The GDF Blog

Follow our story, get the latest news and insights

Feb 17, 2020

Sketch: The Must-Have for every designer!

Sketch is the tool used by our UI/UX Designer after the first ideation phases have passed and first processes have been put to paper.

Check ou this article to find out how we use Sketch and how it benefits us at the Global Digital Factory.

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Feb 13, 2020

Improving Allianz's mobile App landscape

Gaming Apps, budgeting Apps, photo Apps.. and of course: Insurance Apps. That can only mean one thing: Allianz is not far. To improve the Allianz digital App landscape, the Global Digital Factory has developed the App Center...
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Feb 04, 2020

Working Student life at the GDF

Karen joined the Global Digital Factory as a working student and undertook tasks in Communications and User Experience (UX) Research. Find out what she has to say about her time at the GDF. 
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Jan 20, 2020

The new POI Search has launched in Austria!

You are in a new city, hungry and have no idea where to go for food? You open google maps and type in 'restaurants'. Google provides you now with a full list of restaurants and cafes near you.

This is what we commonly call a Point of Interest (POI) search...

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Dec 18, 2019

eMerge 2019 in other's eyes

This year, eMerge has brought together 110 developers from 24 different Allianz locations and OEs to share their expertise with other experts within Allianz. Read here how they experienced the conference.
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Dec 17, 2019

GDF's journey of utilizing the Angular tool stack

Imagine that the power lines in your bathroom need rewiring. A craftsman comes in, removes the tiles, fixes the wiring, seals the wall, but then runs off with the tiles lying on the bathroom floor. Not cool, right? This is pretty much what happens when software libraries ship breaking changes...
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Dec 16, 2019

eMerge 2019: Retrospective

On 3rd and 4th December 2019 it was time for our Allianz developer community to bust through the doors of Werk 3 and fill the GDF with words such as “Azure”, “Apigee”, “DevOps” and “XSE Tabloid”. That can only mean one thing...
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Nov 20, 2019

Angular Conference 2019 - Updates you don't want to miss

As part of the opening keynote session by Google's Angular team, Jochen introduced some use-cases and learnings from providing a global Allianz UI component library for two years.
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Oct 24, 2019

NDBX: An introduction to our design language

NDBX is the Allianz design language that brings intuitive user experience to Allianz employees and other operating entities all over the world.
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Jul 23, 2019

Developing Digital Allianz solutions made easy with the Page Flow Engine

The Page Flow Engine greatly reduces the time it takes to build an Angular application. Read on to find out how it works!
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Jul 29, 2019

Building chatbots has never been easier!

Literally anyone can build a chatbot with Allianz Chatbot Platform without any IT knowledge. 
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Jul 23, 2019

We want SMEs to focus on what they love, not on insurance!

With Smart SME they finally can. And they are protected. 
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Jul 18, 2019

Ronique’s exchange at the Global Digital Factory

Read what Ronique Forgie, Digital Marketing Specialist from Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) New York has to say about her 3-month exchange at the GDF.
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Jul 16, 2019

PassionPass for Summer with 3 new activities

The wait is over! You can be protected with PassionPass in biking, biking and water sports activities this summer.
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Jul 04, 2019

GDF’s Onboarding Experience in others’ eyes

Read what Vasinee Hongyantarachai, Senior UI/UX Designer from Allianz Technology Thailand has to say about her one month onsite onboarding at the GDF
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May 28, 2019

Working student life in the GDF

From experiences in Communications to Data Analytics: Read how Jackie epxerienced and is still experiencing her time with us here at the GDF.
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May 24, 2019

Perfecting Allianz’s HR Global Mobility Experience with Design Thinking

The details associated with global mobility can be overwhelming and highly complex. Not only for HR but also for assignees who face a great deal of uncertainty and stress. Design Thinking helps us tackle this.
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May 10, 2019

Building digital Allianz solutions has never been simpler!

What tools we use and how to facilitate the creation and development of digital assets and solutions in Allianz whilst ensuring consistency.
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Mar 20, 2019

3 customer-centric, digital solutions #MadeInGDF

Intuitive, digital products that put the customer first, resulting from collaboration and co-creation at the Allianz Global Digital Factory...
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Feb 25, 2019

GDF’s Design Thinking Awareness Sessions

The push for Design Thinking has helped to generate new ideas across industries through a human-centered process. Read here to understand how this approach is used at the #AllianzGDF.
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Feb 20, 2019

MyMobility launched in Italy

MyMobility is a fully modular product approach, combining various modes of transportation in their day-to-day mobility
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Feb 19, 2019

Motor Onboarding Journey: Global right from the start

At the GDF, we scale digital assets up globally to support Allianz entities in creating flexible, customizable user experience. Learn more about successfully launched Motor Onboarding solution ins Austria and Thailand. And how we did it.
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Feb 18, 2019

Tailored, real-time insurance: PassionPass launched in Germany

Made for all those who have passion in skiing and snowboarding, are spontaneous and love experiencing life – this innovative insurance offering opens doors to a whole new audience. 
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Jan 07, 2019

Do you want to become more Customer-centric?

Here’s how: use Personas to really put users and customers into the centre, to respond to real needs and create solutions the users want.
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Dec 17, 2018

GDF's Visiting Developer Program continues

Collaboration comes alive with the Visiting Developer Program, this time with two developers from the United Kingdom. Read here what they have to say about it.
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Dec 05, 2018

The App Summit 2018

960 minutes to connect Mobile App expertise, to create and test our ideas. 960 minutes to bring together Allianz Mobile App Experts. Have a look  behind the scenes of Allianz' second App Summit.
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Dec 05, 2018

It's all about connecting with the customers!

... and in Australia, the Land Down Under, we do this for Motor Claims now with a highly personalized onboarding video that is the result of a collaboration between Allianz Australia and the GDF.
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Nov 20, 2018

Customer Journeys: Not just a new approach, but a chance in strategy

What enables successful organizational transformation today? Read here to find out what Florian Heise, Head of the Product Design and Optimization team at the Allianz Global Digital Factory, thinks.
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Nov 19, 2018

eMerge: Allianz’s first Developer Conference

Have a look behind the scenes and inside Allianz's first developers conference - an interview with Clint Lee Pidlubny, one of the creators of #eMerge. 
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Nov 15, 2018

My Internship at the Allianz GDF

Alexandra joined us for a three months internship at the #AllianzGDF. Read about how she experienced her time in Munich at the Allianz Global Digital Factory.
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Oct 23, 2018

What the heck is Angular and Progressive Web App?!

...  and what has the GDF to do with it?! Read here about how we develop assets and solutions that match user needs and make daily business at Allianz easier. 
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Oct 22, 2018

Enrich your agile routine!

A lot has happened in the past two years at the Global Digital Factory - a lot has been ideated, built, launched and scaled. Read here what Maria, an external Senior Consultant from Deloitte Digital, experienced at the #AllianzGDF.
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Sep 25, 2018

Not a typical intern report: Lessons learned!

Read about how our employees experience working at the #AllianzGDF. This time from the perspective of one of our interns: Tatjana, a student from Boston. Take a look behind the scenes and get some real-life insights.
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Sep 10, 2018

The GDF: Then and Now

The GDF has come a long way since its beginning in cargo containers two years ago. As we have recently celebrated our second year anniversary, let's check out how the GDF has changed over time!
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Sep 06, 2018

How we make working at the Factory not feel like working at a factory.

Because Scrum can feel like a real Scrum due it's  steady learning progress.
Let's see what Des Field Corbett our Head of Development at the Allianz Global Digital Factory says.
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Sep 06, 2018

Not another Scrum article please!

Those buzzwords again? 'Agile working method' and ‘Scrum’? No worries, this one is a practice-related article about Scrum and its key role in the daily business of the Allianz Global Digital Factory. 
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Aug 07, 2018

GDF Introduces the Visiting Developer Program

Collaboration and sharing knowledge are central parts of how we need to work to manage global digital transformation.
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Allianz Digital Asset Library: Our global hub for sharing and reusing digital in-house solutions

Aug 04, 2018

Allianz Digital Asset Library: Our global hub for sharing and reusing digital in-house solutions

Copy with pride - The Global Digital Factory developed a one-of-a-kind platform for sharing digital assets from around Allianz Group.
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Motor Claims Customer Journey

Jul 26, 2018

Motor Claims Customer Journey - From Local Needs to Global Solutions

The Global Digital Factory solutions have moved from cargo containers in Munich to customers’ pockets in multiple countries. Learnings from local markets have evolved into a global motor claims product that Allianz entities worldwide can implement quickly and effortlessly.
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UX Research in the Global Digital Factory

Jul 18, 2018

UX Research in the Global Digital Factory - from User Needs to Engaging Digital Customer Experiences

The Global Digital Factory’s mission is to build engaging digital user experiences. But how do we make sure that new and innovative solutions really fit the users’ needs? Simply – by interacting with the users. This is why we set up a team of User Experience Researchers and a User Experience Lab.
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Arne Benzin - Head of Allianz Global Digital Factory

Jul 12, 2018

We aren't the 'cool kids on the block' – it's not like we want to be anyway.

Daniel Poelchau and Arne Benzin head up the Allianz' Digital Factories – and as such, represent the massive cultural change currently underway in the company, which, first and foremost, is a digital change. 
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