AIOS

The Company: About AIOS

AIOS Automotive Integrated Overhead Systems, known simply as AIOS, is a German automotive supplier specializing in premium headliners for interior vehicles. Based in Überherrn, Germany, near the borders of France and Luxembourg, AIOS also runs plants in the north of Germany in Bremen and in Maichingen (in the south of Germany near Stuttgart).

The company has been in the industry for more than 40 years and is known for its highly experienced team, many of whom have worked at the company for decades. This depth of expertise not only ensures consistent quality but also enables AIOS to maintain strong relationships with some of Europe’s biggest automotive manufacturers, including Mercedes, Porsche and Stellantis.

AIOS manages every step of its product journey in-house, from research and design to full-scale production. This end-to-end approach helps the company deliver innovative solutions and maintain the strict standards for quality demanded by the automotive industry. At its Bremen and Maichingen facilities, operations run on a just-in-sequence basis, ensuring headliners arrive at car manufacturers’ assembly lines precisely when needed – no earlier, no later.

In recent years, AIOS has worked to modernize its operations and bring all its systems together under one roof. That effort led it to partner with QAD, whose software solutions have become essential tools for running AIOS’s business.

The Situation: Disconnected Systems

DISPARATE SYSTEMS THREATEN AGILITY AND EFFICIENCY IN A FAST-CHANGING INDUSTRY

Like many large and successful manufacturers in the automotive industry, AIOS eventually found itself at a crossroads. The company built a strong reputation for quality craftsmanship and had strong relationships with major OEMs but as technology accelerated and supply chains grew more unpredictable, it found itself relying on disconnected systems and manual processes that were no longer sustainable.

Over time, different departments had adopted separate tools and systems, resulting in fragmented processes and data scattered across silos.

Leadership recognized that AIOS needed to modernize and bring its operations onto a single, unified platform to be as efficient as possible while retaining its competitive edge. ​“It was really important to work in one system, to have all the databases coming from one source,” shared Govea.

Shifting customer demand and global disruption made the situation even more urgent, said Lars Diedrich, Plant Manager at AIOS: ​“With the start of COVID-19, demand swung up and down. Then came the semiconductor shortage and the Ukraine war. Each event forced us to react swiftly, and that is not possible without a stable MRP.”

“It has been a challenge to bring the right numbers to our suppliers, to our production, to schedule production and to plan the different lines, so we don’t have parts we cannot sell, or too few parts available,” said Diedrich.

AIOS needed a solution that would bring its business systems into alignment, provide real-time visibility and help it navigate rapid change in the industry – all while maintaining a lean IT team and continuing to deliver the superior quality products its customers expected.

“With the implementation of QAD Adaptive ERP, we finally have 100% delivery to the customer,” says Lars Diedrich, Plant Manager, AIOS

The Solution: QAD Adaptive

QAD ADAPTIVE ERP, DEMAND & DELIVERY AND EQMS UNITE PEOPLE, PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS

AIOS implemented QAD Adaptive ERP to establish a single source of truth across its operations, replacing a patchwork of disconnected tools and enabling seamless collaboration across departments.

“We decided to go to QAD because it offered the perfect match for automotive-specific financial processes,” explained Diedrich. ​“From the first day on, we decided to have one system for everything.”

The rollout of QAD Adaptive ERP spanned core functions including finance, purchasing, production, logistics and quality management. By consolidating all operations into a single platform, AIOS eliminated unnecessary interfaces between systems, reduced manual and paper-based processes, and ensured that every team worked from the same, reliable data.

“It is so perfect for us to use and have only one system, powered by QAD,” shared Diedrich.

Previously, production schedules were maintained in spreadsheets and physically shared on the shop floor. Now, all scheduling and planning happens directly in QAD, visible in real time across the production line.

“Nowadays we can do it directly in the system live, and they can see it automatically in all the stations and all the production line stations. That makes our jobs really easy,” stated Govea.

Once the system was fully implemented and stabilized, AIOS worked with a dedicated QAD Business Consultant for a business process assessment — now known as the QAD Champion Benchmark — to help the team get the most from their investment and identify opportunities for further optimization.

“The biggest benefit of this assessment or this partnership is that the people – and that is always the biggest challenge – feel more comfortable with the system. If they see they’re getting support, then they’re much more interested in working with the system,” explained Diedrich.

In addition to QAD Adaptive ERP, AIOS adopted QAD Demand and Delivery to ​“provide a solution for all the suppliers that don’t have the capability to have a standard EDI, which is really important in the automotive industry,” continued Govea. It also brought QAD EQMS (Enterprise Quality Management System) into the fold to centralize and standardize quality management processes.

A high level of out-of-the-box functionality was important for AIOS, and it was able to implement QAD Adaptive ERP with minimal modifications. In a few cases where unique requirements arose, AIOS leveraged the powerful, unintrusive extensibility of QAD Adaptive ERP to tailor the solution without introducing technical debt. Working alongside QAD Professional Services, the team used built-in, no-code tools to create bespoke capabilities that support specialized shipping processes and customer forecasting. This approach allowed AIOS to meet its business needs while maintaining system stability and ease of upgrades.

The Results: QAD Adaptive Implementation Benefits

AIOS GAINS 100% DELIVERY PERFORMANCE, REAL-TIME VISIBILITY AND CONFIDENCE FOR THE FUTURE

“With the implementation of QAD Adaptive ERP, we finally have 100% delivery to the customer,” shared Diedrich. ​“We have almost no special transport, which normally causes big issues and costs. QAD supports us to be on the side that is perfect for the customer – a very good situation with no special freight, 100% delivery and trust from our customers.”

In addition to improved delivery performance, AIOS has gained confidence in the accuracy and speed of data across its entire organization. Reports that relied on manual updates and disconnected systems are a thing of the past.

Planning production and managing customer requirements is easier than ever, reducing the risk of costly last-minute challenges and positioning AIOS to respond to shifting market conditions with speed and agility. ​“With QAD, we can plan according to customer requirements and assure deliveries without having extra costs like premium freight,” continued Govea.

Quality has always been at the heart of AIOS’ operations, and it’s one of the reasons the company has built a loyal customer base among major OEMs. Protecting that reputation was essential, and with QAD EQMS in place, AIOS is now positioned for continued growth.

Quality management processes are more streamlined than ever, with one system handling everything from daily production checks to detailed reports for customers. As a result, AIOS consistently maintains an extremely strong parts quality KPI (ppm) while also achieving 100% delivery performance.

“Quality is really important for our customers and OEMs,” explained Govea. ​“QAD EQMS manages all of our quality information – from small reports on the production line to big reports for our customers. So, they know we’re working with a system that’s reliable.”

With a unified digital backbone in place, AIOS is prepared for anything the future brings its way and is ready to continue growing with the same dedication to quality and reliability that has made it an industry leader in the automotive space.