The Austrian subsidiary Magna Powertrain Engineering Center Steyr GmbH & Co KG (ECS) of the globally leading automotive supplier Magna International and the Hanover-based software developer Aucotec have as of now agreed on a distinctly extended cooperation based on a new concept.

At the center of the new cooperation, now directly agreed upon between Aucotec AG in Hanover and Magna Powertrain ECS, is the new object-oriented and database-driven software package Engineering Base (EB) with its up-to-date specification EB Cable for wiring harness development. The philosophy and architecture of this intuitively usable tool, which due to the database in the background always delivers consistent data in each view and work phase, rapidly convinced the Austrian cable professionals. The partnership between the two software specialists now expressly refers to the joint further development and marketing of Engineering Base Cable under the overall control of Aucotec. Another aim is the later migration of the current Kabi customers to EB Cable within the framework of existing maintenance contracts. A common road map is currently being developed.

Both companies undertake to keep a continuous, intensive transfer of know-how at all levels. "With Aucotec, we have got a development partner with up-to-date software tools and creative ideas who absolutely speaks our language", says Josef Reichweger, head of the division Technical Information Systems at Magna Powertrain. Whereas Aucotec sees to a thorough training in Engineering Base, at the same time the application and development know-how of Magna Powertrain in harness design strengthens the Aucotec competence center "Harnessing", which mirrors the new structure with the reinforced branch orientation at Aucotec. The other Aucotec competence centers deal with mechanical engineering and plant construction, process engineering and power generation and distribution.

Magna Powertrain ECS in St. Valentin has for over 15 years been cooperating with Aucotec Technodat in Vienna, the Austrian subsidiary of Aucotec AG, which in Germany belongs to the major software houses for the planning and operation of electrical as well as measuring and control facilities. The exceedingly successful result of this cooperation is the harness design software package Ruplan-Kabi. Customers such as MAN or Rosenbauer, the special-purpose vehicle manufacturer for fire brigades worldwide, have for years been using it for projecting the cabling of their demanding and extensive on-board electronics.