The Internationalisation of EDI in the Automotive Industry

In recent years the automotive industry has experienced significant changes due to the globalisation of its value chain. For the coordination of as big a supplier network as of the BMW Group, there is no alternative to Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). As business relationships go global, conventional processes are challenged by country- and industry-specific technologies and codes of conduct. The analysis of the development of EDI standards shows that evolving from proprietary and national standards (VDA), the focus was extended to the European level (Odette) and finally reached the generic standard EDIFACT. But how are the suppliers prepared to follow this standardization process? Is EDIFACT already fully accepted? How do new eBusiness concepts go along with or even replace conventional processes? Empirical research has been conducted among selected suppliers of the BMW Group to identify current processes and standards in use but also reveal expectations of the future of EDI. This book is addressed to authorities in Logistics and Materials Management, to associations and standardization boards for EDI and generally to prospective clients of the automotive industry.