With the development of the EDC connector, PROSTEP is responding to the growing demand from industry for solutions that support sovereign data exchange across industry boundaries. At HMI, the company presents practical use cases. Based on OpenPDM, PROSTEP demonstrates the integration of PLM applications into data ecosystems and the exchange of sustainability‑relevant indicators, such as the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF). The exchange of certificates, such as ISO 9001, is demonstrated using the OpenDXM data exchange solution. The EDC connector not only supports the provision of data via the Catena‑X data ecosystem for automotive suppliers, but also enables connectivity to other decentralized data ecosystems within the Manufacturing‑X environment.
The challenge of data exchange in complex value chains is that participating companies operate in different industries and within different data ecosystems.
As part of the Manufacturing‑X initiative funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), various projects and sub‑initiatives have addressed the creation and use of such industry‑specific data ecosystems – in addition to Decide4ECO, for example Aero‑X, CHEM‑X, and SEMICONDUCTOR‑X.
Another demonstrator developed by PROSTEP together with Smart Systems Hub and HTW Dresden shows how data exchange across multiple data ecosystems can be implemented. In this demonstrator, a Digital Material Passport for chemicals from the CHEM‑X initiative is adapted for semiconductor raw materials. This information flows into SEMICONDUCTOR‑X, where the PCF values of raw materials and manufacturing steps are consolidated. Stored in a standards‑based manner in an Asset Administration Shell (AAS), the chip data is ultimately made available within the Decide4ECO context for further applications. The concrete use case is illustrated using the example of a hi‑fi headphone from Sennheiser in which the chip is installed and for which the ecological footprint is calculated.
“Seamless communication between different data ecosystems is the key to efficient data exchange along complex supply chains,” comments Prof. Dirk Reichelt of HTW Dresden. “Integration across multiple Manufacturing‑X projects is an important step toward ensuring interoperability and improving the resilience of global value chains.”
Olaf Sündermann, Head of Mechanical Design at Sennheiser, explains the benefits of the application: “The easy use of sustainability‑relevant indicators provided by various partners via data ecosystems supports our goal of developing more sustainable products. In addition, we aim to increase efficiency in the creation of reports, for example in connection with compliance requirements.”
Martin Holland, Head of Strategy and Business Development at the PROSTEP Group, adds: “The potential of data ecosystems can be unlocked through integration into enterprise systems. Our strength lies in closing the last mile and ensuring seamless integration into various data ecosystems with minimal effort.”
