AIAG to Cooperate With Odette for European Launch of ANX(R) Service

18 March 1998
AIAG to Cooperate With Odette for European Launch of ANX(R) Service

    SOUTHFIELD, Mich., March 18 -- The Automotive Industry Action
Group (AIAG) recently exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the
European organization Odette (Organization for Data Exchange by Tele
Transmission in Europe) to further ensure European implementation of the
Automotive Network eXchange(R) (ANX(R)) service in 1999.
    Through a single secure access point, the ANX(R) network service -- which
is tentatively slated for a North American launch in late summer 1998 -- is
predicted to save the auto industry millions of dollars annually by improving
trading partner communications, simplifying data network connections and
providing a foundation for future network and applications growth.
    "This second act of cooperation between the automotive standards bodies of
North America and Europe demonstrates a determined effort to recognize that in
a global industry common solutions are necessary," said Richard T. Simmons,
AIAG executive director on loan from Ford Motor Company.  "Last year we signed
an agreement to develop common implementation guidelines for electronic data
interchange (EDI) based on the Odette UN/EDIFACT subset messages."
    The new MOU agreement will ensure that Odette will regulate all European
pilot projects that contribute to the development of the ANX(R) initiative in
Europe.  Odette Group 4 -- which deals with communication issues -- will be
responsible for reviewing and coordinating European ANX(R) pilot projects, and
will then present pilot results to the AIAG.
    According to Simmons, there is currently one European ANX pilot project
underway at the Verband der Autobil industrie (VDA) -- the German auto
consortium -- in Frankfurt, with other pilots planned in France and the United
Kingdom.  Additional countries are expected to participate in these ANX pilots
as well.
    Beyond this current initiative, the AIAG has collaborated with such
organizations as VDA, Group pour l'Amelioration des Liasons dans l'Industries
Automobile (Galia) in France, Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc.
(JAMA) and Odette Sweden on a variety of issues and initiatives, including
AutoSTEP, barcoding and the Year 2000.
    Founded in 1982, AIAG is a not-for-profit trade association of more than
1,300 automotive and truck manufacturers and their suppliers.  Originally
recognized for its efforts to standardize electronic data interchange (EDI)
and bar code standards to assist Tier One suppliers, AIAG's mission has
expanded to cover all levels of the automotive supply chain as well as to
include numerous programs and initiatives aimed at improving its members'
productivity and quality.
    More information about AIAG and AUTO-TECH can be found on the World Wide
Web at http://www.aiag.org.

SOURCE  Automotive Industry Action Group