Case Study: Driving 100% Performance Gains & 30% Cost Reduction for Kubota
How I led a complex cloud transformation, modernizing legacy on-premise systems into a high-performance, automated, and cost-effective cloud platform.
Client
Kubota Tractor Corporation
Industry
Manufacturing & Heavy Equipment
My Services Provided
- •DevOps & CI/CD Implementation
- •Cloud Architecture & Migration
- •Infrastructure as Code (Chef)
- •Observability Engineering (ELK Stack)
- •Full-Stack Application Modernization
Technologies Used
Overcoming an Aging, On-Premise Infrastructure
Kubota's on-premise application landscape, built on legacy IBM systems, was struggling to keep pace with modern performance demands. This resulted in slow user experiences, high operational overhead, and an inability to release new features quickly. They needed to migrate to the cloud, but a simple "lift and shift" would not solve the core architectural problems. The initiative required a complete modernization, demanding a principal architect with deep, hands-on expertise across cloud infrastructure, DevOps automation, and the full application stack.
A DevOps-First Approach to Cloud Transformation
I was engaged to provide both the strategic architectural vision and the hands-on engineering leadership for the transformation. My approach was holistic and built on a foundation of elite DevOps practices:
1. Enterprise DevOps Foundation
I established the complete DevOps and CI/CD framework from the ground up. This involved implementing a robust pipeline using Jenkins for continuous integration, JFrog Artifactory for artifact management, and leveraging Chef for Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to fully automate environment provisioning. This foundation was pivotal in accelerating development cycles and ensuring consistency.
2. Advanced Observability
To provide deep operational insight into the new microservices architecture, I designed and deployed a comprehensive ELK (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) stack. This gave the operations and development teams centralized logging, real-time monitoring, and the advanced analytics needed to troubleshoot issues quickly and effectively.
3. Full-Stack Application Modernization
With a solid DevOps foundation in place, I led the modernization of the application itself. This included architecting and building the new backend as a suite of Java microservices and supporting the development of a modern, responsive ReactJS frontend. This ensured the new cloud-native applications were performant, scalable, and delivered a superior user experience.
4. Agile Transformation & Mentorship
Beyond the technology, I championed the adoption of Agile/Scrum methodologies across the teams. I provided mentorship and implemented Jira workflows that bridged the gap between development and operations, fostering a culture of high-velocity, collaborative delivery.
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Measurable Business Impact
Performance Improvement
Delivered a **100% improvement** in application performance compared to the previous on-premise systems.
Cost Reduction
Reduced overall infrastructure costs by **30%** through superior architectural design and cloud optimization.
Improved Deployment Frequency
Significantly improved deployment frequency and reliability, reducing time-to-market for new features.
Modern Architecture
Established a modern, scalable cloud-native architecture that replaced a monolithic legacy system.
Enhanced Team Collaboration
Enhanced collaboration and efficiency by successfully bridging the gap between development and operations teams through Agile and DevOps practices.