Adapting the AutoDX networking platform could derive various benefits for automotive suppliers and OEMs.
The Society of Indian Automotive Manufacturers (SIAM) and Automotive Components Manufacturers Association (ACMA) have announced the setting up of a new networking platform for seamless exchange of automotive data between suppliers and OEMs called AutoDX. It is an EDI platform that was engineered to enable seamless integration of OEMs and uppliers as far as common data exchange is concerned.
Launched at the 2014 Auto Expo, AutoDX will help standardise transaction data definitions, automate data exchange amongst industry players, obviate manual data entries and provide data interchange capability across the automotive industry to enable a streamlined supply chain. Each OEM has a dedicated portal for publishing delivery schedules, uploading/data entry of supplier transactions and publishing of financial settlement data to suppliers. Suppliers need to customise their systems to each OEM’s portal for uploading downloading transaction data from these portals. This hinders agile, real time data integration between industry players. At times, this complexity results in delays in shipments and dilutes OEMs’ JIT/JIS initiatives. Further, people-based processes for uploading and downloading data on to the portals leads to errors resulting in loss of productivity.
In his comment on the AutoDX, Vikram Kirloskar, President, SIAM, said, “Most auto OEMs as well as suppliers have mature IT platforms and technology-enabled transactional processes. Most of these IT interventions have been internally focused to improve the efficiencies of the respective organisations. However, these IT interventions have resulted in customised, company-specific documents and data formats resulting in significant additional efforts by the industry in integrating with each other.”
Focussing on the urgent need for an effective, collaborative, industry-wide solution, Harish Lakshman, President, ACMA, averred that the respective IT Committees of SIAM and ACMA realised the need to come together for reducing the complexity and have been working on an action plan since 2010 which has now resulted in setting up of the EDI platform – AutoDX. “The solution has undergone successful pilot testing by 10 companies and is now ready for a progressive rollout. This common cloud-based platform can enable seamless information exchange not just between OEMs and its Tier 1 suppliers, but also with the upstream value chain, logistics partners, financial institutions and others who serve the auto industry. Our broader vision is to facilitate adoption of standards wherever structured information is exchanged, be it in the form of electronic or paper document or labels such as barcode and RFID,” said Lakshman.
Giving details of the AutoDx initiative, Vijay Sethi, Chairman, SIAM IT Committee, mentioned that in a first-ever joint initiative between SIAM and ACMA, UN’s EDIFACT-based standards have been adapted for standardisation of information exchange between OEMs and suppliers.
Leave a Reply