Data spaces make it possible to use data collaboratively. It is much easier to share and process data via a data space than to coordinate it on a case-by-case basis each time you exchange data with another party. Why is that? When working in a data space, the technological and legal coordination process happens just once and for all and is then used as a standard for every subsequent action – and by all participants. Data spaces are therefore much more than “places” for the shared use of data. They are becoming increasingly relevant open data hubs for leveraging decentralised data. Things get much more commercially interesting when these kinds of data spaces can be interlinked – and not just between manufacturer and customer. Catena-X is the best-known example of this approach to date. This European and international active ecosystem for the entire supply chain in the automotive sector is ready to go and already in the implementation phase. So what practical benefit does it bring? If we take traceability as a use case, we can see the benefits straight away. Value creation for an automobile starts with the concept design for the product and ends with the scrappage of all its parts. Between these two points come development, production, logistics, sale, utilisation, countless repairs, and reuse and recycling. At present, it is usually just direct business partners who will be in contact with each other during each of these process steps. Nobody – so far – logs information throughout the entire life cycle. This makes it more difficult to act promptly, particularly when quality issues arise or recall campaigns are required.

TRANSPARENCY ACROSS ALL THE CHAINS

“Catena-X can change that. A use case (see box) offers a practical example of how a typical error can be traced back through all the stages while ensuring data sovereignty,” explains Bernd Kremer, COO Digital Industrial Solutions at German Edge Cloud. That is just one of many Catena-X applications, which range from quality management through the circular economy to “Manufacturing as a Service” as a new business model. “However, the benefit are only realised when enthusiastic participation really brings the data space to life as an ecosystem. That’s what is needed right now,” emphasises Kremer. Systems from various suppliers are currently being certified by Catena-X so their software and services can be utilised on a standardised basis. There is also a Catena-X standard for the networking itself – the Eclipse Dataspace Connector (EDC). ONCITE DPS from German Edge Cloud, which is used in Haiger, has become the first system ever to be certified.

• Use Case:

  Tracing parts

  A workshop notifies a car manufacturer of a cracked flange on a gearbox. Catena-X provides transparency for the entire chain:

  1. Car manufacturer

  2. Gearbox manufacturer

  3. Manufacturer of the gearbox components

  4. Manufacturer that made the flange

  5. Production data for the batch of flanges

  By using track & trace in its own production operations, the flange manufacturer links together supply chain, component and process information. It can see the press force used in a part’s production and identify error sources down to batch level. The benefit for the entire chain is the ability to trace back in the opposite direction, right down to the other individual cars that could be affected – ideally even across multiple manufacturers.

   

DRIVING DEVELOPMENT

“As an industry, we need to take a threepronged approach to get Catena-X off to a strong start. Firstly, members must drive the development of the platform. Secondly, we have to ensure easily accessible connectors for new participants are more widely available on the market. Thirdly, we need suppliers and solutions that also help SMEs digitalise their overall processes and production so that digital continuity can actually be achieved in the first place, right down to the shopfloor,” Kremer states. “When it comes to Manufacturing-X – the next major initiative – we will therefore devote even more attention to standardisation within factories. This is a much bigger challenge than we had with Catena-X , as it concerns the entire manufacturing industry and multilayered mechanical engineering worldwide.”