Mendix Makers｜Game-breakers whose development and maintenance costs are higher than business benefits

Currently, we have a lean team that provides consulting, planning, training, troubleshooting, and outsourcing development services within the Mendix ecosystem to partners and end-users. In the new year, we will also collaborate with partners on our explorations of “Mx Low Code + AI Applications.”

Prior to this, I was a Solution Architect with Siemens’ Mendix team. It was a bit unexpected, but I am honored to receive an interview questionnaire from a former colleague. I thank everyone for their trust, as well as our partners and clients for their support.

MX: Before using the Mendix low-code platform to develop applications, what development tools did you primarily use? What tools did your department/team mainly use?

Gavin Chen: Our team is quite familiar with various languages/tools. For example, we have colleagues who have worked on SAP projects for years and are highly skilled in ABAP, as well as colleagues from a pioneering AI company who are proficient in Python. Overall, we are quite adept with general-purpose languages like Java/JS. However, Mendix low code indeed introduces interesting changes in business system development, which we will elaborate on shortly.

MX: What were the limitations and issues with the development tools you previously used?

Gavin Chen: We see “development” as inherently tied to the concepts of “innovation” and “evolution.” The challenges faced by developers and the tools they use form a dialectical relationship that evolves in a spiral manner.

In our view, the limitations and issues in enterprise-level digitalization and intelligent application development, such as “development speed lagging behind demand changes” and “maintenance/iteration costs exceeding business benefits,” are well addressed by Mendix low code.

MX: How long have you been using the Mendix low-code platform to develop applications?

Gavin Chen: I’ve been using it since the end of 2020, which is now a full 3 years and 3 months.

MX: What applications have you and your department/team developed using Mendix low code? Are these applications for internal departmental use or supporting other business departments?

Gavin Chen: We mainly assist our clients in adopting and leveraging Mendix. Over the past year, our primary developments have focused on three categories of applications:

• Personalized applications for manufacturing, such as role-based personalized workbenches that integrate existing PLM, ERP, and other management systems;
• Digital marketing platforms, such as integrating multi-source data and incorporating standardized workflows to ensure clear, traceable, and analyzable processes for complex product SKU inquiries and pricing;
• Standalone technical modules, such as independent master data management modules, system integration connectors, and workflow/task workbenches, enabling decoupling of business systems and technical foundations.

MX: What components/modules of Mendix have you used in developing these applications? What are your thoughts/feedback?

Gavin Chen: When initializing a project, we typically evaluate requirements and introduce commonly used components/modules, such as Community Commons, Mx Model Reflection, Excel Importer/Exporter, Audit Trail, Maths, and Workflow Commons.

Additionally, we often utilize some components from the Marketplace in different projects, like TreeView, TreeTable, Matrix, Gantt, and TimeLine.

So far, Mendix’s Marketplace is very up-to-date. We often check it for new features that might inspire us.

MX: When you encounter difficulties using Mendix to develop applications, where do you usually seek help or find answers?

Gavin Chen: Primarily, the Mendix community forums in both Chinese and English. Additionally, diving into the documentation resolves over 95% of the issues.

MX: Which application developed using Mendix are you most proud of? Can you introduce it in detail?

Gavin Chen: Every successfully delivered project that receives client recognition is something to be proud of. However, the most memorable one was when I was still part of the Mendix team, working on a laboratory reagent/sample management system. After completing initial technical verification and requirements assessment with the client, we developed the MVP version while advancing the business process. Through 4–5 hours of daily video meetings with the client’s developers, we completed the basic processes and functionality within two and a half weeks—faster than the contract approval process.

Here are some highlights:

Core functionality for master data management in a large multinational manufacturing enterprise:

• Build once, reuse continually, avoiding redundant development;
• Reused in multiple modules such as work hours, workshop equipment, scheduling, and design drawings.

Customized user access management module for an international company’s operations management system:

• Integrated enterprise SSO (Single Sign-On), enhancing the experience while refining granular management;
• Served as the foundation for multiple Mendix-developed applications, creating ongoing value.

Customized UI framework for a major financial enterprise:

• Build once, reuse continually, avoiding redundant development;
• Unified user experience for internal employees and external channel partners.

MX: What benefits have these applications brought to end users/customers?

Gavin Chen: Mendix, as a fully functional low-code platform, is not limited to specific industries or business scenarios. To summarize, there are two key points to share:

• For enterprise-specific business needs, Mendix can adapt to business scenarios and integrate with technical architectures more flexibly than packaged software. It also delivers applications faster and iterates more quickly compared to traditional code development;
• In the medium to long term, once a company has a team of three to five developers proficient in Mendix, the cost advantages of low code with lower barriers to entry become evident.

MX: What feedback have business departments or customers provided about these applications?

Gavin Chen: Often, the end users we face are eager to use systems to solve business problems or improve specific efficiency points. In such cases, the low-code agile approach of “completion over perfection,” with rapid deployment, immediate use, and continuous iteration toward perfection, is better suited for business-focused system development.

MX: Compared to traditional development, what do you think are the main advantages of Mendix?

Gavin Chen: Mendix provides graphical tools for building models, developing logic, and generating pages while still allowing flexibility for customization. Experienced Mendix developers can deeply customize data layers, logic layers, and presentation layers. This makes Mendix a highly efficient low-code platform that can replace pure Java/Vue/React code projects for business system development tasks that deliver measurable business value.

MX: Compared to other low-code development platforms on the market, what do you think are Mendix’s advantages?

Gavin Chen: From our delivery experience, the model-driven approach alone surpasses 95% of low-code platforms. Adding the comprehensive microflows/nanoflows capabilities takes it beyond 99% of others.

For enterprise applications, delivering complex data models, business logic, and integrating legacy systems—while being more efficient and cost-effective than pure code development—are the hallmarks of a suitable low-code platform. These attributes make Mendix stand out, rather than focusing on simpler scenarios like forms, surveys, or mini-programs.

MX: What are your impressions of using the Mendix Pro IDE environment?

Gavin Chen: It has consistently improved. When I first encountered Mendix, it was version Mx8, and now we’re using Mx10.6 in projects. I’m particularly looking forward to a Mac version of Studio Pro.

MX: Do you have any upcoming application development plans that will use the Mendix low-code platform?

Gavin Chen: In addition to assisting our clients with their Mendix applications, our team is also exploring Mendix + modern AI large language models (LLM). So far, we’ve achieved some milestones and plan to release them later:

• Integrating domestic and international large language models to implement natural language assistant functionality within Mendix;
• Open-source RAG applications for large language models, jointly deployed with Mendix applications.

MX: Would you recommend Mendix to other application developers? How would you recommend it?

Gavin Chen: Generally, we analyze the requirements and scenarios first and recommend suitable tools/platforms accordingly. For example, if the task involves hardware drivers or high-frequency trading systems, these might not suit Mendix. However, in scenarios with one or more of the following: complex data logic, complex business logic, mobility requirements, or business workflows, Mendix is a powerful and flexible low-code platform capable of meeting future needs.