About the company
Johnson Controls is a global leader in smart building technologies, committed to creating safe, healthy, and sustainable indoor environments. With over 100,000 employees across 150 countries, they leverage AI and digital solutions to optimize building performance and energy efficiency.
At the heart of this global operation is the Translation Center of Excellence (TCE), which plays a crucial role in ensuring seamless and culturally accurate communication with international markets. Its goal? To deliver localized content that drives Johnson Controls’ mission to provide smart building solutions worldwide.
The Challenge
Before investing in a Translation Management System (TMS), the company worked with two approved language service providers to get their content localized. However, they realized that the localization process presented a few key challenges:
Lack of Centralized Control: With external vendors managing localization, it was difficult to maintain ownership, track progress, or ensure accountability.
Inconsistent Translations: Without a centralized translation memory, different teams across various departments struggled with translation inconsistencies, which led to rework, duplication of effort, and wasted resources.
Extended Project Timelines:Due to manual workflows and inefficient processes, localization projects often took longer than expected, leading to delays in launching localized content in key global markets.
Cumbersome Review Process: Reviewers lacked the tools to see content in context, leading to misunderstandings, repeated back-and-forth revisions, and frustrations.
High Localization Costs: Relying on external vendors for translation services led to escalating costs, particularly with the growing volume of content that needed localization. The lack of centralized processes further inflated expenses through duplicated efforts, inefficient workflows, and repeated revisions, creating an unsustainable cost burden.
The growing demand for timely, accurate translations pushed Johnson Controls to look for a more scalable and efficient solution. They needed a technology-driven approach that could centralize control, reduce costs, and empower their teams.
We needed to regain control over our assets and localization processes. After researching several providers, XTM Cloud stood out as the best-in-class solution, especially for managing complex projects from start to finish.”
Caoimhse McGrath
Translation Center of Excellence Program Manager
The Solution
After evaluating several TMS, Johnson Controls selected XTM Cloud to centralize their localization efforts, optimize workflows, and improve efficiency.
Johnson Controls implemented XTM Cloud across various departments—HR, Procurement, Marketing, and Technical Communications—ensuring a consistent and scalable localization process across all content types.
Centralized Translation Memory: By consolidating all their translations in one place, Johnson Controls was able to ensure accuracy and consistency across departments, reducing the need for rework.
In-Context Review: XTM’s visual review feature allowed reviewers to see content as it would appear in the final product, reducing revision cycles, and improving the quality of translations.
Workflow Automation and AI Integration: Automating repetitive tasks, such as file transfers and project assignments, helped reduce lead times, while integrating XTM Cloud with their internal AI-driven translation tool further boosted efficiency.
Cost and Time Savings: XTM’s powerful management tools allowed Johnson Controls to cut down on vendor costs and reduce overall project timelines by 4 weeks, leading to significant cost savings and faster time-to-market.
XTM Cloud allowed us to reduce turnaround times, lower costs, and gain full control over our translation memory. With visual mode, we solved the problem of context during the review process, improving both speed and accuracy.”
Caoimhse McGrath
Translation Center of Excellence Program Manager
The Outcome
Since adopting XTM Cloud, Johnson Controls has seen substantial improvements in its localization process:
4 Weeks Faster Turnaround Times: Automated workflows cut project lead times, allowing them to bring localized content to market much faster than before.
Cost Reduction: By taking ownership of their translation memory and reducing reliance on external vendors, Johnson Controls saved significantly on localization costs.
Improved Quality and Consistency: The in-context review feature, combined with a centralized translation memory, ensured accurate and consistent translations across departments, reducing errors and minimizing rework.
Greater Transparency and Control: Project timelines and workloads became fully visible, improving collaboration across departments and ensuring deadlines were met.
Scalability for Future Growth: With a streamlined and fully optimized localization process, Johnson Controls is now well-positioned to scale up as global demand increases without compromising quality or speed.
Reducing turnaround times and controlling costs allow us to reach our customers faster and more efficiently. With full control over our translation memory, we ensure that every term, particularly industry-specific ones, are translated with accuracy and consistency.”
Caoimhse McGrath
Translation Center of Excellence Program Manager
With the help of XTM Cloud, Johnson Controls transformed a fragmented, inefficient localization process into a streamlined, scalable solution that enhances translation quality, speeds up project timelines, and cuts costs. This transformation has not only improved internal workflows but also enabled Johnson Controls to deliver localized content faster to meet the needs of their customers in global markets.
