Our custom BlackBerry application really lets us stay connected to the lab. We can check in any time we want, from wherever we are. Tony Modafferi, Engineering Group Manager, General Motors Co.

The Challenge

Testing expensive battery prototypes is an around-the-clock job for the engineers at GM’s Global Battery Systems Lab. Engineering team leads are always on-call in case the lab monitoring equipment generates a fault alert signifying a problem. These alerts often require onsite investigation after non-business hours.

The Solution

Since General Motors® already had a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server and senior executives use BlackBerry® smartphones, the lab team decided to work with technology they knew to develop a custom BlackBerry® application to better protect the batteries during testing, while also freeing up engineering resources. With guidance from the Research In Motion (RIM) Corporate Developer Program (CDP), the team developed LABerry – an application that links to the lab’s monitoring and alert software so that engineers receive detailed test information on their BlackBerry smartphones.

General Motors Global Battery Systems Lab’s Benefits

  • Greater security when accessing LABerry offsite
  • Maintaining work-life balance
  • Increased efficiency onsite
Industry Manufacturing & Technology
Region North America
Company Size Small Business Unit within Large Enterprise – 38 employees (Global Battery Systems Lab)
Type of Solution Research In Motion (RIM) Corporate Developer Program (CDP)
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