All data in one place and available to everyone

Where to store and how to process and efficiently use large amounts of production or sales data?

O

he amount of data the carmaker has is growing fast. Data centres, application systems, data platforms or portals for customers, suppliers, distributors and employees are being built. This can also include smart mobility, car sharing and other modern technologies. All of this requires a new business concept: a data-driven company. Developing products and services, including customer service, will increasingly depend on the good management, visualisation and analysis of data.

For ŠKODA AUTO, data are like water. The biggest challenge is to put together enough people willing to build a water pipe instead of using buckets to carry the water.

Bohuslav Čech 

FI/1 – Technology Portfolio and Projects

Information in one place

Modern approach to handle data from various sources is now presented by the so-called data analysis platform (DAP). “It was established in 2018, and last year we integrated it into our IT ecosystem. We are gradually expanding it with other functions. The advantages include large capacity, data processing speed, variety of formats used and a rich set of tools for reports, analytics and artificial intelligence”, says Jiří Boček from FI/1 – Technology Portfolio and Projects. The platform runs on servers at the Data Centre. It is gradually being connected to various technologies (SAP HANA, Oracle, Kafka), as well as cloud services (Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services etc.). “This is a broad-range database where data for a variety of analyses, predictions and optimisations are and will be available. Based on information acquired this way, we can then plan the entire production. The platform makes it easy to consolidate data from different sources, combine them and examine them from different perspectives”, says Jan Botorek, who is one of the members of the analytical team.

Common data source

One year after trial operation, the platform is already being used in the Production and Logistics (for example, the first production app for analysing and evaluating delivery fidelity is already in use), Quality Control, Marketing, Technical Development areas and in the Warranty department, where a smart scoring of requirements has been prototyped. As far as artificial intelligence is concerned, this includes, for example, the Smart Body Dimensions project for welding shops, optimisation tasks, image and speech recognition, semantic analysis, neural networks and predictive tasks. For example, they are able to predict with some degree of accuracy that an event will occur, such as a machine failure. Furthermore, it is possible to evaluate customer loyalty, predict their behaviour and estimate their needs and accordingly offr a suitable product (vehicle, accessories and services).

“DAP aims to provide space and capacity not only to test hypotheses but mainly to pproduce the apps that rely on data from multiple sources. It can be used to analyse data from various departments together or to link internal and external information, such as data from cars and maps”, adds Boček. 

More information on data services and DAP can be found on ŠKODA Space by going to Information > Employee Services > Data Services. Štěpán Vorlíček

404

Platform users, of which 322 are analysts and 82 data scientists

16

servers use DAP

149

terabytes (TB) is the storage capacity, which corresponds to the discs of about 300 regular laptops

1.8

TB is the average data increment per mont

Digital and data transformation

“Data are a valuable asset whose value is constantly growing. They are used for procedural improvement, employee decisions or the development of new products. ŠKODA AUTO has already started the transformation towards data-oriented management, but we still have a lot of innovative work to do. It is a challenge and has difficulties. It is not simple, but overall, it makes sense to move us and the carmaker forward. The strategy promoted by the Finance and IT area, which the data analysis team is part of, is actively contributing to the digital and data transformation at ŠKODA AUTO”, explains Jiří Boček, adding that there is great potential in combining data from different departments and in searching for links between individual indicators.

The backbone of a modern company

“As is the case when constructing a cathedral that will last for centuries, every long-term project needs to have stable foundations. In the world of information technology, these foundations are made of data. Processing, storing, interpreting and making them available in an appropriate way form the backbone of a modern company. We are confident that the DAP can become a suitable building block for your project as well”, says Jan Botorek, a data engineer from the same department, when describing the advantages of the platform.

@SMART Application

Do you work from home, or are you often doing field work, and the paper version of internal documents for signing no longer suits you?

DigiSIGN

The app for signing internal electronic documents is constantly expanding with new functionalities. The aim is to gradually adapt all internal communication and documentation so that, in the future, only electronic signatures will be used. “Recently, for example, we changed the signature size to fit into most forms used”, says Jiří Kazda from SB/4 – Digitisation and HR System Support. 

In this app, you create your own signature requests or initial those from other people. As applicants, you will receive an e-mail notification that the request has been processed, and you can download the approved documents onto your PC, as applications can currently be signed only this way. It is now also possible to download the document, even without all the signatures. However, the files are always deleted from the server 25 days after being approved by the last person (or 25 days after creating the request, if not signed by everyone). If you have access to ŠKODA Space, you can add DigiSign to your Favourites and My Applications card. RED

more than this amount of signed documents have been collected by the app during the first weeks of operation

What you need for electronic signing

Internet Explorer browser

Download the DigiSign app from the software centre

MFA card with active PKI chip

Know your PIN for the certificate 

on the MFA card 

Have a valid e-mail address ending 

in “@skoda-auto.cz”

KOMPAS will show you the way

The new HR system will serve all employees

M

oon, you can take a look at your team’s organisational structure, visit the internal job market, check the accuracy of your personal data or make changes to them via the new HR system SAP SuccessFactors, labelled internally as KOMPAS. The launch was preceded by an information campaign and training for the Process and Organisational Management department, HR professionals and immediate superiors in previous months. In August, the foremen will become another group introduced to the functionalities of the system and its use in practice. You can find out the exact date of launching the KOMPAS application from ŠKODA Space.

How to do it

KOMPAS will be made available to all employees, direct superiors and the HR team. In many cases, you do not have to visit the HR department; you will no longer have to go there, for example, when changing your permanent residence, private contact details, information about children etc. You can access the HR system via My Applications on the Employee Portal. You can add the KOMPAS icon to your Favourites. Logging in this way will always be automatic, so there is no need to enter another password, as is the case with the electronic payroll. It is recommended to use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome for better display. Using ŠKODA Space, you can also work in the HR system on your mobile devices. The KOMPAS  – SAP SuccessFactors mobile app will then be used for quick access to information or approval workflows. Instructions on how to handle it can be found in the KOMPAS Employee Self-Service training at eDoceo or on ŠKODA Space.

Where to get advice

Even after starting the system, the information pages will remain accessible at www.skoda-kompas.cz/en and introduce you to the functions of the system in a playful way. Information on training and training materials for individual groups will be available as well. The KOMPAS Help telephone assistance is also available. On weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., you will be given answers to all your questions or redirected to the support team in the case of more difficult issues when you dial +420 (0) 326 819 700. RED

Find more at ŠKODA Space