Tokyo Electron Builds a Modular, Agile Development Model that Empowers Business and IT to Deliver 100+ apps

Challenge

Turning a monolithic past into a modular future

To maintain its technological leadership and meet a medium-term plan that includes achieving over 3 trillion yen ($20.3 billion) in sales, TEL launched the Global One Platform (G1P) initiative. A critical component of this strategy was to move away from a monolithic ERP system to a modern, modular, and agile IT architecture.

TEL recognized that modernization would improve delivery process productivity and enable data-driven decision making. However, with a complex, global system where many requests were "falling through the cracks," TEL needed a platform that could help it fill the functional gaps left by its core systems and support its migration to a SAP S/4HANA environment. Accelerated development was essential to this major effort.

Solution

A high-productivity and agile development model for continuous improvement

For TEL, digital transformation is the result of continuously improving user experience. So, the IT team focuses on creating new user experiences that can directly improve usability and mobilize the workforce.

Using OutSystems, Microsoft Power Platform, and UiPath as core technologies, TEL implemented a high-productivity, agile development model that serves the full range of developer needs, from professional to business users. This model was designed to increase development velocity and support the Kaizen philosophy. By providing a unified and governed platform, TEL teams could build and continually evolve differentiated applications that integrate with the compact ERP core, CRM, and MES.

Under the G1P initiative, Tokyo Electron created more than 100 applications. This includes more than 40 micro-apps that digitalize complex workflows and seamlessly integrate with key systems like SAP. A notable example is a sales-related workflow that now validates 75 different logic patterns instantly and user-friendly work instructions along with the MES package at the shopfloor.

Results

A high performance team that delivers real business value

The G1P initiative transformed how TEL approaches software delivery and business improvement. The company has dramatically lowered costs, with some of the workflow applications saving an estimated ¥1,700 million ($11.5M).

Development speed has drastically improved and the team has seen a 35x boost in productivity, on average. For example, a task that previously took a team of 10 people six months to complete was recently delivered to a higher standard by a single developer in just 15 days using OutSystems. This accelerated delivery and focus on user-friendly applications have led to a flood of new requests from business units.

By digitizing and mobilizing key workflows, such as sales approvals, TEL has significantly improved operational efficiency and enabled remote work.

The OutSystems platform also supports the company's long-term goal of data-driven management by providing a centralized data architecture that enables real-time reporting and faster decision-making. TEL is now using OutSystems to build a strong foundation for future digital initiatives, including the integration of AI.