For many enterprises that build software, long release cycles, fragmented toolchains, and manual handoffs still slow innovation. It is not uncommon to find organizations stuck in 12- to 18-month delivery timelines, struggling to balance speed, security, and compliance. Fortunately, GitLab is helping change that reality. By bringing planning, development, security, and operations into a single DevSecOps platform, GitLab enables teams to move from slow, siloed releases to true continuous delivery. Organizations are using GitLab to dramatically improve velocity, collaboration, and software quality across industries. In this blog, we will highlight real-world success stories from global leaders who have transformed how they build and deliver software.
GitLab’s DevSecOps Platform for High-Performance Delivery
GitLab’s strength lies in its unified, end-to-end approach to DevSecOps. Instead of relying on dozens of disconnected tools, teams can manage their entire software lifecycle in one platform. With GitLab, organizations benefit from a single source of truth, built-In CI/CD and automation, integrated security and compliance, scalability, and faster onboarding. Teams have improved traceability, reduced risk, and better collaboration.
How Leading Enterprises Transformed with GitLab
Let’s check out these examples of GitLab in action.
Airbus: Accelerating Innovation at Global Scale
As a global aerospace leader, Airbus manages complex systems, strict compliance requirements, and large distributed teams. Before standardizing on GitLab, coordinating development across projects was challenging.
After adopting GitLab as a central platform, Airbus achieved:
- 114x increase in product release velocity
- 425% growth in projects, from 50 to 850 in five years
- 99% faster release times, reducing deployment from 24 hours to 10 minutes
By consolidating around one platform, Airbus dramatically improved communication and efficiency.
T-Mobile: From 18-Month Cycles to Rapid Delivery
For T-Mobile, long release cycles were holding back digital transformation. In some cases, delivering new capabilities took nearly 18 months.
After embracing Agile, DevOps, and GitLab, the organization transformed its delivery model:
- 6x faster time to market
- 13,000 active GitLab users
- Streamlined security processes
Release cycles were reduced from nearly 18 months to approximately three months.
Lockheed Martin: Simplifying DevOps at Defense Scale
Lockheed Martin operates in one of the most regulated and security-sensitive environments in the world. Managing thousands of build servers and fragmented pipelines created operational complexity.
By consolidating on GitLab, Lockheed Martin achieved:
- 80x faster CI pipeline builds
- 90% reduction in system maintenance time
- Retirement of thousands of Jenkins servers
GitLab’s integrated platform enabled reusable components, standardized pipelines, and secure collaboration across teams. This reduced both technical debt and operational overhead.
Hilti: Driving Efficiency in Manufacturing Software
Hilti, a global construction and manufacturing leader, needed faster feedback loops and more reliable deployments to support digital initiatives.
With GitLab, Hilti attained:
- 50% shorter development cycle time
- 15-minute deployment times
- 400% increase in automated code checks
By automating testing, security, and deployments, Hilti improved quality while accelerating delivery.
Continuous Delivery with GitLab
These success stories share a common theme of consolidation, automation, and visibility-driven results. Whether it is scaling innovation, shrinking release cycles, simplifying secure development, or improving manufacturing software quality, GitLab provides the foundation for continuous delivery at enterprise scale. The shift from 18-month release cycles to continuous delivery is happening across industries, with GitLab at the center. If your organization is ready to modernize its software delivery and maximize ROI, contact our experts about GitLab.
