As the automotive industry continues to mature in China, standards for business-to-business (B2B) communications have become more important. Over the last 30 years, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and sub-tier suppliers have used standardized, structured Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) to speed supply chain communications. EDI has served as a core B2B technology and has helped to improve efficiency and lower costs between customer and supplier.

The Joint Automotive Industry Forum (JAIF) is the forum for automotive associations from the automotive producing regions of the world and was formed to mutually carry out global activities that achieve common objectives. JAIF is currently composed of automotive associations from North America, Europe and Japan who cooperate for the purpose of addressing global supply chain issues, which span from the raw material supplier to the final customer for vehicles, parts and services.

The project work and publications of the JAIF include the development and deployment of automotive supply
chain recommendations, standards and user implementation guidelines that are based on internationally
accepted standards.

To support global data exchange, the JAIF is in the process of building the Joint Automotive Data Model (JADM), which will include global supply chain messages based on the core data types specified by the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT). JADM will be continuously enriched as more business processes and supporting data are harmonized and added to the model. By the end of 2007, access to the JADM will be available to automotive industry users.

In April 2006, AIAG (Automotive Industry Action Group, JAMA/JAPIA (Japan Automobile Manufacturer’s Association / Japan Auto Parts Industries Association), and Odette, acting within the Joint Automotive Industry Forum (JAIF), began a project to develop a global recommendation to their constituency for B2B messaging in China. Combining insights gained from 1) an AIAG survey conducted with more than 200 Chinese suppliers in 2005, 2) outside research, 3) input from industry experts and 4) the plans and experiences of member companies in a second survey taken in 2006, this document recommends globally agreed upon B2B messaging standards for JAIF member companies and their supply chains in China.

The JAIF recognizes that many domestic and joint venture companies have been conducting business in China for several years. During this time, these companies may have developed and implemented B2B messaging methodologies and systems to meet their current needs. Respecting this situation, the JAIF recommendation serves to guide future investment and development so that collectively, domestic and joint venture companies can move toward and realize the benefits of the JAIF B2B messaging recommendation.

Overview of the JAIF China B2B Recommendation
The JAIF China B2B Recommendation has been organized into the following four sections:

1. Executive Summary: This section provides a high-level summary of the current situation, potential solutions, conclusions and recommendations.

2. Current Situation: This section provides findings from two industry surveys as well as insights
from third-party research firms and JAIF experts from member companies.

3. Potential Solutions: This section compares and evaluates potential B2B standard solutions.

4. Conclusions and Recommendations: This section provides conclusions and recommendations for
companies planning to deploy B2B communications in China.

Click here to download the recommendation.