ATS Applied Tech Systems makes a strategic choice for the Thinkwise low-code platform

ATS Applied Tech Systems is a company of Dutch origin, which specializes in industrial automation, with offices in 25 countries.

The company mainly develops software solutions for the manufacturing sector, sometimes in combination with the hardware. To be able to satisfy the increasing demand from customers for tailor-made software the company has chosen to use the Thinkwise Platform.

“There is a lack of good programmers available in the market,” says Rob Valent, Managing Director at ATS Applied Tech Systems. “So, we looked for a way to develop software faster. Thinkwise offers us an excellent solution, because with this low-code platform we are now already saving a third of the hours that we were having to spend on programming. This is far above all our expectations. The first projects for customers have now been successfully completed and our customers are very enthusiastic about Thinkwise. We have a great deal of confidence in the platform, the support and the organization.”

Replacing legacy

ATS’s customers have an increasing need for tailor-made software. According to Rob Valent there is a high demand for solutions to integrate various best-of-breed software packages, but there is also increasingly a requirement to replace legacy software and in so doing create more value for customers.

Rob Valent: “Our customers often use legacy solutions from package vendors, which have been extensively configured and customized over the years. We receive many requests to modernize these types of solutions, because they are not available commercially. Thinkwise specifically focuses on the replacement of legacy, which enables us to modernize this software for our customers based on a flexible low-code foundation.”

The low-code platform has also been enthusiastically received by the ATS software developers. The employees were extremely positive about Thinkwise right from the start. After a short training, a pilot of two weeks was started, after which they were able to complete projects independently. “Now, an increasing number of employees want to learn how to work with the low-code platform. Not because they have to, but because they want to. Using Thinkwise, you spend far more time modelling than programming, and the software is then automatically available on all devices such as desktop, tablet and mobile. This means that they can provide our customers with a working solution much faster.”

Low-code is the future

One of the most noticeable benefits of Thinkwise, according to Rob Valent, is that you can discuss software with more stakeholders in an organization: “You work in the development environment with a graphic overview which clearly shows how your processes will operate. This makes it much easier to discuss these processes with different people throughout the organization, without actually having to look at the software. With traditional software development you are often faced with different insights about how something works or should work due to the technical barrier between business and IT.”

In addition, it allows ATS to implement modifications in the software for its customers much faster. Rob Valent: “Companies in the manufacturing sector are almost continuously faced with changes. For example, they have to satisfy all kinds of market conditions and react to new legislation. Thinkwise allows them to respond a lot faster to all these developments. Low-Code is not a phase that will pass. I expect that this manner of software development will become extremely important for our industry.”

ATS Applied Tech Systems is an interesting partner for Thinkwise to provide companies in the manufacturing sector with flexible modifiable software for their mission-critical systems. Rogier van Konijnenburg, Senior Partner Manager at Thinkwise: “ATS wants to enable its business relations to react faster to the requirements of employees and customers, so that they can become even more successful. We are proud of the strategic choice for the Thinkwise Platform.”

About ATS Applied Tech Systems

ATS Applied Tech Systems is the leading Independent Solution Provider for Smart Digital Transformation. The company has a passion for automation, quality and IT and delivers tangible business added value for its customers worldwide. More information about ATS: www.ats-global.com