As a finished vehicle OEM and key player in the automotive industry this original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is constantly trying to delight its customers and trading partners – innovation in its supply chain processes included. Read on to learn how this OEM has started to deliver an exceptional supply chain experience when launching new car models with the support of the Vinturas Interoperable Network (VIN) solution. The long-standing goals – to have increased control over order fulfillment and data availability and ownership – drove the OEM’s choice of Vinturas as its Information Technology (IT) solution partner in 2022. The OEM was committed to intertwining its strategy to digitise its supply chain with enhanced connectivity between its IT applications, supply chain trading partners, and customers, to maximise their end-to-end tracking and tracing capabilities of vehicles from production to final dealer delivery. In the wake of the launch of their new vehicles that are being produced at factories in Europe, the OEM accelerated the implementation of the VIN solution to optimize its end-to-end supply chain operations. Case Study Vinturas Interoperable Solution – VIN Interoperability

The long-standing goals – to have increased control over order fulfillment and data availability and ownership – drove the OEM’s choice of Vinturas as its Information Technology (IT) solution partner in 2022. The OEM was committed to intertwining its strategy to digitise its supply chain with enhanced connectivity between its IT applications, supply chain trading partners, and customers, to maximise their end-to-end tracking and tracing capabilities of vehicles from production to final dealer delivery. In the wake of the launch of their new vehicles that are being produced at factories in Europe, the OEM accelerated the implementation of the VIN solution to optimize its end-to-end supply chain operations.

All the IT applications (ERP, CRM, TMS & WMS) and supply chain trading partners (assembly plants, compounds, terminals, LSPs, trucking companies, rail operators, Roll On/Roll Off (Ro/Ro) lines, importers, and dealerships) have been connected to the VIN solution, powered by blockchain technology. The complete onboarding process of developing, connecting, and testing the software integration with each supply chain trading partner of the OEM was completed in less than 4 months by the Vinturas’ team to meet the deadline for the launch of the new vehicles. The implemented VIN solution also allowed seamless collaboration and data sharing between the OEM, its customers, and their supply-chain trading partners.

The end-to-end supply chain network was mapped out for each lane segment. Advanced tracking & tracing capabilities have been incorporated using the VIN solution, which has allowed the OEM to effortlessly monitor and orchestrate the movement of each vehicle from production to final dealer delivery. Real-time tracking & tracing capabilities enabled the OEM to proactively address disruptions in the supply chain with just a few mouse clicks to ensure timely and efficient delivery of vehicles to its dealer networks.

The VIN solution has connected the OEM’s end-to-end supply chain into ‘one source of the truth’, with all end-to-end supply chain information and data centralized and secured. All communications – spread between worksheets, emails, and telephonic communications – with each trading partner of the OEM have been digitized. ‘One source of truth’ makes data reliable and easy to access. All data on the VIN solution is (double) encrypted, including ‘data stamp’, longitude, and latitude. It cannot be manipulated or viewed by any trading partner who is not authorized. This encourages all OEM trading partners to collaborate and to freely share detailed insights into vehicle shipments on the VIN solution. It gives all parties better control over the entire supply chain: “all parties benefit!” With a unified immutable view of data available, the OEM can efficiently measure the performance of its trading partners and connect with new trading partners easily.

Traditionally the OEM and its trading partners were struggling to gain upstream visibility in the supply chain: “Where are the vehicles right now?” or “When will the vehicles reach the dealership?”. Now the OEM, its trading partners, and its customers have real-time visibility of each vehicle. Its trading partners receive automated notifications of where each vehicle is in the supply chain. They can also choose to use the Vinturas ‘white label’ portal to check vehicle status, upload a load plan, report delays, etc.

Improved data availability and quality from the entire supply chain flow has helped the OEM better predict disruptions and future demand, plan production, track inventory levels and identify trends to build resilience into the supply chain. The OEM has thus optimised its operations to reduce costs. The OEM has also reported saved costs in reduced IT and administrative burdens, customer support, logistics operations, and the opportunity to reduce its overall IT stack.