In today’s hyper-connected world, the everyday products we rely on—from food packaging to aircraft parts—are increasingly enabled by smart, digital processes. Behind this seamless manufacturing lies a digital backbone that must keep up with the complexity and scale of global operations.

Jabil, one of the world’s largest manufacturing solutions providers, knows this challenge firsthand. With over 140,000 employees across 100+ production sites, Jabil is an industry titan. But even giants can be slowed by legacy development models.

Faced with a software delivery backlog that could have taken a century to resolve using traditional methods, Jabil needed a new approach. Their answer? A strategic shift to low-code development with Mendix.

Rethinking Speed and Scale in Manufacturing IT

Jabil’s IT team was under growing pressure to deliver more—faster. But aligning IT and Operations across dozens of countries and business lines isn’t easy.

After an extensive evaluation of low-code platforms, Mendix emerged as the clear winner. The deciding factors? Enterprise-grade security, unmatched ease-of-use, and a true sense of partnership from the Mendix team.

55+ Applications in Two Years – and Counting

Since adopting Mendix as their standard development platform in 2022, Jabil has already built over 55 applications, transforming everything from shop floor management to internal processes.

Some highlights include:

• Customizable dashboards for Jabil’s in-house MES4.0 system, adaptable by local production teams while remaining under IT governance.
• Shop floor kiosks running Mendix apps for real-time quality control and reporting.
• A mission-critical labeling application built independently by a production team in just 3 months—no direct IT involvement needed.
• Bespoke internal apps like eCater (managing food orders) and tools for booking parking or desk space, developed in weeks rather than months.

This new wave of application development is improving business efficiency, reducing manual work, and generating millions in cost savings.

Empowering Citizen Developers

One of Jabil’s most impressive moves was democratizing development across its workforce. Through training and strategic communication, the company now boasts 885 certified Mendix developers—many of whom aren’t from traditional IT backgrounds.

The result? A surge in grassroots innovation. Local teams bring ideas to life that would have once stalled in approval queues or budget reviews.

From Structure to Scale: Jabil’s Low-Code Playbook

Jabil’s success wasn’t accidental. It’s built on a foundation of strong strategy and smart practices, including:

• A clear vision: “Increase development velocity and reduce costs by bringing development tools as close as possible to the business requirements.”
• Governance and frameworks: A central IT team creates reusable templates, SSO modules, and UI components to ensure speed and consistency.
• Agile methods: Mendix’s own best practices help Jabil move quickly without compromising quality.
• Regional alignment: Instead of forcing IT structures onto Operations, Jabil’s Center of Excellence adapts to the way production teams already work.

These efforts are supported by tools like Mendix Portfolio Manager, which helps the team visualize KPIs and prioritize development across the enterprise.

$10 Million Saved – and Just Getting Started

In just under two years, Jabil has:

• Delivered 94% of Mendix projects on time and within budget
• Avoided an estimated $10 million in development and licensing costs
• Turned a once-siloed IT process into a collaborative, enterprise-wide transformation engine

And with their low-code momentum only growing, Jabil is setting a new standard for what digital transformation in manufacturing can look like.

---

At Creatity, we help manufacturers like Jabil leverage low-code platforms like Mendix to innovate faster, reduce technical debt, and empower business users across all levels. If your IT backlog is slowing you down, let’s talk about how we can help you build the future—one app at a time.