As Shelby American scaled from handcrafted performance cars to high-volume manufacturing, it needed a reliable way to manage the devices powering its production floor. Here’s how Scalefusion helped build a secure, distraction-free, and future-ready manufacturing environment.
For more than six decades, Shelby American has built some of the world’s most iconic high-performance vehicles. From the legendary Cobra Roadster to performance Mustangs developed in partnership with Ford, the company has earned its reputation through precision engineering and uncompromising craftsmanship.
But as manufacturing evolved, so did the technology supporting it.
Moving from handcrafted vehicles to high-volume production meant every stage of manufacturing needed greater visibility, faster decision-making, and dependable digital systems. To support this transformation, Shelby developed proprietary software that tracks parts consumption, installation times, and inventory requirements for its just-in-time production process.
The software became an essential part of daily operations. The next challenge was ensuring every device running it performed consistently on the production floor.
That’s where Scalefusion came in.
Key takeaways
- High-Volume Manufacturing Scale: Shelby American successfully scaled from handcrafted vehicle production to high-volume manufacturing while maintaining operational efficiency.
- In-House Application Workflow: To support its just-in-time manufacturing process, Shelby developed an internal production application to track parts consumption, installation times, and production workflows.
- Centralized Tablet Management: Scalefusion enabled Shelby to deploy, secure, and centrally manage Android tablets running its production application across the factory floor.
- Android Kiosk Mode Security: Using Android kiosk mode, Shelby transformed standard tablets into purpose-built production devices, blocking access to email, web browsers, settings, and other non-work applications.
- Distraction-Free Productivity: A simple, distraction-free device experience helped employees across different age groups stay productive while reducing the risk of device misuse.
- Cross-Platform OS Expansion: With a scalable endpoint management strategy in place, Shelby is now preparing to extend device management to Windows and macOS while maintaining the same reliability and ease of administration.
Customer testimonial
Watch how Scalefusion powers Shelby American’s production floor.
About Shelby American
Founded in 1962, Shelby American is one of the most recognizable names in the automotive industry, producing high-performance collector vehicles that blend racing heritage with modern engineering. Established by legendary racing driver and automotive designer Carroll Shelby, it is best known for the iconic AC Cobra and high-performance Ford Mustangs.
As the company expanded its manufacturing capabilities, it needed technology that could keep pace with increasing production volumes without adding operational complexity. Reliable device management became an important part of that journey.
Challenge: Scaling manufacturing without slowing production
For Shelby American, growth wasn’t just about building more cars. Well, it meant rethinking how manufacturing operations were supported.
“When we introduced the Cobra Roadster in the ’60s, much of the manufacturing was done entirely by hand,” recalls Richard Sparkman, Director of Technology, Fleet & Facilities, who has been part of Shelby’s journey for nearly three decades. “But 2007 was a turning point. Technology was moving fast, and we had to accelerate too.”
As Shelby expanded its partnership with Ford to produce performance Mustangs, the company transitioned from niche, handcrafted production to manufacturing thousands of vehicles. That shift demanded greater visibility into every stage of production.
To support this transformation, Shelby built its own manufacturing application to monitor parts consumption and installation times while predicting parts requirements for just-in-time production.
However, the software was only as effective as the devices running it. Shelby needed a solution that could:
- Deploy its internal application across multiple Android tablets
- Restrict devices to business use only
- Prevent unauthorized access and accidental misuse
- Deliver a simple experience for employees across different age groups
- Ensure consistent performance with minimal IT intervention
Solution: Secure and purpose-built production devices
After evaluating multiple solutions, Shelby selected Scalefusion to manage its production-floor tablets.
“We deployed our app on several tablets that function on our production floor,” says Sparkman. “Scalefusion made sure every single one worked exactly as intended—focused, secure, and tailored for our teams.”
Rather than treating tablets as general-purpose devices, Shelby wanted them to function as dedicated production tools.
Using Scalefusion, the company deployed its proprietary manufacturing application across Android tablets while applying centralized policies to ensure every device delivered the same secure and reliable experience.
One of Shelby’s biggest priorities was creating a user experience that worked for employees across generations.
“For younger users, we wanted the tablets to stay work-focused and locked down so there’s no chance of misuse,” Sparkman explains. “For team members in higher age groups, simplicity was the goal—an interface that’s clean, easy, and not too complex.”
Using Scalefusion’s kiosk mode, Shelby transformed standard Android tablets into dedicated production terminals. Employees could access only the company’s manufacturing application, while email, web browsers, device settings, and other distractions remained inaccessible.
The result was a streamlined, distraction-free experience that allowed employees to focus entirely on production tasks.
“The tablets simply do what they’re meant to do,” says Sparkman. “That reliability has been critical to our project’s success.”
Impact: Reliable devices for reliable manufacturing
In a just-in-time manufacturing environment, consistency is everything.
Unexpected device behavior, configuration drift, or user error can quickly affect production efficiency. By standardizing every production-floor tablet with Scalefusion, Shelby created a reliable foundation for its manufacturing software.
Consistent device configurations simplified software testing, reduced support overhead, and gave the team confidence that every tablet would perform exactly as expected day after day.
Instead of troubleshooting devices, Shelby’s teams could stay focused on building vehicles.
Preparing for the next phase of growth
Shelby’s digital transformation continues beyond Android.
As the company looks to expand device management across Windows and macOS, maintaining the same level of reliability, centralized management, and ease of deployment remains a priority.
“As and when we plan to expand beyond Android to Windows and Mac, having that same reliability, easy onboarding, and fantastic support across our ecosystem is critical,” says Sparkman. “That’s why Scalefusion will be the solution of choice, given the track record of success we’ve seen.”
With a scalable endpoint management platform already in place, Shelby is well positioned to support future growth without increasing operational complexity.
Results at a glance
By implementing Scalefusion, Shelby American achieved several operational improvements across its production floor:
- Standardized device management: Every production-floor tablet was configured with consistent policies, ensuring a uniform experience across the factory.
- Purpose-built devices: Tablets were locked to Shelby’s proprietary manufacturing application, keeping employees focused on production tasks.
- Improved operational reliability: Consistent device configurations gave Shelby confidence that its internally developed software would perform reliably every day.
- Simplified user experience: A clean, intuitive interface made the devices easy to use for employees across different age groups while minimizing the risk of accidental misuse.
- Reduced IT effort: Centralized management simplified device deployment, policy enforcement, and ongoing administration.
- Scalable foundation for growth: With proven success on Android, Shelby is well positioned to extend the same device management experience to future Windows and macOS deployments.
Why this matters for manufacturers
Manufacturing today depends on more than machines. Connected devices play a critical role in keeping production lines moving, enabling real-time visibility into operations, and supporting just-in-time manufacturing.
But these devices also need to be secure, reliable, and purpose-built for the task at hand. A single misconfigured tablet or unexpected device issue can disrupt workflows, increase IT overhead, and impact productivity.
Shelby American’s experience shows how centralized endpoint management can simplify device deployment, eliminate distractions, and ensure production-floor devices consistently perform as intended. As manufacturers continue their digital transformation, having a scalable platform to manage every endpoint becomes essential, not just for operational efficiency today, but for future growth as well.
Ready to modernize your manufacturing operations?
Whether you’re deploying a handful of shared tablets or managing thousands of endpoints across multiple facilities, Scalefusion helps you secure, manage, and monitor every device from a single dashboard.
From locking down production-floor tablets to simplifying large-scale deployments across Android, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Linux, Scalefusion gives IT teams the control they need without adding operational complexity.
