AVL

The Client

One of the world’s leading mobility technology companies, AVL specializes in development, simulation, and software testing across the automotive industry. The company is an innovator in the field of climate-neutral mobility, engineering cost-effective solutions across a spectrum of applications. Operating for 75 years, AVL has continually expanded and now operates in 29 regions.

The Situation

As AVL continued to expand its global presence, it recognized it needed to relaunch its website to better align with its evolving business requirements. The company aimed to deliver a state-of-the-art web presence reflecting its core values, positioning AVL as a reliable technology partner for future mobility trends.

Key capabilities AVL needed from its site included: 

• Multiregional support, showing different content to the 29 regions in which it operates
• Multilingual support, available in eight languages
• Mid- to long-term savings
• Excellent editorial experience
• Improved user experience through an outstanding and intuitive design
• Integration with Salesforce
• A multisite CMS, enabling the rollout and centralized management of multiple AVL brand and campaign websites 

The Challenge

Previously, the company used a proprietary CMS. However, licensing and maintenance costs were high, so the company wanted a more cost-effective, open source solution. And the solution needed to allow AVL to migrate all content while maintaining (or improving) the original functionality.  

The Solution

Partnering with 1xINTERNET, the teams built the new solution using the Drupal Multisite feature on the Acquia Cloud Platform. The architecture caters to a comprehensive scope, accommodating the requirements of multiple languages and  regions. Multiple sites point to the same code base, supporting the same functionality across each site but enabling markets to deliver specific, customized content.

The teams implemented a single sign-on (SSO) solution so users can authenticate once and gain access to various services without needing separate login credentials. The centralized authentication process gives AVL greater control over user access, permissions, and authentication processes by streamlining user access management and ensuring full security. Real-time access validation that communicates with login servers and verifies VPN private network connections enhances security.

Additionally, 1xINTERNET integrated the new site with Salesforce, allowing AVL to centralize and process information from various sources — from downloads to event and webinar registrations and newsletter subscriptions. The robust bridges between the Drupal and Salesforce environments streamline the data gathering and sharing process. 

The new AVL website serves as a vital part of the company, showcasing recent advancements and services in accordance with regional demands. The teams incorporated add-on features to address individual requirements, like restricted access for each region, market-specific schedules for publishing, and the option of unpublishing full pages and single paragraphs.

The Results

AVL transformed its outdated website into a sophisticated web presence tailored for diverse markets. Using Drupal provided the company with a solid foundation and scope for developing custom features while achieving massive cost savings compared to its previous platform. 

The company’s multisite setup is available in eight languages across 29 regions, each tailoring content to different markets. The website fully integrates with Salesforce, enhancing AVL’s customer relationship management, streamlining data flow, and improving operational efficiency. And the secure single sign-on solution can handle 50,000 simultaneous users, giving AVL full user governance.

Six months ago, AVL implemented a tracking system that has helped the company optimize its operations and enhance its overall efficiency. And the simple, secure publishing and review process allows web editors to produce region-specific content easily, efficiently, and quickly.