients, meet our service level agreements and maintain our competitive advantage in service delivery nationwide," adds Maguire. Looking ahead, the company will integrate SAP R/3 on Unix with Control-M options for SAP R/3. The combination will allow operators previously trained on Control-M to transfer their knowledge of the job scheduling process across the enterprise without having to learn SAP R/3 conventions. "As a platform-independent solution, Control-M will allow the ops staff to treat the overnight batch as one operation," says Maguire. "Bottomline manual work has been taken away, and instead we can concentrate on high-level priorities to keep our engines oiled and our wheels turning." Allen Lewis, systems management MD at Software Futures, says Control-M`s high-level view enables BMW to take action swiftly and with complete confidence. "Control products deliver a mind shift for the business," says Lewis, "with tools that make them work from the word go."
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