JASPER Engines & Transmissions has been remanufacturing quality products since 1942 and today, with over 20 acres under roof at five facilities, the company is the nation’s largest remanufacturer of gas and diesel engines, transmissions, differentials, rear axle assemblies, marine engines, stern drives, performance engines, and electric motors.

Behind the scenes at JASPER are numerous business and manufacturing software applications built with Data Access Worldwide’s suite of application development tools that JASPER has relied on for over 15 years.

"Our entire system company wide is programmed in-house using Visual DataFlex," says Rod Mundy, who’s responsible for designing & implementing software solutions using VDF at JASPER, and for providing support for the company’s programming staff of ten. "We started with DataFlex in 1988. All programs have been developed in DataFlex and/or Visual DataFlex since that time. AR, AP, inside sales, outside sales, distribution, purchasing, production, payroll, HR - are all now developed in VDF."

Doug Bawel, Jasper’s president and CEO notes, "Our customers’ ever changing demands have always been able to be met by our computer department. This flexibility can be partially attributed to the flexibility of Visual DataFlex tools."

JASPER has also relied on Visual DataFlex and the VDF Web Application Server to power the company’s on-line catalog and web-based ordering system, as well as an Electos-powered employee benefit web application where company associates can request vacation and personal days, check their benefit information, fill out expense reports, etc. (screen shot). The company also plans to roll out a Benefits Re-Enrollment web site this year where associates can enroll themselves "from the comfort of their home!"

JASPER’s IS/IT staff supports 1,050 PC workstations across all their locations, and an additional 150 laptops, all of which run "DataFlex of one version or another" as their primary or sole application. Platforms deployed include a Novell 5.5 network, Oracle 9i on HP-UX as the backend in the Main Office, and two off-site replicated Oracle servers on LINUX. In addition, Mundy and his team also manage two inbound sales call centers duplicated for disaster recovery, located in Jasper, Indiana and Atlanta, Georgia. All of the company’s sales are done through the call center or via the internet.

"The ease of use in converting our applications to different back-end databases was nothing short of amazing," says Mr. Mundy. "At one time we were running with native DataFlex, Pervasive, and Oracle tables at the same time; the users knew no difference."

JASPER’s vice-president of finance Ralph Schwenk also has praise for the application development tools that Data Access Worldwide has provided the company over the years.

"DataFlex allows us to make changes within our organization without sacrificing the speed and flexibility necessary in today’s business environment," he says. "As the company has grown, we have had the need to utilize various backend databases, and with DataFlex, we were able to make smooth transitions."

JASPER has also tapped into the power of web services along with Visual DataFlex’s support for third-party products to further extend their application architecture, including an Oracle back-end database, DirectRoute software from Appian Logistics (for geocoding customer locations), and credit card processing software.

"Implementation of the web service for geocoding addresses (screen shot) was a breeze with Visual DataFlex 10!" says Mr. Mundy.

One business problem (or "opportunity" as Mundy and his colleagues refer to them) that JASPER was seeking a solution for was that by the time the company’s branches went to deliver a remanufactured unit to a customer, if the address was bad, it took the branch "quite a bit of work" to figure out where to make the delivery. By verifying and geocoding the address on the front end of the order process - while the customer is still on the phone - routing and delivery on the backend became much more efficient.

"Before we implemented this system, we were getting a 70% hit rate on addresses," explains Mr. Mundy. "After turning in to we improved to 85%, and we are implementing a training program for our Sales agents to further improve the hit rate."

JASPER extends their reliance on Visual DataFlex beyond typical business applications to the shop floor. The Engine Dyno testing program (screen shot) is used to test every engine that goes through the production line. The controls in the program receive input from a computer board on the Dyno testing unit.

Mr. Mundy explains further, "Since it’s a VDF App, we pull in the specs for each particular stock number, then while testing, the program will validate that the input it is getting from the Dyno falls with the spec range. This particular program can also control the RPMs of the unit while in the testing phase. As the unit is going through testing, we store the results for later statistical analysis and reference in case there is a warranty problem."

Visual DataFlex in use on JASPER Engine’s production line. In this photo, the operator is installing a crank in an engine block. He will key in a "Tag" number which identifies the unit he is working on. The VDF program will then show him the torque specs he needs to use to tighten the bolts on the crank. From the program, he also has the ability to view all the specs for the unit, along with any notes that have been entered throughout the production process. The apparatus he is using is a very high tech torque wrench.

The controls for the Dyno program are ActiveX components that came with the computer boards, and Visual DataFlex’s class generator for ActiveX components was used to import the controls into the VDF program.JASPER also uses a third party DLL to identify a vehicle from it’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). After entering the VIN, the control will determine the make, year, and, model of the vehicle. This data is then used by JASPER’s catalog to determine the correct stock number for the end user.

JASPER’s programming team has also implemented a "round trip" order system with SBC Communications’ fleet maintenance division, where SBC’s software will present JASPER’s web catalog to the SBC user, then SBC’s software builds a shopping cart from this interaction, after which JASPER’S web page then sends the cart back to SBC’s software to complete the transaction.

"The web part is naturally VDF," says Mr. Mundy. "We and SBC are very happy with the way the WebApp works with SBC’s software. We are working on developing a "core" Web App that we can use with all our National Account customers."

JASPER Engines & Transmissions employs 1900 associates, and the company’s products are distributed through a network of 36 branch and distributor locations throughout the United States. The majority of JASPER’s customer base is independent garages and service stations, with national accounts such as FedEx, the U.S. Postal Service, and SBC as the next largest segment of their customer base. JASPER is also a sponsor and supplier to the JASPER #77 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Dodge. The 800+ horsepower engines are built by Penske JASPER Engines in Concord, North Carolina. Transmissions and differentials are built at the JASPER, Indiana facility.

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