News
18.06.26
Cloud-native app development using low-code platforms
Industrial companies today use dozens of specialised applications. Each is designed to solve a specific task. Together, they form a network that is difficult to manage. Data exchange is done manually. New requirements mean new development work. IT teams spend ages working through backlog lists.
Low-code platforms offer an alternative. No more years spent on a business app – just weeks or months. No more monolithic back-ends – just cloud-native microservices. No more IT bottlenecks – just business users building workflows themselves.
For industrial companies using PLM systems such as Teamcenter, this becomes even more interesting: low-code platforms can access PLM data directly and automate the business logic around it. This opens up entirely new possibilities.
This article explains how cloud-native app development works with low-code – and how d.u.h.Group can support you in this process.
Why is low-code revolutionising application development?
Traditional software development is slow. A developer writes code, often from scratch. The code is tested, documented and deployed. A simple workflow requiring only a small amount of business logic can take weeks to develop.
Low-code platforms such as Mendix are fundamentally changing this approach. They provide ready-made components: data models, business logic building blocks and user interface elements. A developer – or even a technically savvy business person – can combine these components visually.
The result: productivity is multiplied. An application that would traditionally take three months to build is created in four weeks. Not because developers type faster, but because the infrastructure, best practices and patterns are already built in. The focus is on business logic, not on technical details.
Low-code is becoming the preferred choice, particularly in cloud environments. Cloud-native architectures are complex. Scalability, security, monitoring, auto-scaling: not all developers need to understand these aspects. The platform manages them. The developer concentrates on the business.
For industrial companies, this means they can react more quickly to market changes. A new customer requirement? A new audit requirement? Instead of months of development, it can take just weeks. And the app runs securely and scalably in the cloud.
Integration with Teamcenter: PLM data access
The true value of low-code for industrial companies lies in its integration with existing systems. Specifically: PLM systems such as Teamcenter. These serve as the single source of truth for product data: design versions, bills of materials, change history and configurations.
With Mendix, you can build apps that access this data directly. A user searches for a variant of a component – the app retrieves the data from Teamcenter and displays it. A sales team creates a tender – the app automatically retrieves the latest specifications from the PLM. A design engineer registers a change – a Mendix app notifies relevant stakeholders and triggers approval workflows.
This eliminates data silos. Today, many companies have information stored in three different places: in the PLM system, in the sales database, and in Excel spreadsheets. Versions drift apart. Errors arise because nobody knows which source is up to date. With Mendix and Teamcenter integration, the PLM becomes the single source of truth. Apps are built around it.
Technically, this works via Teamcenter APIs. Mendix can make REST calls to Teamcenter, retrieve data and trigger changes. The integration is standard. Mendix developers do not need to delve deep into the technical details of Teamcenter.
This isn’t just theory. Companies using this integration report that manual data entry has fallen by 70 per cent. Error rates in design documentation are dropping. Approval times are shrinking because workflows are automated.
Rapid prototyping: From concept to working app
Low-code doesn’t just speed up development. It also democratises it. Business users can build prototypes without having to code. A logistics specialist designs a workflow to track production orders. A quality engineer builds a form dialogue for inspection results. The sales manager defines a bid management app.
Mendix has a graphical modelling environment. You define data models, business rules and user flows using drag-and-drop. The code is generated automatically. Not a single line needs to be written. This enables prototyping in days rather than weeks.
This is particularly powerful in two scenarios: Firstly, when you’re unsure whether an idea will work. You can quickly build a prototype using real data, show it to users and gather feedback. This reduces the risk of investment. Instead of investing millions in an uncertain app, give low-code a try.
Secondly, when requirements are unclear. In traditional development, making changes is expensive – the architecture has to be adapted and tests have to be rewritten. With low-code, making changes is cheap. You modify the workflow, reload it and test it. That takes hours, not weeks.
A typical process: A requirements workshop with users. A Mendix developer builds a working prototype over the weekend. On Monday morning, you show it to users. They provide feedback. By Tuesday, it’s updated. By Thursday, the version is live. This isn’t a pipe dream – it’s happening today in companies that are using low-code correctly.
Cloud-native scalability and operational reliability
Low-code platforms such as Mendix are cloud-native. This means they are designed with scalability, availability and security in mind right from the start.
When traditional apps grow, IT has to scale vertically: larger servers, more RAM, better databases. This is expensive and eventually reaches its limits. Cloud-native apps scale horizontally: more instances of the app run in parallel, with a load balancer distributing requests. This is cheaper and offers unlimited scalability.
Mendix manages this automatically. You build the app, define how much throughput you need, and Mendix organises the infrastructure. A peak in demand during a product launch? The platform automatically scales up. A quiet weekend day? It scales down, saving you money. That’s pure-play cloud – you pay for what you use.
Security is built in. Mendix runs in hardened cloud data centres. Encryption is standard. Audits are carried out. Backups are automated. This saves small and medium-sized IT teams a lot of work. You don’t have to manage security compliance yourself.
Monitoring and alerting are also provided. If an app slows down or goes down, Mendix notifies you automatically. You can dive deeper into the logs and troubleshoot issues. That’s production reliability without operational overhead.
Particularly valuable for industrial companies: many regulations require data localisation – data must remain within specific countries. Mendix allows for regional deployments. Your app runs within the EU; your data never leaves Europe. Complex compliance requirements become achievable.
Real-world application scenarios in mechanical engineering and industry
Where do low-code apps really help in mechanical engineering?
First scenario: Design change management. When a design engineer modifies a component in NX, a Mendix app can automatically notify the relevant teams: sales, production and quality control. The app searches for affected products in Teamcenter, creates checklists and sets up approval processes. What currently takes days of email correspondence is now automated.
Second scenario: supply chain transparency. A production manager needs an overview of raw material status, stock levels and suppliers’ delivery times. A Mendix app combines data from multiple systems: ERP for stock levels, Teamcenter for delivery forecasts, and supplier portals for dispatch updates. A dashboard displays everything in one place. Decisions are made faster and with greater certainty.
Third scenario: Quality control and inspection. Inspectors work on the move along production lines. A Mendix app on tablets collects measurement data, photos and inspection results. The app links everything to the production batch in the ERP system and the design in Teamcenter. Data is recorded digitally, not on paper. Further processing is automated.
Fourth scenario: Customer enquiries and configuration. The sales team needs quick quotations. A Mendix app allows customers to enter their requirements online: size, material, capacity, colour. The app checks against available options in Teamcenter, automatically calculates costs and delivery times, and generates a quotation. What might otherwise take days to complete is now done in minutes.
Fifth scenario: Service management. Customers report faults or require support. A Mendix app serves as their portal. They report issues, attach photos or videos, and provide error codes. The app creates automated tickets, notifies support and retrieves relevant documentation from the PLM. The support process is structured and fast.
Challenges and best practices
Low-code is no magic bullet. It has challenges and limitations that you should be aware of.
Firstly: governance. If every department can build apps quickly, chaos can ensue. Apps with their own data models, security policies and integration approaches. Solution: centralised governance from the outset. Define which data sources are central (Teamcenter, ERP) and which can be decentralised. Define naming conventions and security policies. Mendix supports this with governance tools.
Secondly: performance with large volumes of data. Low-code is great for business apps with thousands of records. But if you need to process millions of records or require highly computationally intensive operations, there may be limitations. Solution: Thoughtful architecture. Use low-code for the UI and orchestration. Build backend jobs for bulk data processing using traditional methods.
Thirdly: Legacy system integration. If you have old, proprietary systems, integration can be complex. Solution: APIs and middleware. First equip the legacy systems with APIs, then integrate Mendix. This involves more work, but it is feasible.
Fourth: Staff requirements. Low-code still requires competent developers – fewer code specialists, but more business-oriented designers. Solution: Training. Mendix has good training programmes. An experienced developer can become productive within days.
Fifth: Vendor lock-in. Your apps run on Mendix infrastructure. If you want to move away, it’s a hassle. Solution: Make a conscious decision. Mendix is mature and supported by major players (SAP). That reduces the risk. But the risk is still there.
Conclusion: Low-code as a strategic tool
Today, industrial companies have two major sources of data at their disposal: PLM systems containing product information and ERP systems containing business data. The real value does not lie in the systems themselves, but in how they are combined and the workflows they orchestrate.
Low-code platforms such as Mendix enable you to build business apps that orchestrate this data – faster, more cost-effectively and with less technical effort. This isn’t just about tools. It’s a business story: responding more quickly to market changes, better meeting customer needs, and reducing costs.
As a Mendix partner, d.u.h.Group brings both: in-depth industry experience and expertise in low-code. We have implemented solutions in mechanical engineering, the automotive sector and medical technology. We understand your processes and how low-code can simplify them.
Get in touch with us. We’ll show you which business apps can help you straight away – and how you can build and run them faster than with traditional development.
Topics
Technologies
Mehr entdecken