Infor helps SMEs get started with digital supply chains

The project – which is being led by the European Commission and driven by large automotive groups including Odette, CLEPA and CECRA – is aimed at tackling the expensive EDI problem, which leaves many SMEs out in the cold. Michael Späth, regional vice president of development for Infor's automotive business, makes the point that OEMs' varying requirements make electronic processes via web portals complex, typically leading SMEs back to manual, paper-based processes. Auto-gration, he explains, will provide SMEs with a unified communication standard and complementary software to link their ERP systems with all OEMs' web portals, so offering simple, cost-efficient access to consistent electronic supply chain processes. Infor is creating the necessary connections based on auto-gration's collaborative reference architecture (CAR). By providing a joint, simplified XML format for data exchange, CAR Simple Message (CMS) connects different formats used by VDA, Odette or EANCOM. Infor then connects its ERP systems to the CMS transfer via the auto-gration CAR Simple Connector software module, supplied by the organisation as part of its Infor ION framework. Späth explains that, once deployed, the architecture covers all key business processes between OEMs' respective Tier 1 suppliers and SMEs, including orders and delivery forecast schedules, spare parts ordering, part call orders and e-invoicing. "Infor is one of the first enterprise software vendors to support auto-gration," states Späth. "We gradually want to decrease the number of variants in electronic data interchange, so that diversification of standards is not an issue for suppliers," he adds. "Infor currently maintains requirements of over 400 trading partners for our ERP solutions."