VW builds supply chain efficiency through industry-wide data exchange

“Digitalisation and networking play a key role for the production and supply chains of the future,” added Murat Aksel, member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG with responsibility for Purchasing. “On the one hand, constantly connected data chains from the supplier to the manufacturer enable the flows of material to be organised more efficiently, meaning supply bottlenecks can be identified early on. On the other hand, digitalisation helps us to strengthen processes for observing environmental protection and human rights standards and to make supply chains even more transparent on these sensitive points.”

Volkswagen will incorporate its years of experience gained from the networking of its global factory structure with the cloud into the development of the data infrastructure of Catena-X. Moreover, the Group will work on specific applications ranging from supply chain optimisation to business partner master data management.

In addition to Volkswagen, 24 other partners from various levels of the automotive value chain are involved in Catena-X, including BMW, Deutsche Telekom, Mercedes-Benz, Robert Bosch, SAP, Siemens and ZF Friedrichshafen. The industry network intends to form a registered association.